Doe either not getting pregnant or is absorbing the babies?

[HoppinHalfPints]

I have a doe named Lana. She has been bred 5 times since she was 8 months old. Her first successful litter produced a buck and a doe. After that, she gave birth to a litter of 3 stillborns. Rebred, nothing. I bred her to my buck Reggie, and she built a nest but no babies. I believe she was due on the 16th (have to check my notes) so I am still hopeful, but I see this is a pattern. How can I up fertility? I really want to keep breeding this doe, since she is probably one of my best. I do still have her daughter...should I retire Lana and continue the bloodline with Prim? Are there any herbs that might stimulate hormones so she is more susceptible to breeding? :need-comments:

 

[skip]

You have a lot more patience than I do. I would move along and try Prim out, but stick to three strikes with Prim before totally changing up your lines. I breed two does at a time for fostering and grow out organization, and I just can't keep taking risks on does who aren't going to pull their half of the work. A doe who continually misses might get to the point where she's even more of a hassle if/when she does deliver a large healthy litter, if you get to thinking it's so unlikely you haven't got the space for it.

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

There's a good reason for the "three strikes" rule. Otherwise, you can waste a lot of time and feed money on non-productive animals.

That being said...

I've got a beautiful NZ Red doe that is due to kindle this weekend. It's her 5th try. I swear it's her last try! Honest! But she's a gorgeous animal and I'd love to get a daughter out of her before she's gone. I've already got her replacement in the grow pen - from a different line but at least it's one that produces!

You have my sympathies. Best of luck to you!

 

[Comet007]

I'm inclined to go with the three strikes recommendation. From what I read when I was getting ready for rabbits, OACV in their water - 1 T per half gallon can help, along with parsley. We fed our young does 1/2 T of dried parsley to our girls for 7 days (or was it 10?) prior to breeding them, and they always have the OACV in their water. One was a willing breeder, the other was willing for one cover, then not so happy. They both just had their first litters of 12 and 11 kits, both with 10 live kits. They may have done as well without, but I will keep doing it.

The parsley is supposed to increase egg count, and you may be able to find other herbs that would do the same. But then again, she might just not be a fertile animal and I'm not sure I would spend all that time and feed on her.

 

[akane]

Well she has produced litters. Is she a small breed? I find I have to tolerate more breeding problems in the mini and dwarf breeds along with the smaller litters. It may be the result of breeding them so small or it may be the fact breeders don't care as much about production and can just charge more to make up for it. If it's an otherwise good doe I will breed them for a replacement. They don't eat much anyway.

If she's a full size commercial type breed or a giant breed I would probably give up because the litters she has had are way too small for such breeds. It's not worth the large cage space, food, and buying all the potentially helpful supplements people try. Do you really want to have to supplement with all sorts of stuff to get litters out of her and her daughters? There is probably a dozen or more grains, herbs, and other things that people have used in an attempt to get more and better litters. I was using ACV but I decided acquiring active ACV and measuring it out is a waste of time and money. I do use some dried herbs but I get them in bulk packages for a few bucks and I also use the supplement mixture for my chinchillas. I'm already making it and without feeding it to rabbits it would probably loose quality sitting around in an open 5g bucket. My rabbits also have mined himalayan salt sold in cheap 2lb blocks for horses. It has natural trace minerals and tastes rather metallic compared to manufactured trace mineral salt blocks. The blocks will probably out live my rabbits.