Should I sell this doe?

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Cedar Point Rabbitry

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I'm not really sure where to post this, so if it's wrong I'm sorry :)

Anyway, I have this one Holland Lop doe, really nice looking and good type BUT her record is this:

#1: Born: 3 Died: 3
#2: Born: 6 Died: 4. Retained a doe
#3: Born: 4 Died: 3
#4: Born: 6 Died: 6
#5: Born: 4 Died: 4
#6: Born: 4 Died: 4

Total kits: 27
Total live kits: 3
The 3 she's had aren't stunning, but I do like the doe I kept from her.

Now, the past 3 litters have been since November 10/15. Where I have them drops to around or below freezing in the winter.
But, I have had other rabbits kindle during the same time and raise their kits no problem.

Would you sell her? Or give her a chance with warmer weather?
She's pictured here (scroll down to "BGW Sophie", her daughter that I kept is right above her - Summer) http://cedarpointrabbitry.com/holland-lop-does/

People say she's my best doe type wise...
 
Even the two warmer season litters when there wasn't a difficult birth, she only kept 2 out of 6 and 1 out of 4. That would discourage me, but only you can know whether the 3 surviving rabbits out of her are good enough that you want to breed her again.
As Zass said, selling her to someone looking to breed doesn't seem right.
Do her offspring have her type that you like? Have you tried breeding her daughter yet and does she have a better record as a breeder? Is selling or keeping her to show but not to breed an option? (I know nothing about showing or the criteria people breeding for show would use)
 
If it was me? I would have stopped around #3 or #4 and would have had bunny on my table at that point... or in your situation, sell as pet stock. I'm not telling you to do that, but that is a lot of litters to have die. It could be she's just not equipped to care for more than one OR, was it the same buck for all of those breedings? Try a different buck, preferably one that is smaller.
 
Thanks!

Rainey: The kits I've got from her are not too nice. I like the doe but she isn't amazing. She's a good mother. Has had two litters so far - first time was lost but the second time she's raising 3 nice kits.
Selling her as a breeding rabbit isn't what I want to do either. She might do well as a show rabbit, fairly nice girl. I don't have room to keep a 'show only' doe.

DeerHeart: She's had 4 different bucks. The last three were all the same buck. The litter I kept the doe from was a tiny 3lb buck.
 
Hollands are a lot like Netherlands in that they carry the Dwarf gene , have big heads, and cobby bodies, so there is a lot going against them in the birthing game. We raise Netherlands and for us, a doe loosing her first litter is expected and never counts as a strike against her. The rest, I question why the litters were lost before making a value on her ability to mother. How many of those lost were DOA or peanuts? Peanuts are part of the genetics of raising dwarf breeds and also not the fault of the doe, so those don't count against her either. While the probability of peanuts is 25%, we have had litters where statistics didn't fall in our favor and the whole litter was peanuts, hippos, or Max Factors, so none were viable and none were the fault of the doe. If babies froze because the weather was too cold, you may or may not count this against the doe depending on how she built her nest, but I don't really feel like this would be all her fault either.

I guess I am saying, I'm sorry for the bad luck! If you like her type, give her one more chance with a different buck as the weather warms up and see how she does. Hopefully she will surprise you!
 
Shannah sure is beautiful. If you want to rehome her let me know!!! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
 
I would either eat her, or sell her for meat only. I never sell what I don't want myself. I only sell decent rabbits, that I have no room for.
 
six litters, four complete failures.

Everyone else is doing their job?

I would put her in the freezer (if that's what you do). OR sell her telling the people NOT to breed her and EXACTLY why so if they choose to breed it's on their head.
 

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