which doe to keep

[Rainey]

We're down now to one growing out litter which heads to freezer camp next month and the buck and does to keep through the winter to start breeding again in March. This year Casco kindled her 12th and 13th litters. She's been our best doe, and we're keeping 2 does out of her last litter, but we won't have her to breed next spring. We also bred two young does, Kittery and Limerick. Kittery lifted readily and kindled in the nest box each time--7 kits first litter, 8 live and one stretched and dead the second, and 5 live and a confusing mess of dead pieces. (I am visually impaired so didn't see the 'remains' but was told that it looked like 'parts' of more than one kit and that it seemed they had been dead a while--can some kits die in utero and others survive?)
Limerick was not enthused about being bred but she took both times, kindling 6 her first litter and 9 her second. She kindled on the wire both times and lost 2 kits the first time and 1 the next. Both these young does fed their litters well. We want to keep one of them to breed next year but not both. Any advice?

We've had does that kindled once on the wire but then after we put the litter in the nest box, they seemed to see what it was for and kindled in it the next time. What are the chances that she's just a bit slow and will use the box next time? Do some does just never learn to use the box?
What would someone more experienced make of Kittery's record? We've had one stretched dead kit in a litter before and then no problem the next kindle. But I'm wondering if she will have ongoing problems with kindling. I'm sort of puzzled that she had no problem the first time, but then much of the breeding and kindling process seems a mystery to me.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I have had does, that kindled on the wire a couple of times, then took good care of them after that, ...then go on to be very good moms, and start using the nest box. Some does never figure it out... when they have weaned too few kits ,3 times, i send those does to the freezer also.
I have had some lucky,dumb does, that seem to kindle on the wire, just in time for me to pick them all up and get them into a nest box, - as long as they wean enough kits, i keep them.
Does can have a mixture of live and dead kits, .. often the dead kits ,or especially big kits, slow things down to the point that live kits behind them die before being born. The doe often has to pull them out, so they are stretched, and sometimes torn up.
I have a 3 strikes rule. If they mess up 3 times, and it is totally their fault , i recycle them.