Breeding Help!?!?!

I am new to meat rabbits. I bought a buck and two does. All New Zeelands with pedigree from a breeder. They have been breed once before. After I got them home I waited about 3 weeks or so and then tried breeding them.

I put doe 1 in with the buck on 2-28-15 at 3:45pm and again at 9:00pm. I pute doe 2 in the buck on 2-28-15 at 6:15pm and 10:30pm. It seemed like he did the deed with both does. On 3-1-15 I put doe 1 back in at 2:20 and again it seemed like the buck breed her. I put doe 2 in again on 3-1-15 from 5pm to 6pm, but she wasn't having any of it.

I put the next boxes in 3-27-15 around 5:30pm. At this time, still no litters. I am beginning to think they weren't breed.

What did I do wrong? How should I do it differently when I try again? When should I try again?

Thanks for your help as I am really confused right now. Again I was told the buck was proven and the does had one litter. It was very cold here in MI when I tried breeding them in Feb.

Sometimes the magic just doesn't happen. If rabbits are good at anything, it's making babies, so just give them another try.

On the other hand, have you checked your does to see if they feel pregnant? I mean, by this time (and honestly, by the time you put in a nest box), you SHOULD be able to easily feel kits in there, moving around. I guess there are times when this might not be true, a very small litter for example, but I think it's true most of the time. Does don't always deliver on schedule. In either case, there's no harm in breeding them again. <br /><br /> __________ Wed Apr 01, 2015 8:51 am __________ <br /><br /> Also, a few pictures of your rabbits might be helpful... are they in good condition? Overweight? Underweight? There are things you can do to keep them in good breeding condition to make conception more likely.

They would just be due today, be patient and leave the nest box in another week just in case. Also, did the buck fall off when he bred them?

It seemed to me he did fall off, but again I am new to this. I'll try and get some pictures later today. The one doesn't seem to have a big belly. I'll try and get a hold of her and see if I can feel anything.

If I need to re-breed, is there a different "routine" that works better? Should I leave the buck in longer?

DTrain":deqp9mj0 said:

It seemed to me he did fall off, but again I am new to this. I'll try and get some pictures later today. The one doesn't seem to have a big belly. I'll try and get a hold of her and see if I can feel anything.

If I need to re-breed, is there a different "routine" that works better? Should I leave the buck in longer?

Click to expand...

You bring the doe to the buck's cage (not the other way around). Watch them, see how she reacts, if she 'lifts' her bottom up for him, if he ends with a grunt and 'dramatic fall off' (there are some good rabbit breeding videos out there to watch). Note that this can happen EVEN IF she is currently pregnant... :roll:

Yes, I brought the does to the bucks. I know for sure on doe 2 he grunted/squeaked and then fell off. With doe 1, it seemed he fell off, but never did make a grunt or squeak. I guess I couldn't really tell if they "lifted" their bottoms for him or not.

There are so many factors involved that you just never know... this is one reason why some breeders attempt to rebreed after 2 weeks, in case the first time didn't 'take' (so they won't have to wait a full month). Good luck with everything

Being new, you've a large learning curve ahead of you. LOL. It's all good
and that's how one learns.

1). Check the doe for readiness,
2). Watch the doe when she's with the buck. (Did she 'lift' ?)
3). Some bucks are "premature" when a doe's put with them.
4). Did the doe urinate right after coupling? (they'll do that=a miss)
5). Palpating, if not done correctly can and will injure a doe, or the young.
6). 12-16 hours of light is helpful. (pituitary gland) photoperiodicity.
7). DO NOT count the first day as day #1. 31 full days.
8. Does the doe exhibit the below behavior?


Older rabbits, when bought, usually DON'T perform as well in their new home.
It's always best to purchase young stock and allow them to mature
"in-place" where they'll be producing. Success is more apt to occur if you
do this...................and here's "WHY".

It's highly unlikely you bought anything at or near the top of this person's
herd. To think otherwise is sheer folly. If they made that a practice, how
long do you believe they'd stay in business.

"The buck is proven and the does had one litter." :x :x

The "proven" buck is more likely. "Two" second-litter does..highly unlikely.
Unless they were both "flops". It'd be a cold day in July that I'd sell a
"good" second litter doe to anyone. If they're good....they stay. If not...
I sell 'em to my snake guy. I won't sell JUNK. But a lot of folks do. Especially
to new folks just starting out. And that is "why" so many beginners get
frustrated and quit.

Outside hutches? If so, it may have been far too cold. I've always kept mine
in a barn or shed. I don't like feeding the varmints a free meal.

Best of luck on your second attempts.

Grumpy.

Thanks. They are indoors in a shed in hanging hutches. They've messed around some in their nest, but they are not being protective of them. I haven't seen the "straw stash" but I can't be out there all them time either. They don't seem to be pulling any hair as some others have told me they will.

If a doe starts hay staching, it will be obvious. some does don't build a nest until RIGHT before they kindle (some don't build a nest at all, but that's unusual)

DTrain":3vlxbgum said:

Thanks. They are indoors in a shed in hanging hutches. They've messed around some in their nest, but they are not being protective of them. I haven't seen the "straw stash" but I can't be out there all them time either. They don't seem to be pulling any hair as some others have told me they will.

Click to expand...

Each doe has their own unique personality. The doe pictured was on her
ninth litter. She had a penchant for plucking herself nearly bald "IF" I didn't
provide her with a nest box 5 days early. "and I never did that, till 'Gala'."
By the same token, I've got doe's that don't pull a single hair until moments
before kindling. However, they make up for it afterwards, pulling enough
hair for several nests. I save quite a bit of it in coffee cans for future use.
The large majority of my stock show no signs of aggression when I fiddle
with their nest box.

Luckily, these rabbits "are" my job. LOL. I spend most of my waking hours
in the rabbitry tending their needs while raising several thousand per year.

Grumpy.

That's a lot of bunnies, Grumpy...

No wonder you never post in the new litters thread. You would take it over. :lol:

grumpy":34t2q6xe said:

a lot of folks do. Especially
to new folks just starting out. And that is "why" so many beginners get
frustrated and quit.

Click to expand...

I can testify to that. The breeder that I had bought 3 of my first rabbits (2 Mini Lops and a Mini Rex) Did that. The Mini Lops were fine, but the mini Rex was proven, and he said that she had raised a lot of successful litters, and was a good mother, etc (which is true.)

The night I bought her (I bought her bred btw), I was holding her and I found a scab on her front left foot. I peeled it off, and there was pus pouring out, and it progressively got worse.

We took her to the vet and she said that probably something happened before we got her and it's just coming back (I think) and that we had actually probably saved her life. I've been using vetericyn and Bacitracin on her feet the last few days and it finally looks like she's getting better....

Using the pictures found here judging-a-doe-s-readiness-and-breeding-tips-t9869.html
I started checking my does Wed. Got a much better look yesterday as my technique improved. Last night I would say they looked like the second pic but maybe not that swollen. :?

So is it best to wait until I see some purple and then try and breed them. Obviously I want to try and get it done correctly this time. I will keep checking them every shortly after 5 pm and then I give them their pellets when they get back in their hutch.

Thanks!

The act of breeding itself brings on ovulation. If you see her showing signs of readiness, it might be best to bring her to the buck, then do it the next day and the day after.

Then do it all again in two weeks, in case she didn't take.

If she won't let the buck touch her after 2 weeks, or he seems uninterested, it's likely she's already bred, although this is not, necessarily an indicator either way.

Welcome to RT. Now to the questions Do you give them ACV in the water? Do they have 16 hrs of light each day? Have you checked their weight? Do you have some sort of radio or soothing noise in the shed?

No, I haven't been giving them ACV in their water. How much do I add to to a 32oz water bottle?

I have checked their weight and I can feel smooth bumps along their spine as indicated the breeding help topic I linked to. So I think that's OK.

We do not have a radio or soothing noise in the shed. They are "sharing" the shed with some goats right now so I don't know if that's good or bad, but at chore time, there's a bit of activity going on out there.

With the nicer weather we've been leaving the door open, but I'll set a timer on the light to make sure it's up and running 16hrs/day.

2 tablespoons per gallon so 1/2 tablespoon for 32oz. Sounds like it might be the amount of light, if they aren't getting the 16hrs. The radio is just so they don't get stressed with noises. We have a radio playing 24/7 real light in the night and load but not over baring during the lighted hours. We vac and use power equipment with out the rabbits going crazy so we feel they don't get stressed with each little noise causing problems. We wish you the best with your bunnies and hope you find a bunch of wiggleys soon.

I got ACV in their water. I got the fluorescent lights on a timer to be on from 6am to 10pm. I am checking them every day but haven't seen anything remotely "purple" in color so far like shown in pictures 3 and 4. I would say I have a good look on 4-2, 4-3, 4-4, 4-5 so I guess we'll see what today brings. Maybe I'll try and have my wife take a couple pics tonight when I check them. :?

Good luck, I'm in the same boat, I have a doe that will not lift her skirt for anything.