Forcing/Encouraging Buns to breed/tie/do the deed...

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brucesquatch

brucesquatch

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I have yet to get my buns to hook up. I have two bucks, two does. One doe grabs the bottom of the cage like she's in a tornado, the other seems willing, but alas, no kits...

I read in Story's Guide about the hold'em and hitch'em method...as it were. However, my does don't get much time being held, so I can only imagine how holding the doe while the buck is trying to hook up and she is trying to kill me with her claws.

Are there any other ideas out there for encouraging a solid mating experience...Barry White, a few drinks...anything...

Thanks all,

Bruce
 
A car ride to the grocery store might help....I've done that some times and by the time I get home they are more then willing to breed lol. I also put ACV in their water and do the cage swapping.
 
You can also review their diet. Commercial feed is "complete" when it leaves the factory, but Vitamins A and E are easily lost during storage... and they are essential for successful breeding. A small handful dark leafy greens like parsley, dandelions or Swiss chard for Vitamin A and a tablespoon of black oil sunflower seeds for Vitamin E given daily can do wonders for both breeding willingness and successful kindling. It's not an instant fix, but you should see results within a couple of weeks, if this is indeed the problem.

Another factor may be lack of maturity in the rabbits. How old are they?
 
i think i read somewhere that feeding parsely helps them to breed... something about the vitamins in it or somesuch..?
 
I bought them from someone who sounded like she was helping us out...

I think that she was selling me her 'junk' bunnies...we paid extra for one of them because she was 'prego' at the time...alas...we got duped on that...

At the least, they are almost a year old...two Flemish giants and two New Zealands...buck and doe of each...
 
Just because you can't get them to breed doesn't mean they let you have their culls...not saying they didn't but its a possibility. Rabbits that are sold pregnant can very easily from stress of the move and other factors abort, so buying a preg doe is not always a guaranteed litter....

They should be old enough....I'd check them over for health issues again as well, never know what could've developed in the last few days or when ever their last complete check was. And definitely give the method a try...some does are stubborn and it takes work, especially if they are from a higher quality show line it seems as their not always bred for their easy breeding ability...
 
I put the doe in a cage with many bucks around her in adjacent cages. In a day or a few days she starts cozying up to a buck through the wire. Then she is ready. Warning, had a couple bucks get in a pissing match while doing this. I mean that literally, some bucks have amazing aim and throwing skills.

I had to take some weight off of one doe before it worked. Also check them for ear mites or anything that may be distracting them.

Last fall when I started this I think I had issues with light, the number of hours in the day. I was clueless.

I have been told some does will do fine in a different rabbitry even after failing miserably. Maybe it's just the car ride?
 
So next weekend we are going to give this another shot...we're going to try the two teabags in 1/2 gallon of water...next day...bunny magic...?

-I've spent the last few weeks taking some weight off the does and prepping for the next shot...

Thanks all,

Bruce
 
I used the method Cait told of that's raspberry tea, it worked like magic on 3 does that had otherwise been totally unwilling to breed
 
Out of curiosity, I went to check out the ingredients in Celestial Seasonings' Raspberry Zinger Tea.

Ingredients: Hibiscus, rosehips, roasted chicory, orange peel, blackberry leaves, natural raspberry flavor with other natural flavors (contains soy lecithin), raspberries and raspberry leaves.

I wonder which is the "magic" ingredient.
 
MaggieJ, buy those plants separate and start experimenting to find the "magic" ingredient.


Bruce, to force breed you put the doe in the cage and hold her head at the door to let the buck do his job. Just gotta keep her still and let the buck have her a few times. And make sure that she is in the mood/ready to breed. It's basically hold behind the ears and thus shouldn't have any problems with the doe trying to claw you as she'll more than likely will hunch down and stay still.

I did that once since the doe wouldn't keep still (kept running circles around the buck) and the buck was inexperienced and kept going for her face rather than her butt. He did get her too while I kept her still.
 
buying a preg doe is not always a guaranteed litter....
Click to expand...

I don't pay extra for pregnant rabbits anymore. If they are bred close to being moved they have never produced for me and I've watched the breeding several times. I think the stress is just too much and they never take. I will only put any faith in a breeding if they are close to due date when I buy them and even then they could have missed and not be showing or just be fat so I still don't pay extra. I'm out $20 because someone promised they'd breed the doe again if she didn't have any when we were going in to the dead of winter. Then by end of Feb when we wanted to breed had sold all her stock of that breed.
 
Another issue I have found that keeps does from taking is the feed ... I normally feed Purina Complete and the feed store didn't have any one time so I had to substitute with a "store brand" from the local farm supply store. Oh, yes, it was supposed to be complete, too, but my bunnies DID NOT LIKE IT! One doe refused to eat it at all, the other picked at it the whole time, and it took forever for them to get through the bag.

Neither of my does would take on either of the breedings during that bag. And, neither took on the next breeding which was only a week into the bag of their regular feed. But, the next breeding, 5 weeks on their regular feed and both took, so I now have 16 babys from 2 does in my "baby nursery".

So, if you are feeding a different diet from the person you got them from, and that person had success in breeding them, you might want to look into that aspect, too.
 

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