Why is my doe pulling fur?

by Laura
(Vic)

The way you can be almost positive that your doe will be pregnant, from about the 24th day after breeding, is when she pulls fur from her belly and places it in her nesting box. Most does usually pull fur just before they kindle so this could be two signs. Your doe might be over organized and will make sure she is ready a week before. Or... your doe knows she going to kindle soon so therefore makes a nest. Most does that show this behavior will be pregnant but I have found the odd doe will not be.


Pulling fur is a good sign.

***** Karen Sez *****
Yep, agreed. You can be "almost positive" lol

There was one young doe we had and I KNOW it never saw a buck. Her hormones went haywire and she began pulling fur frantically. It was a false pregnancy, I guess, though she was positively not bred.

Another doe of ours made an absolutely spectacular nest. Along about day 17, she was denuding herself trying to line the cage. Fur had spilled through and onto the ground in such massive quantities it looked like a pillow fight in a dormitory. I said, what the heck, and gave her a nest box. She cleaned herself out of even more fur creating a blue-ribbon nest.

You know the end of the story - nary a kit was born. It was a late autumn breeding that either did not take, or she resorbed the kits.

Now we know to say, "Pulling fur is a great sign," and, "You can be almost positive...!"

I'm not too happy though, if they start the fur-pulling more than a week early. Notice that Laura specified on or after day 24.

Thanks, Laura.

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Comments.

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Check Software