bun prego?

Question
I just bred my lionhead doe. How can I tell if she took?

Answer
Hi Kendra

I just answered this same exact question a few days ago but here it is again.

Well there really isn't to many ways to tell.  I can give you some tips on how to make her take.  First if she easily stuck her butt right up in the air she was probably ready.  The buck should have either made a noise and fallen off or just kind of curled up and fallen off.  If he didn't fall off then he didn't get his business finished.

One thing I like to do is I will breed them in the morning, or evening either way doesn't matter but then I will take them back to the same buck 12 hours later.  So if I bred them at 7 am I like to take them back right around 7 pm.  Some people take them back at 4 hour intervals for 3 sessions and some people take them back at 8 hour intervals for 3 sessions.  I don't usually like to do more than 2 sessions because the doe has 2 uterine horns.  If for some reason she gets pregnant in both it makes the delivery a little harder.  Sometimes when this happens she will give birth and then give birth again the next day and often times the 2nd set of kits don't make it.

I could give you a web-site on palpating but since lion heads are a smaller breed its almost impossible to feel.  You have to wait 14 days anyway and by then you only have another 2 weeks before you know for sure anyway.  I just hate to palpate because I am afraid I will hurt the kits.  So just make her a nice box about 27 days from now and just sit back and wait.  If you don't know how to make her a nest box please let me know and I can tell you.  If after 33 days you can re-breed her on the 34th day.  Some people say to wait until 35 days its your choice.  I have never had a doe go over 32 days ever.

Don't forget if you just bred her today you can try again tonight.  If it has been over 24 hours I wouldn't suggest it.

Good luck and if you need any more help at all please let me know.

Thank you

Pam