How old does a NZ have to be to reproduce?

Mags · Feb 4, 2022

Hi, I'm Mags. A while back ago, I bred a pair of my New Zealands and had a litter of 7. We raise for meat and butchered a few kits from that litter late because we had a lot going on in past months. We just never got to them because I've been at school, and Mom would rather have us sell them to 4h kids. It hadn't donned on me how long we had had them. They are now 5 1/2 months old. I have 3 does and a buck together. The buck is showing genitals, but I don't think his testies have dropped. He has not shown any sexual behavior with the girls that I've seen. I have separated them. Do you think I should be concerned about pregnant does? And at what age do NZ bucks become fertile?

Mags · Feb 4, 2022

Edit for clarification; we butcherd 3 of 7 kits and I still have 4 (3 Does and 1 Buck) that we never got to processing. We ended up deciding to sell these because we didn't have the time, but because it is winter and 4h is now just starting to kick up, we havent sold them yet.

ThunderHill · Feb 4, 2022

Hi! I start breeding NZ does at around 5 months, and have succesfully bred bucks at 5.5 months as well. I would suggest planning for litters at any time from now through 35 days or so from when you separated them as there is a good chance they are pregnant.

ladysown · Feb 5, 2022

assume they are all bred. assume kits could come any time. they might not... but assumptions are better than dead kits. Remove the buck asap. And you might not see any sexual behaviour... it happens quickly and often very quietly.

MuddyFarms · Feb 5, 2022

Hi there, @Mags ! It's great that you recognized that this could be an issue and are thinking ahead to deal with it! I definitely agree with the above posts: New Zealands do have litters at that age and younger. Do you have a way to provide them with individual housing and nest boxes?

Mags · Feb 5, 2022

Yes I do. This will be my 4th time if they took. I've had rabbits for 4 years, but this is only my 1st year breeding. Thanks to all of the responses, it is appreciated.

MuddyFarms · Feb 5, 2022

Mags said:
Yes I do. This will be my 4th time if they took. I've had rabbits for 4 years, but this is only my 1st year breeding. Thanks to all of the responses, it is appreciated.

Perfect! Sounds like you've got things covered, then.

brittanyf · Sep 30, 2024

ThunderHill said:
Hi! I start breeding NZ does at around 5 months, and have succesfully bred bucks at 5.5 months as well. I would suggest planning for litters at any time from now through 35 days or so from when you separated them as there is a good chance they are pregnant.

TKT · Oct 1, 2024

I had a sneaker buck who was in with his sisters and successfully bred one of them at 3 months. I didn't know until I found fur all over her cage one morning and two dead kits. Found another kit by the squeaking. It had crawled through the bars into its aunt's cage. I brought it in and warmed it. I found another one on the ground. It had gone through the bars the other way falling down the back onto the hay and crawled onto the concrete. It was still alive but ice cold. I cleaned and warmed that one too. When they were warm and dry I put them back with mom who I'd given a nest box, and I made sure they were covered with a fur blanket. They were dead the next day because she had no mothering instincts yet.

The other doe either had not been bred or had not taken. It's too hot here to try breeding through the summer even though I have them in the shed with AC. I just bred the sister to her father last night. So they are 9 months old now which is a little later than I would have liked. I would prefer around 6 or 7 months. Weight is an inducator as well, they should be I believe at minimum 8 lb for NZs. I bred a pair last weekend and a pair last night. I'm hoping the bucks aren't heat sterile.

How old does a NZ have to be to reproduce?

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