doe is not getting pregnant.

[B. Bunny]

Hello rabbit caretakers,

Im a beginner trying my hand at raising meat rabbits. I got two NZ does and a californian buck. I have had these rabbits for a few months now and have been trying to breed them but i have no success. The rabbits are healthy, they seem happy, the doe will lift for the buck, the buck will "fall over", everthing seems right. All three are supposed to be about a year old. Is there a way to check if they are mature enough to breed? I cant believe i cant get these rabbits to multiply. ( im sure i have two does and a buck). If someone could help me i would really appreciate it. Thanks to anyone who hears me.

 

[Zass]

Do you live in an area with high temperatures? Heat sterility can be a problem for some. The other thing that comes to mind is the age of the buck.
A buck is often infertile until around 5 months old. I've tested that in my own herd and found it to be true, but other lines could be different, taking more or less time.

If they were full grown when you received them, and and you have had them for several months, I would think they would be plenty old enough to breed by now. hmmm. Are the does overweight?

 

[B. Bunny]

The does do not seem overweight i give them about 10 oz of 20% pellets with all the hay they want (bermuda). I have another buck that ive tried with them also. And i know he is fertile. In the past 2 months the temp has been from 20°F to 60° F. They have nice shleters and stay dry. And my breeding process i take the doe to the buck watch the deed go down two times. Seperate for and hour then repeat.

 

[Dood]

Pictures of your does would help determine if they are carrying too much body fat that could be interfering with conception.

Another option is the buck having a split penis - if severe enough this condition can prevent the sperm from being deposited far enough into the does reproductive tract.

 

[B. Bunny]

Thanks for all the interest and information. I am not home right now so i cant post pics but i will and i dont know about my new buck having split penis but i have had litters from the other one so i dont think he has that problem but still nothing. Will post back with pics in a few hours thanks again.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Hi B. Bunny!

:welcomewagon:

Some does just seem unable to conceive, which falls under the "Three Strikes" rule most of us follow. A doe is given three chances to have a (successful) litter- some does kindle but don't do things right the first couple of times- while others just don't seem to conceive. The ones that don't pass the test are moved on to "freezer camp".

A friend of mine has a doe that has been bred 3 times with no kits born. She is one of the last of a particularly coveted show line, so she is giving her one more chance.

It is possible that your doe (or buck) is lacking the Vitamins A & E in sufficient quantities- you can try offering fresh foods high in these vitamins to see if that helps.

Those vitamins are, of course, included in pellets but they are not very stable and will degrade quickly in storage. You may want to check the production date on your pellets- most people do not feed pellets that are more than 3 months old for this reason.

 

[B. Bunny]

Thanks mama sheepdog. I will check the feed when i get home and will take note of the three strike rule but i cant get either doe to concieve so i would hate to have two bad breeders. Just wanna make sure i have all my ducks in a row before i start blaming the bunnies.

 

[Dood]

12 months is rather old for a meat breed to start giving birth, I try and get my does pregnant before 6 months old and they have a litter about every 2 months, and longer between litters and they become more difficult to get bred.

 

[B. Bunny]

When i try to upload the jpg it says failed to open selected file not sure whats wrong.

 

[EnglishSpot]

Perhaps the size of the jpeg is too large. can you resize it in Paint/Picasa/Photoshop?

 

[B. Bunny]

ok i think i got it. these arent the best pics because i get home after dark mon - fri. hope this helps. remember i got these does and buck not knowing anything about them i am trusting the people I bought them from that they are about a year old (plus the 3 or 4 months ive had them. thanks again would love to get this operation going.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

They look healthy and in good condition. I would just keep trying.

This thread has some good hints and tips that you might find helpful:

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

 

[B. Bunny]

Ok great read i didnt know a lot of that info. Ill just keep trying.

 

[Dood]

The pictures might be deceiving but to me they look over weight.
- a sunken back bone with tissue bulging on either side
- "love handles" over the upper thighs and around the skirt area

You say you are feeding 10 oz of a 20% protein pellet which IMHO should only be given to nursing does and growing kits so I would cut back their pellets to 8oz and possibly as low as 6oz but still offer all the Bermuda hay they want

Unfortunately it might be too late and they will always be difficult to get bred - I had 3 does who I let get chubby and all 3 were troublesome to get pregnant but since deciding to breed at 4 or 5 months and keeping any replacement does on a restricted diet I haven't had any fertility issues.

 

[B. Bunny]

ok thanks for input i will cut back a little bit and really check the backbone and love handles to help determine. It is hard to see those features in the pic. (the all white is hard to tell their physique without hands on evaluation). so if im no good at palpation i just breed for one day then wait thirty? is there a quicker process to tell if i can try again? i heard they can get double pregnant.

 

[Zass]

I believe double pregnancies are mostly a myth. I have had to cull a doe who was covered only once, and found embryos in both horns of her uterus.

 

[Dood]

The link MamaSheepdog posted on checking a does readiness can speed up the process but if the does are lifting and the buck falling off then something else is not working :shrug:

 

[B. Bunny]

Well I found out today my rabbit was pregnant all along. The unfortunate thing is she died giving birth to eight kits (perfect litter) . She didn't pull fur and never looked pregnant. I know these things happen but I just hope I didn't do something wrong to promote this. Well im two does down. thanks for all the advice i am a young beginner

 

[Zinnia]

I'm so sorry to hear this.

I have heard of rabbits dying while giving birth. I hope someone here can shed some light on why that may happen....

 

[Zass]

Well I found out today my rabbit was pregnant all along. The unfortunate thing is she died giving birth to eight kits (perfect litter) . She didn't pull fur and never looked pregnant. I know these things happen but I just hope I didn't do something wrong to promote this. Well im two does down. thanks for all the advice i am a young beginner

Did she go off feed at all before giving birth?