First timer does and bucks

[CochinBrahmaLover]

I have 3 Hollands, all first timers. The does are not into being bred and the buck has no idea how to woo them. Can I use my much larger silver fox to woo them? He's 8.5lbs, they're 2lbs tops.

Or should I just wait a few days and try to rebreed?

The does are living inside and should be cooperating just fine (or so I tell myself)

 

[TwoAcreDream]

Hi
Under no circumstances should one use a buck that much bigger on such
small does. The other way around, if the doe was the bigger animals, then
that would work.


Just give your does some time. I am waiting on some lops to reach maturity
so I can get them bred. The ones that frustrated me were the lionheads, I
bought this summer.
I bought 3 females, 1 male, as youngsters, and the lady could not tell me the
correct birthday. I waited for awhile till they got some good size to them.
I then bred the 3 young does, 1 doe each week for a 3 week span.
None had babies. I suspected the bucks might have been sterile because
of the summer heat or maybe too young. When cooler weather got here,
I bred the bigger doe of the group to both of the bucks. I figured one of
them would get the job done. So the one buck has long hair, white, and
makes me think of a long haired guinea pig. The other is black, more short haired, good personality, etc. Anyways the doe has 8 babies for her first
litter, 5 white and 3 black. She is a excellent first time mom. Babies are
6 weeks old now. I need to get some pics of them, so I can get them ready
for sale in 2 weeks. It was totally worth the wait. Patience is a good thing

Just give the lop buck some time. He will figure it out. He just needs a litte
practice

 

[Dood]

I agree that is just too risky with such a huge size difference - I wouldnt try any buck over 4 pounds on a 2 doe and if your Hollands are true dwarfs (which I am assuming they are with such a small size) I'd ONLY breed with a smaller buck.

Is your silver fox buck even the kind of male who doesn't get straight down to business but chin rubs, circles and sweet talks his does ? (You might have gotten the idea from my post - my "teaser" buck is 10 years old and a SLOW breeder - he'd much rather cuddle with his ladies at this stage in his life so I really don't need to worry that he will sneak in and get them pregnant, 2 or 3 years ago it was a different story )

If your Silver fox buck is this kind of guy then maybe put him in a cage next to the does and see if he can stimulate their libido

The scent of another buck will also increase your Holland bucks sex drive and he might figure out what to do - but be careful as the scent of another male may drive him to fight instead and he could lash out at the girls

 

[grumpy]

"First-Timers" all the way around, requires certain considerations on your
part as well the critters.

The does...will let you know when they're coming into season. Small nuances
in behavioral changes will alert you. Feistiness, quick-start jumps and whirls
for no apparent reason. Continually rubbing their chin against objects in
their cage. Their tail's will be carried in an upright position and somewhat
rigid. Check them visually for readiness quite often. Scratch their back and
watch which way their tail goes and notice if they "squat" or "raise" just a
smidgen.

The buck needs to be at least post-adolescent. I prefer them to be a minimum
of 5 months old. I rarely use one that young but have done so in the past.
Genetically, he may be predisposed to be a slower breeder. Character
traits are passed down each generation. This circumstance may well be one
of them.

Your biggest concern should be the young buck's safety when a doe is
introduced into his space. Some does, while in season and "hot", can be
extremely aggressive. It that is the case, DO NOT, allow her to "ride" the
buck. That's a clear act of dominance and one a young buck could be
intimidated by. Don't allow her to do much more than just "stand" in place.
If a young buck gets his butt whipped by an overly-aggressive doe, he WILL
be intimidated. Sometimes to the point of him acting completely submissive.
There have been occasions that I've literally had to forcefully restrain a doe
due to her misbehaving. She doesn't "like" it...but the buck surely does.

If your buck's used to you, he'll pay you no never-mind when you do this.
If you look closely, you can almost.......see him smile.

grumpy.

 

[CochinBrahmaLover]

Oh no, I'd never dream of putting a 8lb buck over 2lb does. I was looking just for him to get them in the mood. Frank, my large buck, is about 2 years now and a very sweet breeder. He gets business done but if the does are reluctant he's proven to be very sweet - grooms them and doesn't try to force them (much).

My little dude was born in may, so he's 6months old ish. He's about 2lbs as well, though I'll weigh everyone in a sec and update the weights. This is his first time breeding any does. He doesn't mind me but he's a bit of a nervous guy so he's still getting used to me. I think he'll be a good little breeder just needs more experience.

Thank you all for your help. The does are not aggressive but skiddish and run away from him. I checked and their not a super dark red but they're a dark red for sure. They look like they should be more accepting at least.

I'll be careful about using another buck. He seems like a chirpy little fellow so well see how he reacts...

Thanks. Will update, especially if they have kits!