Myth or fact.... No breeding does first time after 1 yr

[cowgirl9768]

So I have a doe I'm trying to breed and she is not allowing the buck to mount. I think it's the weather. Pretty cold, gloomy, and rainy. I may just wait till spring. By then she will be a year old. There are rumors that after a doe is a year old her hips will fuse and she won't be able to pass her litter. I know a breeder who has lost 2 does that where a year old by getting babies stuck. The only 2 she bred over a year of age. I also had a friend who lost his rabbit when it was bred over a year of age. It is probably just chance but I need to know this isn't true. How many of you have bred a doe for the first time over a year old and had a healthy litter?

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

apparently this is a Myth... I dont recommend you breeding after a year due to problems. I dont do it . I will not take that chance. The only thing is to try it and find out.

 

[cowgirl9768]

apparently this is a Myth... I dont recommend you breeding after a year due to problems. I dont do it . I will not take that chance. The only thing is to try it and find out.

She is such a sweet doe.... Would be a shame to loose her. :-/ idk what to do.

 

[miniquilts]

I have several does that were close to two the first time they were bred , I found that it makes no difference whether they be 6 months or two years old

 

[Kyle@theWintertime]

I have several does that were close to two the first time they were bred , I found that it makes no difference whether they be 6 months or two years old

I have a doe who didn't take for a fall litter, and I'm too busy to deal with winter kits plus now they are outside so it'll be much colder...she'll be over a year old when she's bred in Spring. I have no concerns about "breeding late."

 

[skysthelimit]

I bred a 3 year old holland of all things. 5 tried got one live kit. But it has more to do with fat accumulation than anything. If a doe has narrow hips, it doesn't really matter at what age you start breeding, she's gonna have problems.

 

[cowgirl9768]

I bred a 3 year old holland of all things. 5 tried got one live kit. But it has more to do with fat accumulation than anything. If a doe has narrow hips, it doesn't really matter at what age you start breeding, she's gonna have problems.

Is the fat accumulation a perminate thing of will it go away on a diet? As awful as it sound I'd rather loose a couple kits then my doe. Does the fat accumulation make the babies get stuck and potentially kill the mom?

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The fat supposedly constricts the fallopian tubes making it hard for them to get pregnant at all.

 

[NatureBunsRabbitry]

Why don't you try force breeding her?

 

[Random Rabbit]

the hip fusing thing is iirc... true for cavies...( and i have no experience with those) NOT rabbits.

I have several Palomino does that weren't bred until a year or so... they did just fine. The trick with rabbits is the does can put on internal fat and that can make it difficult to get them bred. The old Rabbit Guru...Dr Terry Reed once told people that "if a doe won't breed... to feed her strictly hay for five days (and water of course)... that would help burn off the fat deposits and make conception more likely" YMMV of course.... :bunnyhop:

 

[skysthelimit]

I'd rather try that and take that risk. But in my case it's different, I'm breeding for meat and show, and if a doe won't produce, she's out of here anyway, so she might as well get bred.

 

[akane]

true for cavies...( and i have no experience with those) NOT rabbits.

Wrong. It is a complete myth for all animals. What happens is the tissue in the area becomes less pliable making it harder for the bones to separate but they never fuse or anything. The main problem with breeding an older doe is getting them pregnant in the first place. They don't come in to condition well and may have accumulated a lot of internal fat that will interfere. I've bred several does over a year with no problems but they were fed lightly and exercised more than a standard size cage.

 

[jessie15273]

My cousin put his buck into my 4 year old does pen. She had 2 healthy babies and lived to be 6... Definitely dont recommend it though

 

[cowgirl9768]

Why don't you try force breeding her?

Do you have some tips on this? I tried holding her head/shoulders down but she still wouldn't rase her butt so he kept missing.

 

[starshotbandit]

slide your hand under her belly and hips and place your thumb and index finger on eather side of her vent(and a little under it), this puts her in the corect posistion. Of corse while holding her by the scruff. I have to do this with 3 of the 4 that i have. one of my bucks dident like me in there so he would mount, touch my arm with his paw, climb off and look at me,then start grooming her. As soon as i let go he would chase her around. This went on for about 2 to 3 weeks. finaly he did the deed so he doesent mind as much any more. I found this book called Raising Rabbits The Mdern Wy, by Bob Bennit. It's WONDERFUL!! Lots of info, then I found rabbit talk.

 

[ZRabbits]

I've heard that rumor too, but I've read so much here about others who have successfully bred older does and had no problem. Also there have been sad cases where younger does don't do well either. So it would depend on the doe?

Can understand why your doe isn't in the mood due to the weather, but Sky gave you some good info to help get her bred. Though I'm not the forceful type, sometimes you need to do that to help a doe get bred. And if you are worried about her age if waiting till Spring, force breeding could be the answer.

And definitely agree that Bob Bennett's book is very informative. One of the research books I have before I found RabbitTalk.

Karen

 

[skysthelimit]

slide your hand under her belly and hips and place your thumb and index finger on eather side of her vent(and a little under it), this puts her in the corect posistion. Of corse while holding her by the scruff. I have to do this with 3 of the 4 that i have. one of my bucks dident like me in there so he would mount, touch my arm with his paw, climb off and look at me,then start grooming her. As soon as i let go he would chase her around. This went on for about 2 to 3 weeks. finaly he did the deed so he doesent mind as much any more. I found this book called Raising Rabbits The Mdern Wy, by Bob Bennit. It's WONDERFUL!! Lots of info, then I found rabbit talk.

You've hit on the one problem with force breeding. the buck has to be willing to mount the doe with your hand on the doe. I only have two that will do that readily, but I have found if I firmly hold the doe around the shoulders, I can slide my hand away just as he looks ready to mount, and most does will stay in that position for a while.

 

[LindseysWoolies]

My jersey wooly doe was 1.5 years old when she had her first litter and had no problems. Also with the english angora breed many breeders wait till the rabbit is two years old! They don't have problems either. They take a long time to develop that big show coat.

 

[Random Rabbit]

One other thing... this time of year Extra lighting might be necessary. In 'nature' the season of less light tells the pituitary gland to secrete less hormones that stimulate breeding urges. We keep lights on in our barn to 'trick' the pituitary. That helps keep interest in breeding a bit higher.

 

[arachyd]

What hasn't been discussed here much is the fact that you are talking about 1st time does. No matter what the age rabbits have a learning curve and the percentage of 1st litters that survives compares very poorly with 2nd and 3rd litters no matter what age the rabbit is. It is easy to blame it on the rabbit's age but the fact is that 1st litters not doing well is not unusual.