I have two breeding females and a buck. With both females I have successfully produced three litters since getting them this past early spring and through the summer. But now, neither one of them will accept the bucks attempts to breed. I have tried to help, but just can't seem to get the job done. The buck is trying, poor thing. I have tried leaving them in for a bit, even overnight. I have tried early in the day, Late, and in-between. I have tried increasing the does' pellets, and added ground up minerals from a lick to no avail. Are they just signaling that they don't want to raise any young-uns through the cold season of winter up here in Ohio? I am set up with a small heated pad for the nest box, and all my waterers have heaters on them to keep the water from freezing. I take pretty good care of my herd, no illnesses to speak of (knock on wood).
Breeding New Zealands seasonal?
- Thread starter JLPicard
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It COULD be a shortage of Vitamins A and E in their diet. Both those vitamins are essential for reproduction and both are easily lost in commercial feed due to heat or prolonged storage. Adding some dark leafy greens such as parsley or dandelion or chard for Vitamin A and some BOSS for Vitamin E (black oil sunflower seeds, like you feed to the birds, shell and all) can make a difference IF the problem is nutritional. If you feed only pellets, start very slowly with just a sprig or two of greens and work it up to a good handful. A little BOSS is all that's needed... a teaspoon working up to a tablespoon. Continue for a couple of weeks after you reach the upper limits.
hoodat
Well-known member
Rabbits are only seasonal up to a point. Most rabbits can be bred the year round, weather permitting, but in the shorter days of Winter they can sometimes be hard to "Get in the mood". Keeping them under artificial lights usually doesn't fool them. They know what time of the year it is, even if they never see daylight.
Last year I found so long as there was enough light my rabbits bred just fine. We had 2 litters from the creme d'argent doe when temps were well in to the negatives. Did lose a mini rex litter cause the doe built a crappy nest. She's just bad at colony breeding any time of the year. Then also raised 1 mini rex and 1 champagne litters in Jan at -30F for a week and -20F the rest. So long as they got light mine produced. Granted not all had the nest building skills to pull it off and they required some black oil sunflower seeds to keep condition but I got more kits last Jan than I got July-Aug.
LilFish_JWQueen(:
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yep agreed..i have two lights in my barn and try to keep my barn open so the rabbits get light..also are the does a little over weight? thats also a common breeding problem is that you free feed a doe while she is with her young then never cut her back again so she gets a lil over weight.
BOSS, can do, Dandelion I give them pretty much non stop, but for about a month or thereabouts I have stopped, not much growing at the moment. I will see if I can get some of them though. They don't seem overweight, but since I am new at this, I am not totally certain. They seem to be the same weight they had been all this past summer though and they seemed to breed just fine. The only change has been the curtailed greens, and the shortening days and colder evenings. They just seem to hunker down and no manner of work that the male is doing will get them up in the air.
I will see what the BOSS (husks and all huh?), and the greens I can dig up will do. I can't afford to purchase fresh stuff from the markets I am afraid, I will have to see what I can dig up. My Comfrey has retired for the season, I used to give that to them freely, maybe twice a week in the summer as well. Thanks for all the advice. OH, they aren't in a barn, they are in covered enclosures under a tree in my back yard, they get what natural daylight readily.
I will see what the BOSS (husks and all huh?), and the greens I can dig up will do. I can't afford to purchase fresh stuff from the markets I am afraid, I will have to see what I can dig up. My Comfrey has retired for the season, I used to give that to them freely, maybe twice a week in the summer as well. Thanks for all the advice. OH, they aren't in a barn, they are in covered enclosures under a tree in my back yard, they get what natural daylight readily.
bowbuild
Well-known member
Light, light, light.
You can easily grow wheat grass in a plastic dishpan. It is wonderful for winter greens. It takes about two weeks to get a crop and you can plant several on consecutive days to keep them coming. Feed wheat will work fine or you can buy "wheat berries" at a health food store or bulk food store. Plant thickly and don't worry about drainage. It will do well as long as you don't drown it. You can usually get two or three cuttings before it gets straggly and sparse.
There is a tea that you can give them...the name escapes me at the moment because we put all of our rabbits on a break through the winter, so I haven't been using it. I'd look it up though, it can't be hard to find through google.
