What is that, you ask? In my barn, does are not always raising their own kits. I foster around to save valuable kits, singletons, etc. I have to make notes all over the place to keep track of who has what. The fact that I usually have a variety of colors makes it easier.
Nahani had a DOA litter. That was a drag, but it turned out ok.
Painted Lady (x Silverado) finally gave a live litter. Well, half live. She had 5, but only 2 were alive. I'd been trying to breed her to Garner's Gunn but it just wasn't working. She kept having gross failures. Switching bucks worked! The live are a broken blue or smoke blanket, and a charlie-marked dilute.
It was getting cold that night, so I took the box inside as usual. When I took it out in the morning, she fussed around but didn't get in the box to nurse. I don't think she had time to get to know her babies, and didn't understand this routine.
Nahani's litter was born the night before, and she pulled fur and all. I tried something new...fostering to a doe who didn't have live kits. I wasn't sure if Nahani would accept the strange box, especially a day later. I had already cleaned hers out. She sniffed around for a minute and then hopped right in and tended to the babies. Yay! She's an experienced doe and used to the routine of taking boxes in at night. I've only ever got 1 live kit at a time out of her, but she's fostered quite a few others. Such a good doe, she is.
Dreamboat Annie x Garner's Gunn (her sire) had 3 the next day. She was a day late. I don't trust Annie, we lost her last litter. She had 1 black, 1 choc, 1 broken choc. The broken choc has excellent markings so very valuable and it went to Nahani. This is also valuable to me for the line-bred daughter x sire factor. I hope that works out.
Later that day, Black Majik x Pandi dumped her litter in her box. Like PL, I had been trying to get from Garner's Gunn (her sire), but she just couldn't seem to handle it. Again, a different buck worked! At first I thought they were all DOA, but then saw movement under the hay at the front of the box. Awww, a little black spotted baby. Off it went to Nahani's box. Majik is one of my favorite does, both for type and temperment. I really needed get from her.
Then the nestbox juggle. I don't trust Annie, so gave her solid choc to Nahani. Nahani is a tiny doe so I gave PL's (from Nahani) charlie-mark to Annie so she has the 2 least valuable kits. If I lose them, no biggy.
So did you get all that? Nahani is now raising 4...none are hers. Broken blue(Painted Lady), solid & broken choc (Dreamboat Annie), and broken black (Black Majik). Dreamboat Annie has 2. Her black and PL's charlie-marked.
The lesson learned from all this: If a doe repeatedly has problems kindling, try a different buck.
Oh and I got lucky. It didn't get as cold as they said (deep freeze!), and the litters came during the day so I could save them.
tnt
