When should I provide pellets for the babies?

[VonHauseLordi]

Hello

I recently purchased a Flemish Giant Doe and surprise...she had 10 babies - She is only 4 months old. They are almost 2 weeks old now, their eyes are open, 8 of them have survived and are doing well (one was still born another passed yesterday) When is it ok to provide them with pelletts/hay? They are very mobile and seem quite hungry. They have double in size in a matter of days! Thank you very much

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

They should be fine to nibble on the food that the mother is eating. You could put a small amount in an easy to access area for them and maybe put the mothers pellets a bit higher. You don't want to give them too much at first, so try to keep the larger amounts (mom food) where they can't get it for now.
As they start to come out of the nest box, they will start to eat solid foods on their own.

 

[VonHauseLordi]

The mothers food is in a crock dish out of reach of the young ones - I gave them a small amount this evening and they ate like little pigs! I could not believe it! I don't want them to get sick so I just left a very small amount and watched them eat then picked up the small dish.

 

[amdfarm]

That sounds good. They do grow very fast, don't they.

Don't forget to provide them w/ hay or they can share that w/ mom. Fiber keeps their digestive system going and moving the way it should. My kits will be 4 wks old on Thursday and they are true eating machines now. My doe REALLY appreciates this.