My females are just over and just under 5 pounds and have 4 and I have never had to rotate or supplement. With six though, the foster mother is a good idea, but only the real mother can provide the necessary antibodies in the colostrum for the first 24 - 48 hours so don't make a complete switch just yet. I believe when you do rotation it means that you have the three smallest nurse first and then the three largest every three hours (finish with supplementation), but all the pups actually remain with mom all the time. If the foster mother idea doesn't work out or you think you may overload her system, supplement the puppies with Esbilac in addition to nursing. Just remember the more you supplement the less milk Mom will produce (of course, this is the reason you will be supplementing, but don't go overboard).
When my Malamute had 9 I was sure she was going to need help, but she took care of all of them without rotation or supplementing. We just weaned them earlier then we would have normally. |