Expecting a litter of Netherland Dwarfs!

[rowegirl]

I am rather excited about this litter! The buck is a blue otter and the doe is a black otter. This is her second time kindling but hopefully her first successful one. She lost her first because I didn't know she was old enough to breed and had her in the same cage as the buck. Needless to say by the time I got there they were pretty much dead. But this time she has her own cage with a nesting box and hay. She is digging like crazy ( her cage is a small coop turned into a rabbit cage) and as soon as she digs one burrow she fills it back up and works on another! She will be 30 days on March 10. I hope she ends up being a good momma.

 

[DutchBunny03]

Yay!!! Remember to post pictures! First litters often have problems. The doe just has to get one bad litter out of her system, but not always.

 

[rowegirl]

If everything goes well I will!

 

[rowegirl]

Today is day 31 and she is carrying hay in her mouth! I am so excited! If everything goes well I will post pictures of the little ones.

 

[rowegirl]

She had 3 kits when I left to eat out with some family that had come in to town and when I got back our dog had dug a hole to her burrow and got the kits. When I checked on her she had one kit stuck with only it's little feet sticking out. I helped her get it halfway out and then she stopped having contractions so I let her rest and gave her kale and water. She ended up having it sometime in the night and today is looking so far so good. That was sorta scary and I am so glad it's over! I feel bad about the babies and all but very glad we didn't loose her.

 

[Pastor Dave]

That is amazing. I have never helped my does deliver. I have been out there when they were pretty fresh, and she hadn't cleaned them up yet. I prefer going out the next morning and finding her with the work done and any stillborn already dealt with and a healthy hunch in the depression in the back of the box.
Too bad abt the dog getting to the others.
Maybe there's a way to dig down and extend the material of your enclosure to deter digging under?

 

[Bunnylady]

Sorry about the lost litter. It's always a real punch in the gut to lose babies, but the losses that were preventable are always so bitter. Don't kick yourself too hard.

I've pulled babies a few times, and it's always to cringe about. A baby that's halfway out is pretty much there, so I'd have just gone ahead and eased it all the way out, contractions or no. Kind of surprising that she'd have had one big enough to get stuck, when she had 3 others at the same time - 4 is a good sized litter for a Dwarf. Rough kindling for you; glad you survived!

 

[rowegirl]

Sorry about the lost litter. It's always a real punch in the gut to lose babies, but the losses that were preventable are always so bitter. Don't kick yourself too hard.

I've pulled babies a few times, and it's always to cringe about. A baby that's halfway out is pretty much there, so I'd have just gone ahead and eased it all the way out, contractions or no. Kind of surprising that she'd have had one big enough to get stuck, when she had 3 others at the same time - 4 is a good sized litter for a Dwarf. Rough kindling for you; glad you survived!

It was rough! And I felt so stupid for not thinking about the dog. Lesson learned though.
The first time the doe kindled she had 5 kits. I thought that was a lot for a netherland dwarf.

 

[rowegirl]

That is amazing. I have never helped my does deliver. I have been out there when they were pretty fresh, and she hadn't cleaned them up yet. I prefer going out the next morning and finding her with the work done and any stillborn already dealt with and a healthy hunch in the depression in the back of the box.
Too bad abt the dog getting to the others.
Maybe there's a way to dig down and extend the material of your enclosure to deter digging under?

I am definitely going to do my best to make sure that that kind of thing doesn't happen again!