Little doe with a BIG litter!

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gentle giants

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My little three and a half pound Mini Rex doe kindled this morning, and to my shock she had NINE kits! I'm worried that she won't be able to feed them all, even if she does have enough milk, I don't think they'll all get fed well. Two or three of them are much smaller than the others. I haven't been able to examine them well enough to know if they are runts or peanuts, but I want to make sure they have a chance either way. I have a Flemish doe that is nursing four week old kits, could I trance her and let the MR kits nurse off of her as a supplement? I would rather they get doe's milk instead of formula.
 
You could try that...does the flemish have anything left? Don't take the mini rex doe away from her babies though. They need all they can get. You could also take the extra three out each day and give them some extra time with their own mother...given that she has enough milk. Give her a pinch of calf-manna...just a pinch a day.

Sharon
 
Yeah, I know the Flemish (Sally) definalty has plenty of milk left, I picked her up yesterday and felt her nipples still all full. I wansn't planning on taking the MR kits away from thier mom, I was just thinking to help them along a little.
The mother didn't pull much fur either, should I worry about them freezing? I have a heat lamp shining right on them, but this doe lost all of her last litter so I'm a little paranoid.
 
She may not have pulled as much fur because she had so many. Remember that with 9 of them - they're generating a lot of body heat....honest! I have a mama with 8 babies (lionhead) and she uncovers them during the day and then covers them up a bit at night.

I think your plan sounds good to let the flemish mama supplement the regular mama's feeding. Remember though that the milk is different (consistency and fat content) between the older and younger litter - so make sure they get mama's milk first. I forget where I read about the difference in fat consistency...but it is true...the milk changes as the litter grows.

Peg
 
Ok, I didn't know that. She did lose one yesterday, it was a peanut. There are two more that are a lot smaller than the others, I'm not sure if they are peanuts or runts. I held the mother and let them nurse today when I fed, because the bigger kits looked fed and the little ones didn't. They both latched on and fed well, so we'll see if they make it. I'll just stick with letting them feed off their mother unless I can tell she's having a hard time feeding them all.
This is a really beautiful litter, there is one pure white, two dark ones I think are castors, and the rest are all brokens. Two of the brokens are either blue or opal, the rest are broken black. This doe isn't pedigreed, and I didn't breed her, so she gives me some surprises every time.
 
She did lose a couple, and there is one more I think won't survive, it doesn't seem to be growing at all. Otherwise, the rest seem to be doing ok. I will have to post pics when I get the chance, there is one I think may be a blue, and it's really pretty. It's a really beautiful litter, and that's not just a "grandma's" bias, either, LOL!
 

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