Question on doe productivity.

[michaels4gardens]

And how much is too much when breeding one doe? Will breeding one doe more than 3 times a year have an effect in overall production?

Every rabbit is different,, -so there is no definitive answer to that question

 

[Dood]

In my youth I only bred my ND does 1 to 4 times a year - I fed a mostly hay diet and fresh greens diet in the spring, summer and fall and kept them lean, plus they got plenty of exercise in a 20 x 15 colony pen when I got home from school. Only in winter did I feed a lot of pellets but they were kept outside and used the calories to keep warm and very little went to fat deposits

If if they do get chubby it usually results in them being trickier to get bred or having smaller litters which isnt always a bad thing for pet rabbits but definitely not desirable in my meat rabbits

 

[Zass]

And how much is too much when breeding one doe? Will breeding one doe more than 3 times a year have an effect in overall production?

I can say that GENERALLY, breeding more than 3 times a year will mostly just result in INCREASED production.

You could expect to see one litter more worth of kits, to be exact.

I ask 3-4 litters/ doe /year. I think Dovetuft probably gave me 5 litters last year.

For meat breeding that is usually considered pretty laid back.

 

[WhWRabbitry]

I am currently breeding one of my Mini Lop does every 3 months. My plan initially was 3 x a year/every 4 months however when this doe made it obvious she was wanting to be bred and she looked good and healthy I decided to breed her every 3 months instead. She has done wonderfully so far. She had 5 in her first litter and 6 in her next two. She lost one in her first litter (to be expected, I figure) and in the last two litters all 6 each time have been healthy. She is even fostering an extra two this time around. I'm sure it totally depends on the doe and what toll pregnancy/nursing takes and their overall health. Young does I keep I will likely plan for every 4 months unless they seem ready at 3. I have all my does in an indoor rabbitry (workshop turned rabbitry) so we are able to breed all year round successfully. The planned schedule is breeding in Sept., Dec., Mar., and June. I can't say we've stuck closely to that though!

 

[Easy Ears]

Pulling this thread back up because I'm trying to get a breeding schedule down, maybe 3x a year.

if you don't let your rabbits get fat - breeding every 4 months will work, but-- there is often a drop in production [JMHO] when you go more then 8 or 9 weeks between breedings.

So breeding every 4 months would be ok, or would that be kindling every 4 months?
Because I bred my doe after four months so she was due to have kits on the fifth month but missed, so breeding her again right away babies would arrive on the sixish month....breeding wouldn't matter right? Having kits is what cuts down on the fat right?
So she'd have to have kits every 4 months, so should I breed on the 3rd month?

 

[Ramjet]

For me , the weather limits my breeding since I wont breed at all after April (kits in May) and remain shut down until September (kits in October) due to the heat .... It just stays so darn hot , I cant ask them to carry / kindle in this Texas heat.

I haven't noticed much difference in those litters born in October after the down time vs those subsequent litters .... each doe tends to remain relatively consistent litter to litter , within 1 kit plus or minus , even if they are just a little plump.

The only time I have trouble getting them pregnant is early in that September breeding period when my bucks are recovering from heat sterility. Someone turn on the AC ....


@ Susie570 - I do like to time a litter or two to be weaned right at Easter .... those sales have covered my feed expenses for the entire year the last two years. Not that hard to do with such a small operation as mine with only 11 holes including grow out pens.

 

[Easy Ears]

Since I have school, I like to squeeze in a litter in the summer. (My summer is June-August)
So if I bred on January (kits in Feb) then on May (Kits in June) then try in August (kits in Sept.) or maybe on sept. kits in oct....that may be better, how long does it usually take for bucks to gain their fertility back after the heat (if it) sterilizes them?

 

[EnglishSpot]

I recall a thread on here saying 41-60 days for the cell count to recover from heat sterility. However, some folks have the stud doing his duty often during this time period since it cleans out the non-viable sperm and forces production of new sperm more quickly.

 

[Easy Ears]

Thanks!