There's just the 2 litters, and looks like that's all there will be for now.
Taleah x Messenger - 4 himis. Doing well. I got a photo of this colorful himi litter the other day but haven't got it out of the camera yet. They were kind of messy...stained, a little wet. That happens sometimes due to the nestbox routine I have. If you've read my Articles, you know I put a piece of plexiglass on top of the wire bottom of the box. Under that a piece of foam for insulation. Once the litter is born, I slip a layer of newspaper under the nest material on top of the plexi. What can happen, especially with a good-sized litter like this, is that moisture can't escape. The paper becomes soaked, nest material is damp, the kits get wet. If it's warm enough, I remove the plexi and insulation a few days after birth which solves the problem. I removed it yesterday, put in fresh paper, and the kits were clean and dry by the end of the day.
Foxy Lady x Ranger - 4 brokens. Also doing well. I was concerned about one of the light brokens. It wasn't getting fed and very skinny. Expected to find it dead anytime. Yesterday, when I checked them before closing up the shed for the night, all were well-fed. Good. This is Foxy's 1st litter and she probably had to learn how to nurse. Might have taken some time to get the milk flowing well. Also snapped a pic of this litter for color development. Still don't know what the 3 light ones are, but I'm betting sables.
My best himi doe Anaba x Messenger had 2 DOA himis. She's a 1st timer. Odd-looking litter. A very large one and a peanut. I hesitate to use the term "fetal giant" because I don't really believe in the concept. It's just a large kit, probably BU, and sometimes made bigger by small litter or difficulty in kindling. But next to the peanut, it was huge. I think the peanut was alive at birth so that's a good sign for better results next time. She also pulled piles of fur. Lots of that went into the bag of emergency fur.
Rana x Dot.com. Looks like a swing and a miss. She was due with Anaba but no sign of nesting. She dug around in the box, but hasn't bundled hay.
All but these two does are rebred. I'll probably get to them today.
Damn. Don't see any guineas this morning. Cogburn the rooster is crowing and looking for them. I hope it's that the hen is setting somewhere and the male is watching over her. I'll scout around when I go outside in a bit.
Oh wait. The guineas just showed up. They were down at the bottom of the yard where I couldn't see them. Good. Guess Cog was just calling them in. Really need to get him some hens. He thinks the guineas are his flock. I think I'll hit the big Sunday flea market in Jonesborough this weekend and see what I can find. Hopefully more guineas, too.
tnt
