Do you think there is a place for hand feeding?

[Danderson]

I have been breeding for many years but am very small so I definetely do not
always have a foster mom available which would be my preferance. I have hand fed
quite a few times and absolutely dread doing it. I am not real happy with my success rate and go into a depression every time I am not able to save one by hand feeding...
I always say I am going to let nature take its course next time but when that time
actually comes there is no way I can just watch them go hungry so of course I step
in and try to save them....I feel it is my responsibility which many times turns into heartbreak!

 

[Megan]

I'm at work so this is my quick response...

I think as breeders, especially "hobby" and "pet" breeders we signed on for the job of handfeeding if it needs done. For the most part I do let nature take its course-- I will not force a kit to live if I know he isn't thriving, and chances are will only pass. I'll give him my best effort, and as long as he is "trying" and starting to thrive I will push. If the kit gives up, I won't force them. Usually there is something seriously wrong.

I haven't had to handfeed in a long time, but I keep goats milk on hand incase I need to. I feel kits are better off on mom or with a foster mom--you can't touch "moms" milk... and I know the kits I've handfeed took awhile longer to reach their potentional, and sometimes didn't turn out as great as future litters from that pairing.. I usually pet out my handfed kits to a good pet home--as usually they are very friendly anyway. I feel it's part of my job to step in if and when I am needed.

 

[Encantadora]

My quick answer is that I agree it is our responsibility to save the lives we helped happen in the best ways we can. Even if they become pets. Large ranchers have to make choices based on their finances and limitations.

There are multiple reasons to hand feed but this sounds like its focused on when milk production is to blame. I've not experienced that. But I do have a color class champ that was hand fed. She has raised multiple litters of triplets, no problem. I don't know the exact reason she was hand fed but do know her mom produces enough and more.

They may have a weaker immune system but its hard to say past babyhood.

 

[VolunteerChin22]

I'm at work so this is my quick response...

I think as breeders, especially "hobby" and "pet" breeders we signed on for the job of handfeeding if it needs done. For the most part I do let nature take its course-- I will not force a kit to live if I know he isn't thriving, and chances are will only pass. I'll give him my best effort, and as long as he is "trying" and starting to thrive I will push. If the kit gives up, I won't force them. Usually there is something seriously wrong.

I agree with this. I've had to handfeed in a handful of circumstances - 1) kit was attacked by sibilings and combo handfeed and rotation 2) mother went on antibiotics and I pulled them 3) kit was extremely small at birth and was a potential no thrive. Almost all of 3)s ended up dying and I too was also very depressed at the effort but over time I've just learned its part of breeding that not everyone makes it. I've never had a problem with no milk - I have had several triplet litters and those moms do often need rotation help but they do produce enough to satisfy all three.

I never held back anyone I had to feed so can't say for quality or future litters.

 

[saphire]

I agree with this. I've had to handfeed in a handful of circumstances - 1) kit was attacked by sibilings and combo handfeed and rotation 2) mother went on antibiotics and I pulled them 3) kit was extremely small at birth and was a potential no thrive. Almost all of 3)s ended up dying and I too was also very depressed at the effort but over time I've just learned its part of breeding that not everyone makes it. I've never had a problem with no milk - I have had several triplet litters and those moms do often need rotation help but they do produce enough to satisfy all three.

I never held back anyone I had to feed so can't say for quality or future litters.

Agreed!!

 

[saphire]

I'm at work so this is my quick response...

I think as breeders, especially "hobby" and "pet" breeders we signed on for the job of handfeeding if it needs done. For the most part I do let nature take its course-- I will not force a kit to live if I know he isn't thriving, and chances are will only pass. I'll give him my best effort, and as long as he is "trying" and starting to thrive I will push. If the kit gives up, I won't force them. Usually there is something seriously wrong.

I haven't had to handfeed in a long time, but I keep goats milk on hand incase I need to. I feel kits are better off on mom or with a foster mom--you can't touch "moms" milk... and I know the kits I've handfeed took awhile longer to reach their potentional, and sometimes didn't turn out as great as future litters from that pairing.. I usually pet out my handfed kits to a good pet home--as usually they are very friendly anyway. I feel it's part of my job to step in if and when I am needed.

Agreed!!

 

[Riven]

I would foster before hand feeding, but if I did have to hand feed I would use colostrum mixed into the milk. Did it help or not? I can't be sure really.

Would I buy an animal I knew was hand fed, really it would depend. What hasn't been established is WHY was it hand fed? Was it a litter of 6? Did mom die? Get sick or infection? Was it her first litter? Kit's fighting? There are a lot of reasons for hand feeding. I had a female who I loved, nearly a perfect female but couldn't feed her own kits, I culled her out because I didn't want to hand feed every litter she had.

I personally think when we go too far to produce, it's bad for the gene pool. If it's a mom's kit who perpetually doesn't feed her own kits, I don't see the point of producing that line. I've seen people go to great lengths to get chins to breed that wouldn't naturally breed. I don't understand it because in the end there is a reason they won't breed and even if you do get them to breed then will their kits have the same problem? Is a top winning line worth it if you can't get them to reproduce without having to basically do massive production to get a litter?

I agree that if the kit is a fighter, they'll eat. If they aren't I'm not going to kill myself trying to feed them and such. It's sad to lose any kit, but it's worse when you've been pushing on along for weeks and weeks for it to just pass away anyway IMO.

 

[Zoaea]

I only bred guinea pigs but I did my fare share of fostering and hand feeding then.

I think I would cull constant non milk producers, but if it didn't show in the line I probably would not immediately cull, unless it started cropping up down line. I think I would just tag in my breeder book every chin in that line till I was sure it was genetically passed on. All genes are 50/50 for passing on unless its an X gene or the parent is homogeneous. A standard grey born from a BV wont produce BV kits for example.

If you have a healthy kit, they shouldn't be 100% hand fed from you unless the mother died. Even humans can be slow in milk, but it comes in if they keep trying. If you don't try to nurse milk will never form. I would just give the kits enough to maintain them while the mother kicked into gear. They would need to be hungry enough to still try on mom, if no one is nursing on mom, she will never make milk... I think the only time you should be 100% hand feeding a baby is if the kit is not healthy, and then the issue is more the kit not being able to keep up with mom, not milk production.

For example, I had a guinea with birth injury, it was lack of oxygen because the mother had failed to remove a small piece of sack from his nose while cleaning him, luckily I found him before he died but it was very close. His back legs wouldn't work so therefore he could not nurse. He thrived on hand feeding, I kept him with his mom too. After the first week he could move around ok, by week 4 he could again use his hind legs and was the sweetest piggie ever. All other babies that were failure to thrive that needed hand feeding died within 4 days of birth.

Even if a mom had a huge litter and I didn't have anyone to foster off on, I would not try hand feeding one or two kits, rather I would give them all a little bit and let them get the rest from mom, probably in rotations (that happened a lot with one of my guineas but luckily I could usually foster).