Litter sizes
What size litters do you prefer? I have had anywhere from 4-13 the last year with 7 seeming to be my sweet spot where most make it and grow well. My biggest litter to all make it was 10 but usually I loose a few smaller ones and it seems to go down to about 7. I usually breed about 5 does at a time hoping to have multiple litters in case I need fosters but so far that hasn't worked well. One time I brought home a doe that was bred, bred 3 other does the next day. The New doe had a stuck kit and ended up passing a couple days later and the 3 does I bred all had 10 babies a piece plus 6 from the passed doe. Sadly I don't believe they got colostrum and I ended up loosing all of them over the next 2 weeks even as the other babies did well. Two weeks ago I bred 8 does, 2 didn't take, 1 had a beautiful litter, 1 tried to make a nest but her babies still froze in the cold weather, and the other 4 didn't make a nest, just left their babies ontop of the straw in the nesting box and decided they didn't want to be moms in the cold. I just checked on that beautiful nest and there are 10 beautiful babies but a few aren't getting enough and sadly I have no fosters to offer them to. I know some people nesting box cull but this litter of Harlequins are all marked so nice and of course the skinnier ones are marked some of the best. Might try holding Mom upside down to nurse those few and of course going to offer her some BOSS as she's a first time mom and rocking it.
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Litter sizes
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