does/babies

Question
I have some cali's that have just had kits, it is their first litters. 3 out of 4 didn't build nests in their boxes,one built a good nest in the corner of her pen.
the other 3 spread their straw all over and just had their babies and didn't take care of them.I tried to adopt 2 that lived too the mother that built nest in corner of pen.
she only had 3 to begin with now she has 5, done this last night.do you think this was just first time nerves or just bad mom's on the ones that just had their babies wherever?
these new moms had 3,1,4,4 is this normal? I was told they should have 7-8 is this true? thank you for your time in this matter.

Answer
Hello Robert!
Sorry to hear about your problems.
Many things can factor in to lost kits.
1-tempature
2-other animals like dogs cats
3-nerves
4-1 st time moms may not know what to do.
so it may be a combo of these things.
They should have pulled fur that is a sign of a good mama. keep records of this and try them breeding them again this time 2 days before the kindle pull some of her fur from her breast area this may help her start pull her fur this also stimulates milk production. if it is drafty in the hutch try to cover it with old blankets. keep it dark.
if you have a doe that pulls a lot of fur  save some in a zip lock and use it for does that do not pull any.
AS far as the # of kits a Cal. is to have  it is usually 7-8  but a 1sttime mom may not have that many.
Hope this helps.
good luck
Dan