I failed at palpating. When I felt Sorceress two weeks ago, I thought there could have been something, but then bred her back to Buck. Last Thursday, Sorceress was gathering hay in her mouth all week, so I thought she may have been nesting. I put in a nestbox, and she made a huge mess out of everything. So, I pulled it out, thinking she was just hormonal, as she wasn’t due for two more weeks.

Well, yesterday, I got married, and left my homestead in somebody else’s amazing and capable hands, and she had babies! Two weeks early (I failed at palpating)!!! Of course, by the time I got home, she had had her babies on the wire, and they had frozen to death. Five remained, with one half out of the cage, and one on the ground… More may have been eaten by the dogs…

Another set of babies lost…