tragedy strikes

[AnnClaire]

Well, I have the almost 3-week babies in a cardboard corral in the living room and have been bringing the does in at night for the babies to relieve the pressure while they are drying up ... they have both weaned the kits onto pellets and such.

One of the does kicked last night and her back leg got away from me and a couple of kits went skidding across the floor, but they both got right back in the pile and seemed to be good to go. No scratches, and later, when I gave them their ration of crimped oats and filled up the water dish, they were all active and bouncy.

This morning when I got up, the one broken black kit was sitting alone and kind of hunched up. I picked him up and he didn't struggle or anything He also felt chilled, despite the long fur! He was bright eyed and was lifting his head, but didn't seem to be able to control his back legs very well.

I tucked him into a small basket with the fiber seconds from his pops last plucking and DD babysat him today. But, by the time I got in from working about 6:30, he couldn't lift his head or move at all. I had to put him down as I couldn't let an obviously deteriorating animal continue ...

I seriously don't think he was one that the doe kicked last night, but the 16 babies will all of a sudden take off all at once and the group will race around the cardboard corral, and I have seen some run into the walls, one side of which is up against the bottom of a wooden bookcase ... and if this baby hit that head-on, could very well have broken his neck.

I guess I'll have to make a smaller corral for the first week or so with the next litter.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Poor little guy! Sorry you lost him.

 

[AnnClaire]

Thanks MSD, I think this is the hardest part ... I can butcher no problem, I can find DOA after kindling and it doesn't bother me either, and older ones that die from illness/old age is sad but it happens, but once they are fuzzy and hopping and soooooo little, that is the hardest part so far.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Yes. Losing little kits in the nest is almost expected for me at least, but once they are what I consider to be "safe" a week out or so I don't expect any losses. I lost some young bunnies last year to what I suspect were rodent attacks, and it really hit me hard. They were weaned and in their own cages, so it was the last thing I expected. We all know that death is a part of life, but it seems so unfair when they have their whole lives ahead of them.

 

[wsmoak]

Try finding a gigantic rat snake in the nest box!!! I had a litter of six outside and wasn't really thinking with this mild winter and early spring that all the creatures are out and about already. Now there are only four. And the door to the cage is reinforced!

Picture here for the adventurous: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10803470@N ... otostream/

-Wendy

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Goodness! That is a big snake! Did you explain that those were rabbits it ate, not rats?!? We have gopher, king, and rattle snakes here- I hope I never find one in a nest, especially a rattler. :x

 

[akane]

I'll take the rat snake over the rats any day. The rats kill more kits and are harder to keep out than a big snake. I used to have one that sunned itself on the driveway every morning and every morning I had to move my rat snake so I didn't hit him with my truck.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

So sorry you lost the kit, AnnClaire...it is hard when they get to the stage that they *should* be fine...and it happens. {{{hugs}}}<br /><br />__________ Sat Apr 07, 2012 10:54 am __________<br /><br />

Try finding a gigantic rat snake in the nest box!!! I had a litter of six outside and wasn't really thinking with this mild winter and early spring that all the creatures are out and about already. Now there are only four. And the door to the cage is reinforced!

Picture here for the adventurous: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10803470@N ... otostream/

-Wendy

Oh my goodness! I think I would freak out! What did you do with it?

 

[MaggieJ]

I agree with you, Akane! I'd far rather have a huge rat snake than rats too. I like snakes (non-venomous) and they do much more good than harm around the homestead.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I like snakes, too- even the venomous ones. I have removed quite a few rattlers from our yard and released them further afield. Now that I have tried barbecued rattlesnake, however, the next good sized visitor will join us for dinner and give me a new hatband as a "Hostess Gift".:twisted: :chef: :roll:

 

[fuzzy9]

Awe, I'm so sorry for your loss. It's always sad when something like this happens. It's the same for me as what you said earlier. Processing, and finding the dead ones, is not as difficult as watching one going down hill like that, only to lose it's battle. Hugs!

________________________________________________________________________

Holy cow!!! That is a big snake. I would have freaked out! We have the little grass snakes, and that's big enough for me. :lol:

 

[AnnClaire]

Thank you all for the sympathy ... I lost another one yesterday, but it was to that enteric bug they get once in a while ... surprised the old man that I didn't try to save it, but by the time I woke up and did the morning check, he was already cold and not fighting, had diarrhea most of the night ... I wrapped him in a warm towel after washing his tailgate in really warm water, tried to syringe some warm water (don't have any probiotics yet) into him. He didn't want the water, and he didn't fight. Made a warm water quart baggie for him to lay next to, and he snuggled up to it, but just couldn't get warm, and went down hill. Sad to loose one this way, but with all young there is always the chance of some sort of enteritis striking.

 

[MaggieJ]

Sorry you lost another one. I hope the enteritis doesn't affect the rest of the kits. You might want to ease back on the pellets and feed more grass hay and kitchen oatmeal, just as a precaution.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

I like snakes, too- even the venomous ones. I have removed quite a few rattlers from our yard and released them further afield. Now that I have tried barbecued rattlesnake, however, the next good sized visitor will join us for dinner and give me a new hatband as a "Hostess Gift".:twisted: :chef: :roll:

Girl, you crazy! :mrgreen:

 

[MaggieJ]

I like snakes, too- even the venomous ones. I have removed quite a few rattlers from our yard and released them further afield. Now that I have tried barbecued rattlesnake, however, the next good sized visitor will join us for dinner and give me a new hatband as a "Hostess Gift".:twisted: :chef: :roll:

Girl, you crazy! :mrgreen:

What's this????? This cannot be!!! Something the famous RT "sistahs" do not agree on? :shock:

 

[MamaSheepdog]

What's this????? This cannot be!!! Something the famous RT "sistahs" do not agree on? :shock:

Now, now, Maggie! Let's not jump to conclusions! Why don't you fix yourself a soothing cup of Chamomile tea whilst I attempt to get to the bottom of this...

I like snakes, too- even the venomous ones. I have removed quite a few rattlers from our yard and released them further afield. Now that I have tried barbecued rattlesnake, however, the next good sized visitor will join us for dinner and give me a new hatband as a "Hostess Gift".:twisted: :chef: :roll:

Girl, you crazy! :mrgreen:

Crazy? :shock: Moi? :? Which part is crazy? The relocating or re-purposing? Surely not both... :roll:

 

[AnnClaire]

MMMMMMMM rattlesnake is GOOOD!!!

As for the other kits, they are all fine, did a thorough clean up of the indoor corral with vinegar water, and moved the outdoor pen to a new patch of grass.

They have all been on grass with free access to pellets and crimped oats for the past 2 weeks ... worked them up from a couple of hours the first day to 10am-6/7pm on the day the last one ended up sick that night. They were also getting fresh greens from the time they were eating even in the mammas cage, so I don't think that was contributory to the illness.

Then, the day after the last baby died, the DD freaked out saying, "Mom, there's another dead baby in the corral!" It turned out that one of the babies was laid over and sleeping so heavily that he looked like he wasn't breathing, but when I came up to the corral, and all the other babies rushed over to see what I had for them, he flipped upright and rushed into the middle of the scramble :lol: