Pictures of Nest Tunnels in Colony

[MaggieJ]

Do you have a problem with the buck continuously trying to rebreed the doe while she is pregnant?

Not really. Bucks in colonies soon learn that the doe controls mating. I've seen Pudge try to mount Alice many times and she just takes a couple of little hops out of the way. They spend a lot of times lying side by side and just being companionable.

Jasper, Pudge's father, was more of a problem. We didn't have a problem during the does' pregnancies, but he was relentless when a doe was kindling. We had a couple litters scattered that way before I caught him in the act and realized what was happening. That's when we put the partition in and let him commute between the two pens.

 

[ollitos]

I would be so anxious about unwanted second pregnancies while the doe was already pregnant.

 

[MaggieJ]

I was concerned about this at first too, but it hasn't happened here yet and the colony is almost two years old. Bucks in colonies seem to quickly adopt a more family-oriented attitude. It really is a community. Bucks are often very good with the kits once they emerge from the nest. They court the does and when the doe is ready she will allow him to mate. Most pregnant does are not very interested in mating.

Edited to add:
One benefit of a colony in our colder climate is that the rabbits will snuggle for warmth. We were able to let the rabbits breed through the winter and the kits, in the back of the nest tunnels with plenty of warm bodies, did very well without supplementary heating. In cages, I did not try breeding the rabbits from late November to March.

Colonies do require monitoring, however, because there are more variables and interactions. You need to be able to interpret the behaviours that you see and react to them promptly if need be.