Doe losing kits

[Pastor Dave]

I am so frustrated at the moment. First time NZW doe kindled normally with a total of 8, but one still-born.
She didn't seem to pull enough fur, but did attempt to make a nest. She has lost all but two in the last 5 days. I tried about everything I know. I have seen her get in the nest box nose first and "hover" there abt three minutes or so, so I know she was nursing. The first one that appeared shriveled without a plump belly I fostered out to a more experienced doe with a litter born one day earlier. It died anyway. The ones that lasted a little longer appeared healthy for a while, but eventually went downhill and became shriveled looking too. Most I found in morning or evening feeding times already dead. One I had to put out of its misery. I can't figure out how they seemed to be nursing and growing, and then just quit. I guess it could be a genetic defect or some kind of illness, but I may never know. She has two left so they could make it, but the only thing I know to do is rebreed her if they don't. Has anyone had something similar occur with a litter, and did the doe have successful litters after that?
Thanks, Dave

 

[LukeMeister]

Well, first time does typically lose their first litter, but she's feeding them and it sounds like they're staving to death... I really don't know.

Good luck, I hope the last two make it.

 

[Hens and Roos]

sorry to hear about your doe. Have you checked to see if her milk came in at all? We had a doe that had kits but her milk never came in and she tried feeding but the kits didn't make it.

 

[Latestarter]

Sorry Pastor...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

So sorry!

 

[Pastor Dave]

The weird thing is that at first they began to plump up. Then one at a time they shriveled, dehydrated, and lost strength. Some would stay plump while others were failing. The last two are 6 days old now, getting their hair, remaining plump and beginning to peek. Two other of my first-time mothers did fine, but this one is puzzling me how they are dying staggered out.

 

[Ebers]

Pastor Dave... maybe she wasn't producing enough milk to support the growing kits past the 2 that are currently alive, the older they get the more milk they need obviously which could explain them being plump initially then progressively fading

 

[Pastor Dave]

The amazing thing is that the doe I pair her with in their breeding rotations had to have penicillin for an infection and I had to foster the kits or lose them indefinitely.
I fostered the 5 remaining kits to the one that had two left, and she has nursed them all, keeping them all alive.
I will never know what happened to the original 5 of hers that died, but she has been a good mother. If she had the 7 she began with, the 5 she has adopted would not have been able to go to her. It was a gamble anyway that I stressed over. She has done well to this point.

 

[samssimonsays]

I would say she had a low milk supply to start with. That is what happened to every litter my one doe attempted to raise... It took her 2.5 weeks to get enough to support three kits. I had to supplement until then. SOme times it just takes longer. I now have Oxytcin on hand to give if something like that were to happen again.