Breeding

[DonnerSurvivor]

Hi, I was not sure what section to put this topic in but since I have meat rabbits and am breeding for meat so I hope it fits in here. I have a trio of Florida Whites that are 2 years old. I bought these rabbits last week and let them get settled in for a week and I decided to breed one of the does to the buck today. I put the doe in the bucks cage and he immediately bred her then proceeded to breed her about 10-15 more times until he was pretty exhausted this occurred in 5-10 minutes. My question is it normal for rabbits to breed this many times? I am also wondering if I should put the doe back in the buck cage and let them do it again in a couple hours or should I let them both rest and hope for the best?

 

[Secuono]

I don't think you are seeing him breed, you're probably just seeing the mounting and motions but not the actual breeding/finishing. Did he squeal/grunt and fall off? Did you flip the doe to see if he hit the right spot? Did the doe lift?

 

[DonnerSurvivor]

He was "grunting" but he never fell off all stiff like. I am not sure if he hit the right spot that is what I was kinda worried about how do I flip the doe and find out? Its been less than a hour is it still to late to flip the doe and check? I am also not 100% sure if she lifted or not this is the first time ive bred rabbits in 10+ years.<br /><br />__________ Sat Feb 02, 2013 5:31 pm __________<br /><br />After thinking about it for awhile I come to the conclusion that the doe probably was not bred so I reintroduced her to the buck cage. upon reintroduction the buck mounted the the doe then remounted and quickly bred her then fell off in a stiff pose. After falling off he pretty much lost interest in the doe so I am assuming she was bred this time. I think it was the right thing to do to remove the doe from the cage the first time because the buck was becoming very aggressive towards her. Now that I am fairly certain she is bred should I reintroduce her in a couple hours or hope this mating was completely successful? O I almost forgot I also flipped the doe after the mating and her area was slightly wet I am assuming this is what your looking for? My barn is pretty dimly lite but it also seemed like the doe was "opened up" a small amount but I am not 100% sure of that.
Thanks for the help.

 

[nicnmike]

Welcome! Sounds like the second attempt was a success.

I've got a pair of Florida Whites that I've had since early summer. My second litter is about 5 weeks old. My doe had 11 kits with this litter! I waited until the first litter was 4 months old before processing them, so they would gain a little more weight. You will need to separate the males and females if you wait that long as they will be sexual mature by then.

 

[OneAcreFarm]

Sometimes, if a buck seems uninterested after one breeding attempt, just removing the doe for a few minutes and then putting her back will do the trick.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

It sounds like he found the mark the second go around!

If he doesn't breed her again, I wouldn't worry too much. I have had large litters from one covering.

This thread may be helpful to you to determine when to breed your does:

judging-a-doe-s-readiness-and-breeding-tips-t9869.html

 

[DonnerSurvivor]

Thanks everybody I believe both of my does are bred now, I am very excited for fresh rabbit again and not these nasty cottontails! (they are ok but not like young fresh healthy alfalfa fed buns)