Newbie Question.. because I'm confused...

[MoonSpiritMom]

So I was watching to You tube videos on rabbits and such for tips on cage sizes and such, when i came across one on how to breed your doe. Well the man in the video said that you put your doe in with the buck the first time (when you wish to breed) to stimulate the doe to ovulate. then you put the doe back in with the buck that evening or even the next morning to actually bred. But form what I'm reading on the forum and other sources... does show signs of readiness with out a breeding to stimulate ovulation? I'm confused.. and i can't seem to straighten up this confusion.

So is it a monthly cycle type thing and you have to make sure your doe is ready? or is it "oh hey i wanna bred my doe today... let's put her with the buck" ??? I'm assuming that breeding meat rabbits and breeding show rabbits is the same here (the video was about breeding meat rabbits.. so they were large breed NZW. Cali types)


Like i said... Newbie question.

 

[fhjmom]

Rabbits are induced ovulators, so even though the doe shows signs of "readiness" they don't ovulate until the "deed is done". It is quite possible to have a successful breeding the first time you put the buck and doe together, so I am not sure why they said the second visit was needed for the actual breeding. Many breeders do recommend another visit a few hours later after an initial attempt and allowing the buck to cover her again, with the theory being that the second cover may be more successful as the eggs were stimulated to release by the first cover. Even if the first time was a success, a second breeding may increase the size of the litter.

 

[Miss M]

Fhjmom hit the nail on the head. You can pretty much go, "Hey, I feel like breeding rabbits today," and go do it.

The doe is more likely to be receptive if she looks ready, but that doesn't mean she will refuse the buck if she doesn't look ready.

And breeding is frequently successful with a single breeding. Many breeders never take the doe back, and have no problem. But a second visit may give you a bigger litter. And it may not.

 

[Zass]

Sperm is alive for several days, and is produced in numbers far beyond right the number of eggs any doe can release, right?

The stuff from the first cover is definitely still alive and active when the doe ovulates.

Sometimes, the first ejaculate can mainly have dead sperm... Or so I've heard but not actually seen with my own bucks.


Bigger litters... :shock:

It's a good thing I only ask for one cover! Who needs more then 13 (or 15) kits in a litter?

As for the best time to breed...Yeah, you can generally tell when a doe is ready to breed. They tend to have signs, like chin rubbing, but it's not because they have already begun to ovulate. I'm not really sure what is behind what makes for a good breeding day and what doesn't to a doe. :?

 

[Miss M]

Yes, bucks can become temporarily "heat sterile" when the temps go to far into the 90s. Though what the magic temperature is is up for debate, and it may depend more on how long it stays at that temp than exactly what the temp is. I've read that it can take as many as three coverings to get all the dead sperm out, but I'm not sure how true that is. :shrug:

I'm one of those that pretty much just puts the doe in with the buck and waits to see what happens. If nothing, then I try again in a couple of days.

 

[Knacker]

Maybe it was on this forum where I read it, but it is also a good idea to have some hay or a treat waiting in the does cage for when she returns. This will distract her. Making her eat rather than urinating and flushing out the "swimmers" before the eggs have dropped.

I have never tried this but I am going to the next time I breed my black doe.

 

[Miss M]

If I'm not mistaken, the doe cannot flush out the sperm by urinating immediately. They use two separate routes.

Not positive, but I think this is an old wives tale.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Rabbits are induced ovulators, which means that they release the eggs on stimulation (coitus) from the buck. They do have cycles of receptivity as indicated by the color of the vulva. Dark pink or purple indicates that she has follicles that are ready to burst and release eggs. If she is mounted when follicles aren't ready, none will be released.

During their receptive window, there are "waves" of follicles (each containing an egg) maturing at different rates. if a group of follicles reach a certain size and are ready to rupture, but the doe is not bred, they will regress and never be viable again... follicles, and the eggs within them are "one time use only".

Breeding her to another buck or at another time will not cause release of a secondary "wave" of eggs as some people believe, because they will not yet be mature.

Making her eat rather than urinating and flushing out the "swimmers" before the eggs have dropped.

If I'm not mistaken, the doe cannot flush out the sperm by urinating immediately. They use two separate routes.

:yeahthat: That would be a pretty counterproductive (<--- pun!) reproductive strategy.

The urethra (where urine exits the body) is located much lower in the vagina, whereas the cervix is located further back in the vaginal vault. By design, penises have length appropriate to the species to deposit the sperm as close as possible to the cervix.

 

[Knacker]

If I'm not mistaken, the doe cannot flush out the sperm by urinating immediately. They use two separate routes.

Not positive, but I think this is an old wives tale.

I guess she'll get a cigarette then

Thanks MamaSheepDog *thumbs up*

 

[Dwc77]

I don't smoke but cigarettes are around 6 dollars a pack in iowa! I Whould stick with hay. But maybe a cigar for the buck :cigar: :lol:

 

[Miss M]

:lol:

 

[MoonSpiritMom]

Ok! Thank you for clearing that up!!!

So I'll look for signs in my doe first, then put her with the buck.
I'm hoping to bred in March for April kits.... the weather here is better in April... much less of a chance that I'll have cold kits. although it does rain alot in April... but the rabbit house is nice and dry.

Another Question! What are everyone's stance on breeding more than one doe together... meaning... if i have 2 does.. do i want to breed them both around the same time? or should i wait a few weeks? I'm thinking that if i do breed both, i should breed them closer together to that i can foster kits over if needed.. and increased my survival rate. but then again.. i may end up with everyone surviving just fine and have more kits then i'll know what to do with all at once.

as i have said in other posts.. I have a bank hutch with 4 cages. They aren't huge cages, but would satisfy a doe or buck in each one... and then kits for a short period of time (3-4 weeks I'd figure) So I'm getting a breeding trio (i thought it was just a pair but nope.. a trio!) so each doe will have her own spot, as will the buck.. then an extra cage for weaning.. or for stashing a rabbit while i clean out cages. BUT! until i move my friends large hutch to my house.. that is the extent of my cages. so i have no where to put kits I'm growing out. This will change of course... I would like to make a rabbit tractor cage.. so that I can put my rabbits out on the lawn for some exercise time each day. But for now that's what I've got.

Also... If i have a trio... how many cages should i have extra? eventually I'll need more... to put kits into.. should i be separating bucks and doe kits out? or are they fine together until butcher ready? I see on the youtube videos that most meat producers keep their kits together, based on litter usually.

so many questions... usually the forum or books or something online answers them... but i like getting confirmation from actual people...lol

 

[Knacker]

Yep breed 2 does at the same time (if possible) so you have the option to foster. I'm no expert here but I do believe your best fostering window is in the first 2-3 days.

I just fostered 3 kits over to a doe who kindled 2 mornings earlier.

For every doe cage we have a grow-out cage, and separating does and bucks isn't necessary if you are butchering in that 10-14 week range.

 

[Dwc77]

Another thing to think about is if you are processing your own bunnies 20 or more at a time is a pretty big job! You could butcher a few every few days as well.. Then if you have limited freezer space you may want to stager breedings. I just processed 30 not all the same day and my boss (DW) told me no more :lol: But after giving the does a couple months off for winter it's about time to fire up the old factory again :up: She will be so happy with me :kiss:

 

[imajpm]

Lol oh boy. Sorting out opinions of rabbit care and breeding is like trying to eat spaghetti with a spoon.

I breed mine once. I prefer two fall offs but if the doe only accepts one that's fine. I've had maybe one miss due to a fat doe, plus one miss which coincidentally occurred after an unexpected dog visit during the first week of pregnancy. I expected both does to reabsorb after the dog visit but managed to get one of the two litters.

 

[Zass]

Breeding several does the same day is usually best if you have room. Weaned kits can share growout pens too.
Does accept fosters pretty easily so long as the kits are of similar age and their eyes are still shut. After eyes are open, I've noticed, it's mainly the kits who will refuse a new dam.

If you want to breed rabbits, you are definitely going to need to build some growout pens.

Moving 4-5 week old kits that have been pellet fed into a lawn tractor would be creating a rather massive risk for enteritis deaths.
It's best to introduce fresh foods slowly, or else start them on it with their first nibbles of solid food, and keep them eating it the whole time.

Basically, to minimize enteritis deaths, finish them on whatever they start on.
If possible, never ever ever change feed on 4-5 week old kits.

 

[Rainey]

I know the advice is usually to breed multiple does at once to give the option of fostering. We've never fostered--only had one doe who didn't feed her kits and the other had all the kits of her own we felt she could feed well. For us it works better to stagger breeding so we don't have too many grow outs of the same size at once and so that we don't have too many to process at a time. Everyone has to figure out that balance for themselves. I can see why someone raising to sell as pets or for 4H or whatever would want lots of same age kits. For us, raising for meat, staggering the breedings works out better. Nothing is perfect--either way can work. Hope it goes smoothly for you whatever you decide.

 

[MoonSpiritMom]

The tractor pen would be for the breeding rabbits.... let them stretch their legs and such. The larger hutch that my friend has.. will do fine as a grow out pen.. it's huge. I do know I'll need more cages at some point, in the very near future.

I might stagger at first.. to get used to the idea. I dunno yet.

my bank of hutches was unloaded today! it sat on the back of our truck over night. it may end up that the finishing touches are done next week.. since my husband works all the rest of the week. and I won't have a good chance to get out there and finish things up until the weekend.

Thank you so much for all the great advice and guidance!