Farmlady
Exploring the pasture
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2011
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This is the second time this has happend. Two different does, different cages, but I'm wondering now how common this is. I had a litter of 6 (older doe but she's a great mama) NZ kits, 6 weeks old tomorrow, and found the biggest one dead. No bleeding, no wounds, but her neck was snapped clean. She was still warm when I found her.
I had the same thing happen 3 months ago. Different doe, different cage, but a 5 week old kit with a broken neck. Is this common? Can they play or hop around enough to actually cause a lethal injury when they are in a safe and secure cage?
I know nothing is getting close enough to spook them since the geese, guineas, and ducks are all around my bun barn. It's open ~ I put together two 10 x 10 six foot high dog kennels, added a tin roof, and it has tarps I can drop down if it gets really cold or prop out for shade when it's hot. The gate latch is secure and locked at night. The cages are hung and clipped at the bottom back corners to prevent any sway. Around the outside is a large, about 60 x 80 fenced area with a pond and several shelters where the birds hang out. Nothing gets past them, and they make enough racket to wake the neighbors a half mile down the road. Occasionally I let the buns out to play and the birds mostly ignore them except for one Indian Runner drake. He and several of my boys actually play together.
I didn't open either kit up to check further, but there was no obvious sign of illness, wounds, etc. It's as though they flipped themselves hard enough to break their own necks. If this is what happened, is there some way to prevent it, or at least try to prevent it? Or, am I missing something as far as illness/symptoms? This one is bugging me since this was a doe that showed a lot of promise as far as retaining her for future breedings. Any input would be helpful. Since they've been eating pellets and drinking well, I went ahead and moved the rest of the litter to a grow out pen ... not sure what else to do or keep an eye out for.
I had the same thing happen 3 months ago. Different doe, different cage, but a 5 week old kit with a broken neck. Is this common? Can they play or hop around enough to actually cause a lethal injury when they are in a safe and secure cage?
I know nothing is getting close enough to spook them since the geese, guineas, and ducks are all around my bun barn. It's open ~ I put together two 10 x 10 six foot high dog kennels, added a tin roof, and it has tarps I can drop down if it gets really cold or prop out for shade when it's hot. The gate latch is secure and locked at night. The cages are hung and clipped at the bottom back corners to prevent any sway. Around the outside is a large, about 60 x 80 fenced area with a pond and several shelters where the birds hang out. Nothing gets past them, and they make enough racket to wake the neighbors a half mile down the road. Occasionally I let the buns out to play and the birds mostly ignore them except for one Indian Runner drake. He and several of my boys actually play together.
I didn't open either kit up to check further, but there was no obvious sign of illness, wounds, etc. It's as though they flipped themselves hard enough to break their own necks. If this is what happened, is there some way to prevent it, or at least try to prevent it? Or, am I missing something as far as illness/symptoms? This one is bugging me since this was a doe that showed a lot of promise as far as retaining her for future breedings. Any input would be helpful. Since they've been eating pellets and drinking well, I went ahead and moved the rest of the litter to a grow out pen ... not sure what else to do or keep an eye out for.
