This is about meat mutts and about breeding schedule and selection for breeding so I put it here because I wasn't sure which of the other forums to use.
We're starting our 4th year raising rabbits for meat (on natural feed, no pellets). We were lucky the first year, litters from every breeding, only a couple kits lost. The next year we had 3 young does and while one was a failure, the other 2 did well. Last year we had figured out a breeding schedule starting in late winter to take advantage of lush spring growth--dandelions, willow, early grasses, etc. We had the 2 proven does and 2 younger ones and a young buck. We bred a doe every 2 weeks and had 6 litters that spring. Thought we had this down. Didn't keep the younger does since their first litters weren't as fast growing as their mother's first so we decided to keep the proven does and keep another couple promising young ones.
This year we only have 1 litter at a time when we'd expected to have 3. One of the proven does didn't kindle after her first breeding (made nest, pulled fur, no kits) and resisted rebreeding. One of the young does had a litter and lost it when she stopped eating days 4 and 5 after kindling. The other young doe is due Monday and has been haystaching.
Hindsight says we should have kept one or both of the young does from last year. Don't know what happened with Berwick--the experienced doe that failed to kindle--she was in good condition, looked ready to breed, is eating well and acting healthy.
The advice is confusing though. Keep more breeding stock than you think you'll need. Don't leave too long between breedings. Think ahead and don't breed more than you have room for grow-outs. I can't figure out how to make those all work at once. (Perhaps that's how rabbitosis starts?)
We also haven't followed the advice about breeding at least 2 does at a time so that you can foster unfed kits. Do those of you who do that find that a doe that can feed her litter of 8 can feed another similar size litter? What effect does that fostering have on the growth rate of both litters?
By this time last year things were already dry, but this year the pond and streams are full or flooded, the soil is pretty saturated (glad our garden is on a hill, drains well) So perhaps we'll breed through the summer and the forage will be easy to gather.
We're starting our 4th year raising rabbits for meat (on natural feed, no pellets). We were lucky the first year, litters from every breeding, only a couple kits lost. The next year we had 3 young does and while one was a failure, the other 2 did well. Last year we had figured out a breeding schedule starting in late winter to take advantage of lush spring growth--dandelions, willow, early grasses, etc. We had the 2 proven does and 2 younger ones and a young buck. We bred a doe every 2 weeks and had 6 litters that spring. Thought we had this down. Didn't keep the younger does since their first litters weren't as fast growing as their mother's first so we decided to keep the proven does and keep another couple promising young ones.
This year we only have 1 litter at a time when we'd expected to have 3. One of the proven does didn't kindle after her first breeding (made nest, pulled fur, no kits) and resisted rebreeding. One of the young does had a litter and lost it when she stopped eating days 4 and 5 after kindling. The other young doe is due Monday and has been haystaching.
Hindsight says we should have kept one or both of the young does from last year. Don't know what happened with Berwick--the experienced doe that failed to kindle--she was in good condition, looked ready to breed, is eating well and acting healthy.
The advice is confusing though. Keep more breeding stock than you think you'll need. Don't leave too long between breedings. Think ahead and don't breed more than you have room for grow-outs. I can't figure out how to make those all work at once. (Perhaps that's how rabbitosis starts?)
We also haven't followed the advice about breeding at least 2 does at a time so that you can foster unfed kits. Do those of you who do that find that a doe that can feed her litter of 8 can feed another similar size litter? What effect does that fostering have on the growth rate of both litters?
By this time last year things were already dry, but this year the pond and streams are full or flooded, the soil is pretty saturated (glad our garden is on a hill, drains well) So perhaps we'll breed through the summer and the forage will be easy to gather.