How do you determine the number?

[Christina Noraas]

This just popped in my head the other day and it got me thinking. How do large scale breeders count thier kits. What I mean by that is how do you determine when you get a litter that has 6 kits, how would you determine which is A1, A2, A3... and so on? Do you determine this by weight? Or as your looking at them just name them off? Because you can't be there during every birthing to know which came out first.

 

[tunes]

I just assign a number to them by the first one I see. If I see all at the same time, then I just put a number on whoever. It doesn't really matter who came out 3 seconds ahead of the next one. Larger breeders can have 20 born in a day, so pretty much it's first come, first serve.

 

[AZChins]

Mine is determined as I weigh the kits. First come, first served...

Unless you are right there you wouldn't know who came first...except for maybe one baby would be drier than the younger babies? Sometimes I wake up at 5:30 in the morning and the babies that have been born are already completely dry and climbing up the sides of the cages.

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

If I have kits born and don't know who was first, I just automatically give the girl kit, if there is one an even number. Boys have always been a bit odd here anyways. So odd numbered they shall be!

 

[Riven]

I assign numbers to my kits, for example if my first litter was 4 kits, they'd be A1, A2, etc. but I don't assign a specific number to a kit until I wean them. If it's a litter of all standards I'd never be able to make sure each one is the same one from the day they're born. And in the end, it doesn't matter because they have the same info ( per litter) other than sex, color, and birth weight.

I know that Bradfords didn't give their kits numbers until they weaned them, that way they wouldn't have gaps in their ear tags. For example, you have a litter of 6, but 3 die. If you went to tag you'd have 3 tags that don't get used.

 

[Spoof]

I number litters as they are born so I can keep track of the death rate. If I have three or four standard babies that all look alike in the same litter I'll wean them in pairs with a dedicated set of numbers. When they are split into individual cages they are assigned one of the numbers.

If I have a group of singles or one that I want to keep an eye on I'll tag them or write on the ear.

 

[Ash]

I assign numbers to my kits, for example if my first litter was 4 kits, they'd be A1, A2, etc. but I don't assign a specific number to a kit until I wean them. If it's a litter of all standards I'd never be able to make sure each one is the same one from the day they're born. And in the end, it doesn't matter because they have the same info ( per litter) other than sex, color, and birth weight.

I know that Bradfords didn't give their kits numbers until they weaned them, that way they wouldn't have gaps in their ear tags. For example, you have a litter of 6, but 3 die. If you went to tag you'd have 3 tags that don't get used.

Does this mean, in effect, then, that say A5 dies during rearing, A5 would get re-assigned to another chin who does survive, and therefore the deceased kit isn't counted? If so, do you keep track of how many deaths you've had in the year?