Breeding age

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KJHanley96

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Hello all,
I just got a trio a few months ago and one of the does was not old enough to breed yet. I have looked at several websites to find a safe age to breed her and it seems like all the websites suggest different ranges of age. She is a Californian and will be 5 months old here in the next week. Has anyone bred at this age or should I wait a few months still?
 
Usually the age varies due to size. Dwarf about 6 months, small breeds 7-8 and the standard to big breeds 8-9 months for does to be mature. A californian falls in the standard size breeds category.
Yes they can all breed earlier then that, but child pregnancies are problematic in all species, both physically and often mentally i.e. mothering instincts are underdeveloped. If you want to know for certain your breeding doe is a good mother, don't breed her untill she is old enough that doing a good job from instinct (i.e. inborn abilities work well) can be reasonably expected.
Now i cull for bad mothering from the first litter. I see it as an inborn trait, not a learned one.
 
KJHanley96 said:
Hello all,
I just got a trio a few months ago and one of the does was not old enough to breed yet. I have looked at several websites to find a safe age to breed her and it seems like all the websites suggest different ranges of age. She is a Californian and will be 5 months old here in the next week. Has anyone bred at this age or should I wait a few months still?
Click to expand...
Welcome to Rabbit Talk! I raise Silver Foxes and a few New Zealands. You can breed a doe at 5 months, and she will be around 6 months old when she has kits. However, a doe can be 8 months old and still not be mentally ready to become a mom. I would recommend waiting until she is around 5 1/2 months old to breed her and ensure she is in good health and mentally ready to be a mom.
 

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