A breeder describes the first few weeks in the life of a baby Orange Rex

When one of my does is mated, she goes into a clean breeding hutch, with plenty of soft hay for bedding.

I do not usually use nest boxes or compartments, but a box may occasionally be of help with a careless mother. The doe is kept on her usual diet for the first fortnight, and gradually the amount is increased as her appetite grows. Fresh water is always available.

Three days before she is due to kindle, the hutch is cleaned out (not disturbing any nest she may have made) and extra soft hay is given. After kindling, the droppings are removed every three or four days, and a little fresh bedding is put in the hutch daily, round the nest.

Orange babies are born bright pink, and take on a brassy look about the third day, like a blonde Nordic god in need of a shave. By the end of the first week a sharply-defined saddle appears, with large and alarmingly light streaks above each haunch - no gentle shadings from orange to biscuit.

This stage is very disconcerting to a new breeder. However, by the end of the next week, these weird little creatures look more like mother, but the coat is still flat to the body.

Gradually the baby fuzz appears, and there is a complete Orange in miniature.

It is as well to examine the nest on the second day. Take the doe out of the hutch first and give her a tasty morsel to occupy her attention. Then gently open the nest and count the heads - although you may find it easier to count the legs and divide by four, as the babies often think it is time for a feed and roll on their backs.

If there are more than four or five, pick out the very small ones. These can be fostered on to another doe (it is always wise to mate two does at the same time). Then carefully replace the covering over the best. Put the doe back and give her another tit-bit.

Oranges usually make excellent mothers, but if the nest is small it may be as well to build it up a bit with soft hay and a little extra fur which is often found floating about the hutch. This is more necessary with outdoor hutches.

I find that a very careful watch over the doe during pregnancy and the lactation period pays dividends. In the second half of the pre-natal time, give the doe a liberal and varied diet, with plenty of water and greens. Do not give too many carbohydrates, as this causes internal fat which may obstruct the delivery of the babies.

The day before the doe kindles, she develops a hollow on her flanks in front of the haunches as the babies move into position for their birth. This is much more noticeable in rex than in normal fur breeds.

After kindling, give the doe a drink and some fresh green food. Most Orange does will take a liking to milk at this stage and it provides extra protein to promote growth in the youngsters. I feed all stock twice daily, but nursing mothers get a midday snack.

A point here on food and water pots - fix the water pots above floor level or use drinkers, so that a wandering babe will not commit suicide in it. Food pots should either be too heavy for the doe to move, or else fixed, as they frequently find their way to the nest as a “lid”. This may have a disastrous result.

The doe will feed the youngsters twice a day, morning and evening, but one rarely sees this. I had one doe who allowed me to watch while she fed her babies; it was a wonderful experience to see her open up the nest gently with her head, then stand above it, while a delighted squeaking gradually subsided as little mouths found their drinks. This particular doe fed her babies for about seven to ten minutes before closing up the nest again.

As the babies start to take solid food, give them as much variety as possible; the same diet which the doe has had while they were in the nest. As new gre en comes along, feed these sparingly to avoid tummy upsets.

I like to run the youngsters on with the doe for as long as possible, but here I am guided by the doe herself and her family. If the doe is in good condition, feeding well and allowing the youngsters to share her food, and if they, too, are growing steadily, I leave them for six to eight weeks.

As soon as I notice signs of a youngster not maintaining this steady growth I leave the smaller two in the breeding hutch and put the doe and the two best youngsters in another hutch. I leave these together for another fortnight unless the doe becomes fat, which means her milk supply has dried up. At ten to twelve weeks the youngsters go into hutches on their own.

If, before the youngsters are six weeks old, I find that the doe is hogging all the food, I make sure that the youngsters get their share by feeding her separately; thus they get solid food and well as the doe’s milk.

It is very important to keep a record of breeding operations, not only mating and kindling dates, but the numbers in litters, and a short description of any casualties as well as the survivors. This gives a correct picture of the value of the sire and dam and helps the following year when breeding plans are made. It also makes surprisingly interesting reading after a couple of years!