Jill Eating Her Kits

[salclalin 240]

Checked my jill and her 8 kits last night everything was fine.Checked this morning only 3 remaining.The kits are 4 weeks old.Gutted to say the least.

[pie-eater 377]

Checked my jill and her 8 kits last night everything was fine.Checked this morning only 3 remaining.The kits are 4 weeks old.Gutted to say the least.

I thought the danger of kits being eaten had passed before the 4 week stage, 5 kits at 4 weeks old seems a lot for a single jill to eat in a night anyway, not saying youre wrong but is there

any chance someone could of taken them?

[salclalin 240]

No chance of them being nicked.The Hutch has 3 Padlocks on it.If someone did nick them they would have taken the lot.Wouldn't they.???

[pie-eater 377]

No chance of them being nicked.The Hutch has 3 Padlocks on it.If someone did nick them they would have taken the lot.Wouldn't they.???

Another member had half his kits and I think a couple of adults nicked last week so they wouldn't necessarily take everything. If its all locked up tight and hasn't been broken into then I suppose the jill must have eaten them. You see where Im coming from though the size of five 4 week old kits seems a lot for a jill to get through in a night.

[pepper 45 55]

my mate had the same thing for some reason, they were only couple days old though.

[jocky 198]

my mates jill as eaten 2 of her kitts last night, there 6 weeks old now.

[krawnden 1,036]

my mates jill as eaten 2 of her kitts last night, there 6 weeks old now.

 

I've never heard of them being eaten as old as that - really surprised. I'd always thought by that age they were well past any danger.

[skycat 6,173]

I'd be looking at the amount of space they have, the type and amount of food they get, and above all, the conditions in the environment: stress, disturbance etc. Neither me nor my OH have ever had this happen, but I'm not saying that there isn't an infanticidal gene roaming about in domestic ferrets: nature does throw up some weird glitches from time to time, though I'd be more in favour of looking at abundance of food. Even rabbits have been known to kill and eat theirs and others' young when desperately in need of some first class protein.

[salclalin 240]

The Jill is housed in a spacious hutch.And has a diet of Rabbit and Pigeon.She is not disturbed or stressed.Personally i put it down to the Warm weather we had.I had it happen about 9yrs ago when we had similar weather.

[The one 8,482]

I'm the same I'm struggling to see a jill eating five of her eight week old kits , was it her first litter ? Any sudden shocks ,noise could of tipped the jill , was she getting enough grub because if she wasn't and killed the kits the other kits would have eaten them too Christ knows what tips the Jill over it one of lives mysteries

[salclalin 240]

The kits were 4wks old.

[Gaz_1989 9,539]

The kits were 4wks old.

That's still a fair old meal for a Jill in an evening.

[Guest vin]

what about cats or foxes coming into yard and worrying the Jill with her babies..?

 

Its a very strange one that...I've lost Kits when there a day or 2 old and Ive also had the Jill discard a few kits to make the litter smaller...but not at 4weeks old.

[Stud dog 632]

I've had this problem this year I've two Jill one as gave birth to four kits she had five one died in birth the other Jill gave birth an eat the kits straight away why is this? Never had this happen to me before

[whippet 99 2,613]

that's mental having too put padlocks on hutches .............just couldn't handle having that problem , would move right out the way, edit too say that it don't sound right that , .........had them eat them at day old