how cold is too cold?
- Thread starter joey goad
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If your does have good instincts and you provide plenty of insulating materials there isn't such a thing as too cold for a rabbit unless you are trying to raise rabbits in the arctic circle. With a little straw and out of the wind my rabbits were active in -30F (before windchill). Most of my does managed to raise litters in that. One doe failed to block up her nest and they froze but she's also failed to raise a single litter outdoors. I'm not sure what it is since she feeds them so well but she's only raised litters successfully in the house. My creme d'argent impressed me in to keeping her despite changing my mind about breeding cremes. In the middle of winter she built a 3' high, 3' wide and 2' deep mound around the back half of her nest box and then closed up the entrance so the kits were at least 6" in from the top wood and front opening with the back, top, and sides buried. In the middle of summer she dug a light nest in the sand pile I gave them. She hasn't lost a kit except to some rats.
SatinsRule
Well-known member
I've found that my rabbits are not normally "in the mood" when the temperatures are above 85-90 degrees, but I suppose it can also vary based on factors such as himidity, as well.
There's not a doubt in my mind that I will be able to raise some litters this fall and into the winter, but I won't start trying to mate them until sometime late this month or early September.
There's not a doubt in my mind that I will be able to raise some litters this fall and into the winter, but I won't start trying to mate them until sometime late this month or early September.
Too hot you can do easily. They prefer cool temps. Somewhere around 90 breeding seems to become risky for some. Some of mine were still fine as we approached 100F but a couple of my senior does were really suffering as soon as we got near 90 and my litter sizes went down. Past 100F no one was happy and I started dunking some rabbits in containers of cool water. My does stopped producing milk and I lost entire litters. Bucks sometimes become sterile when the temp is consistently that high without cooling off much at night.
Probably 60-80 would be safest for a first time doe since it's not hot enough to cause added stress so long as they are in the shade but not real cold if she doesn't pull fur or has a kit on the wire. You might be able to save kits that end up on the wire before they chill too much when it's above 60 out. If they've had a good litter or 2 without problems I wouldn't worry until you get down around freezing so long as you give them plenty of bedding to build a nest with. Although since I've only used wood boxes in the winter I don't know if metal or plastic would have a significant effect. You can also bring nest boxes in the house and take them out for the does to feed once or twice a day. They only spend 5mins at a time feeding the kits 1-2 times a day and otherwise ignore them so most don't have a problem with you doing that.
A lot of the show and pet breeders just breed 1-2 litters every spring and fall during ideal temps. The meat breeders tend to push the rabbits quite a bit more and cull the ones that aren't good enough mothers to handle some less than ideal temps. Future plan is to give the rabbits last week in Dec to 2nd week in Feb off which is when we hit subzero temps and last week of June to 2nd week of Aug off when we surpass 90 regularly. An escapee buck interrupted my plans to give them a break last month so I'm waiting until this Friday to start breeding again.
Probably 60-80 would be safest for a first time doe since it's not hot enough to cause added stress so long as they are in the shade but not real cold if she doesn't pull fur or has a kit on the wire. You might be able to save kits that end up on the wire before they chill too much when it's above 60 out. If they've had a good litter or 2 without problems I wouldn't worry until you get down around freezing so long as you give them plenty of bedding to build a nest with. Although since I've only used wood boxes in the winter I don't know if metal or plastic would have a significant effect. You can also bring nest boxes in the house and take them out for the does to feed once or twice a day. They only spend 5mins at a time feeding the kits 1-2 times a day and otherwise ignore them so most don't have a problem with you doing that.
A lot of the show and pet breeders just breed 1-2 litters every spring and fall during ideal temps. The meat breeders tend to push the rabbits quite a bit more and cull the ones that aren't good enough mothers to handle some less than ideal temps. Future plan is to give the rabbits last week in Dec to 2nd week in Feb off which is when we hit subzero temps and last week of June to 2nd week of Aug off when we surpass 90 regularly. An escapee buck interrupted my plans to give them a break last month so I'm waiting until this Friday to start breeding again.
