Is this buck too large for these does?

My friend has two does around 5lbs. She has a NZW buck that is around 8lbs. (These weights are not definite, they haven't been weighed). I know a pound or two difference usually doesn't matter, but is this buck too large for these does?

Not at all. I breed a 4lbs Havana to a 15lbs giant chin. She has no issues. I have bred her to a much smaller buck and the kits are always the same size when they are born.

Many breeders will tell you to be careful of breeding a female to a buck over a pound heavier... I find that silly. Most baby bunnies are pretty much the same size. I have a neighbor that just bred her conti male to her velveteen lop female, lol. The babies are fine, as is the mom.

though... I used to occasionally breed my dwarf buck to my HL does and I could ALWAYS tell which kits were more dwarf or more Holland lop at birth. Different feel to the body and a difference in size. People might say that was nonsense but it proved out every single time.

I used to breed a 2 lb lionhead (he was SUPER tiny) to my big 10 lb and 8 lb meat rabbits (was the funniest thing) and they produced 6-8 lb offspring. Marvellous meaty kits that sold really really well to the pet market as well as they were simply gorgeous. If I could breed larger sized lionheads...just with a head ruff it would be great!

I have an 8lb english lop buck... about 9 months old or so recent rescue and I have a 6 month 2 lb dutch doe... I plan on getting them both fixed this august... but for now they are separated. I think my buck got into my doe's space when we were in the middle of moving this week and now she is showing signs of pregnancy.... should I be worried about the size differences in the two breeds? Is she at a major risk because his breed is so much larger?

bodhi.kai":13qfxvn9 said:

I have an 8lb english lop buck... about 9 months old or so recent rescue and I have a 6 month 2 lb dutch doe... I plan on getting them both fixed this august... but for now they are separated. I think my buck got into my doe's space when we were in the middle of moving this week and now she is showing signs of pregnancy.... should I be worried about the size differences in the two breeds? Is she at a major risk because his breed is so much larger?

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The answer to that question is not "straight forward" , it is complicated- kit birth weights are determined by both buck and doe genetics, not just the buck. Some lines of rabbits are prone to large kits , Breeding those does to a larger buck that also throws large kits can pose birthing problems- The answer to your question is unknown until you see what happens- if your doe has trouble then you will know it is a problem. I hope she will be OK- and "usually" it is not a problem -- but- not always...

michaels4gardens":3see09mw said:

The answer to that question is not "straight forward" , it is complicated- kit birth weights are determined by both buck and doe genetics, not just the buck. Some lines of rabbits are prone to large kits , Breeding those does to a larger buck that also throws large kits can pose birthing problems- The answer to your question is unknown until you see what happens- if your doe has trouble then you will know it is a problem. I hope she will be OK- and "usually" it is not a problem -- but- not always...

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I agree with Michaels4gardens that the answer to this question is never going to be definitely one way or the other. There's lots of people who have done it and not had a problem and lots of people who have lost animals because of it, not just rabbits but any animals. There's a lot of factors that go into whether or not a breeding like this is going to be successful that expand further than weight. Kit size is an obvious factor in any breeding regardless of weight. My last Satin to Satin litter (with a crossing I've used a few times) produced one giant kit that got stuck but somehow survived birth, but killed off all the kits waiting for their turn to be born. While I need size in my Satins, I've been hesitant to keep that one because of the possibility of that specific trait being passed down. That being said, I have two Satins who were stunted in growth due to bad feed and barely push 6 pounds each, bred to their half brother at 9 pounds and produced healthy litters without any losses. Those kits were close to normal size at birth and have continued to grow as if their dam's were normal 10 pound does.

My theory (except in the case of the last two does) is usually to breed a lighter buck to a heavier doe. That way if the bucks size does influence the kits, they will typically be smaller than the doe is already accustomed to. With the last two mentioned Satin does I took a big risk and was fully aware I could possibly loose them and came to terms with that before I bred them. That being said I will probably only breed them a couple more times before retiring them from breeding completely due to their size and only because they come from a line of does that are VERY good mothers and I would hate to loose that in my lines right now.