How long to wait before rebreeding your doe?

[bunhallarabbitry]

Hi everyone,

Our two does had their litters on May 7 and May 9. One had three, the other nine. The doe that had three actually fostered a total of 7 since she is a larger doe. Both doe look and feel like they are in the same condition they were when they were pregnant (I bought them bred). How long should you wait before rebreeding?

Thank you!

 

[akane]

In a colony setting they often get bred again about a week later but the kits don't get much milk that way. For my caged rabbits I don't breed any closer than 2 weeks after they have a litter because the doe will stop feeding a week or 2 before the next litter comes making the kits 4-5weeks when they get weaned. The longer you wait the better fed the current litter gets to be but the fewer litters you get in a given time. People raising for show or pets often wait until after a litter is fully weaned to breed again or only breed a couple times a year. Meat breeders tend to breed back asap. If you are breeding litters close together the does will need a break here and there. I just pulled all my bucks because mine are due with their 3rd litters in a row and they are getting July and possibly part of august off when it's too hot and then I will breed for sept, nov, dec kits and give jan and part of feb off when it's really really cold here.

 

[fuzzy9]

We are breeding for meat rabbits. We rebreed 21 days after kindling, and wean the does kits at 6 weeks. We are still new in rabbits, but it seems to be working for us.

 

[MaggieJ]

If they kindled in early May and are in good condition, you don't have to wait any longer. The kits must already be well into the weaning process or perhaps they are completely weaned at this point. They are what, about 6-7 weeks old?

 

[Pickles]

I have a question along the same lines... Is it healthy for the doe to be rebred so soon? I know she will be able, but does it hurt her heaalth in any way (i.e. higher risk of doe fatality, etc...)? I have similar concerns and was wondering that the closest rebreeding should be atleast 3 months or more between kindling. Hmmnn... I have heard so many different opinions on the subject.

 

[MaggieJ]

When I am in doubt, I tend to think "as in nature". Wild rabbits breed almost without a break except in the depths of winter. This is nature's strategy to ensure survival of a prey species... so they have evolved to handle frequent pregnancy and lactation. That said, it is important for rabbit owners to assess the condition of their does and give them a break if it is indicated. One good thing about regular pregnancies is that there is less chance of excessive fat building up in the body cavity... which is a definite health hazard.

 

[ottersatin]

If the Doe loses the litter at birth then
your best bet is to re-breed immediately
unless there is/was some sort of problem during the delivery.
It is not the kindling that stresses the Doe so much as it is
the carrying and feeding the kits to weaning.
In most cases there should be no problems caused by re-breeding
the Doe who has had a still birth.
As always one must use their own discretion in any given situation. :shrug:
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[akane]

If the doe is in good condition, producing enough milk for the litters, etc... there's no reason you can't breed them close together for a few litters. It's natural for rabbits to breed that way. Some does and even some entire breeds though do not hold condition well because the breeders have not been concerned about breeding them so close together. Our mini rex are much worse at back to back breedings than the meat rabbit breeds. Some of the mini rex does do require a month or 2 break between most litters because they won't hold condition well, produce enough milk, or they'll pluck themselves bald if you breed them too frequently. Most mini rex breeders I know just do a litter or 2 per doe in the spring and a litter or 2 per doe in the fall so they might only aim for 2 litters a year. The champagne d'argent doe got through 2 litters of 5 and then her 3rd litter turned out just to be a single kit and she's not being bred again until August. The creme d'argent x NZ doe insists on being bred constantly. She's a real pain when not bred because she spends all her time trying to get to the buck or humping the other rabbits. I bred her last fall and twice over the winter so I was gonna give her a break this spring but she was trying to tear through the divider between colonies to get to my champagne buck and being a real pain. I gave in and tossed my buck over there. She's stayed in good flesh and cared for her large litters with minimal issues so whatever she wants. I'm not actually sure which buck she's bred to right now because I left several of her half mini rex sons in that colony past breeding age since I didn't get around to butchering them while we were moving. She stopped humping and harassing the other rabbits about 2weeks ago so I'm assuming around then is when she got bred. I finally got nearly all of them butchered except one extra doe and I only kept one buck which I pulled out to a cage. I wasn't planning on breeding her again until august but if she holds condition and proves to be too much of a pest I'll put him back in after she has a few weeks break. The other doe in there should be old enough for her first litter by then too.

 

[Pickles]

I guess my main concern is the depletion the kit rearing has on the doe... that another litter straight away would affect her health in a negative way. But as already stated, I guess it is nature's way for the doe to be capable, and of course, using one's discretion & evaluation of the doe's condition would rule the decision how soon to rebreed.

 

[JueLee]

I'm starting to go for nine weeks between breedings. That means the kits would be roughly 5 weeks when the doe is bred again. I like the idea of a consistent schedule, but I'm not far enough into the practice to tell if it will really work for me.

-- Jue