newbie breeding Q's

[Nyctra]

I keep seeing this and that and I'm getting confused. ^-^'

When can you breed a doe? I've seen some say they have to be several months old, but I've seen others say they can start at just a few months old. Is there something dangerous about breeding them at a young age?

What do people mean by dropping testicles? There's some pink somethings on my 15 week old buck. Is something ELSE supposed to happen?
I don't know how I got this image, but I was always under the impression that you can break a buck by breeding too early. ...You can't break a buck, can you? :shock:

I see some say not to breed in the summer, others say you can. If the rabbits were given ice bottles, surely it would be fine? It gets around in the 80's to 90's here in the summer; only a few days a year it reaches a smudge over 100. This year, the hottest it's been so far is 88 degrees, I believe. Would this temperature range be OK to breed in?

 

[caroline]

It depends on your rabbits. I raise standard Rex and my buck have bred does successfully as early as 4 months. It takes the little guys a minute or two to figure out what to do the first time but after that, as soon as I put a doe in their cage they have usually fallen off at least once by 60 seconds. You should be able to feel the little mass of testicles in the scrotum by the time the bucks are 3-4 months old. I hold them under one arm, with their belly toward the ground so that the testicles don't fall back inside the body and check that way.
I usually breed my does to kindle for the first time by about 6 months, as long as they are close to minimum weight.

I breed year around here but the temps don't get above the 80s much so we don't have the problems that hotter areas do. I understand that if the temps are above 90 for any length of time the bucks often become sterile until it has cooled off for a while so some places they don't breed in the summer.

I don't understand the concept of "break" in relation to bucks. If they aren't mature enough they won't breed. That could frustrate a doe who is ready so you'd want to be prepared to rescue the little guy so she doesn't beat up on him.
Caroline

 

[skysthelimit]

Basically, you can breed a doe when she's ready, and she'll tell you that, some time after 4 mos for most breeds. Some wait until they are full mature as far as weight, so then 6 mos for most breeds. If she is not ready, she won't conceive most times. Or she won't allow herself to be bred.

I'm going to breed up until August, and then give my does a break until mid September. Mainly because I've been breeding almost back to back this spring. Your rabbits will begin to conform to what you are doing, or die trying. Whatever's left will be what you want. That's why there are so many ways to do things.

 

[-HRanchito]

My does are pretty mean! My poor lil' buck was a bit traumatized by a much older and bigger doe plowing him like a cornfield I had to referee....Maybe that's what they mean?

Edit: Your av makes me smile every time <3

 

[Nyctra]

It's nice to hear others' thoughts on this. I think my mum may have gotten the notion of breaking a buck in my head...still not sure where I got it from. XD

@HRanchito; haha thanks. ♥

 

[MamaSheepdog]

When you breed anything you will hear of "breaking" the male, although the terminology varies. A young, inexperienced male can be permanently put off trying to breed a female if he gets the living daylights kicked out of him... so a lot of people put an untried "stud" with a female that they know is easy to breed for the first time or two.