Rebreeding question

[ColdBrook]

My NZW doe, Ella, had 8 kits a week ago. I lost one of them today but the other 7 seem very healthy. I'm looking ahead to rebreeding her and am wondering if I should wait till Spring to do so, when my other doe, a FG, will be of age to breed also, or should I breed once more before then? I'm reading conflicting information on how often to breed. Ella is a little over a year old and this is her second litter. Both times she birthed 8 kits and didn't lose a single one from her first litter so she's a great mama. We would definitely use the meat if we had another litter but I don't want to wear her out.

I just know that I don't want my FG girl, Gretta, to not have another mama ready should she not prove to be the good mama Ella is with her first breeding in the Spring and I might need to foster kits. Well, if I can even do that if Ella is going to have 8 every time? Doesn't a doe only have 8 nipples and is unlikely to be able to care for more than 8 kits or is that not true? I've been reading till my "eyebulbs" as my toddler calls them, are burned out, but still feel like I have so much more to learn!

So, I know there is a worry over rebreeding too often and wearing the doe out, but how seldom is it okay to NOT breed and still keep your doe in good breeding condition? What's your minimum number of breedings per year? Sorry if these are "dumb questions" but I want to minimize my mistakes so I have healthy rabbits. We're not a rabbitry, just a small homestead, raising them as a sustainable way to feed the family.

 

[akane]

You are reading conflicting info because every answer is the correct one. It depends what you are doing with them, what you expect from them, what you want to breed towards, and what your rabbits can handle. You'll have people who breed twice a year and people who breed back to back nonstop except when weather like heat sterility or cold stops them. Then you'll get everything in between and every way can produce healthy does if they are chosen correctly, cared for right, and bred to your needs.

You will get easier and better litters the more often you breed. The longer a doe goes unbred the less in the mood she tends to be and the more fat builds up around the internal tissue because she is not using it to make kits. There are many does though that aren't bred for 2 or 3 years until they are done showing. I've bought a few of those and bred them for the first time and gotten a few litters out of them with minimal trouble.

 

[skysthelimit]

You are reading conflicting info because every answer is the correct one. It depends what you are doing with them, what you expect from them, what you want to breed towards, and what your rabbits can handle. You'll have people who breed twice a year and people who breed back to back nonstop except when weather like heat sterility or cold stops them. Then you'll get everything in between and every way can produce healthy does if they are chosen correctly, cared for right, and bred to your needs.

You will get easier and better litters the more often you breed. The longer a doe goes unbred the less in the mood she tends to be and the more fat builds up around the internal tissue because she is not using it to make kits. There are many does though that aren't bred for 2 or 3 years until they are done showing. I've bought a few of those and bred them for the first time and gotten a few litters out of them with minimal trouble.

I totally agree. There are so many ways to do it, depending on what your does can handle.

I have had the opposite experience though with does. I have not been able to get anything over a year old to breed and have a successful litter in hollands and mini rexes. I have never let the Rexes go past 8 mos without breeding.

 

[mystang89]

If it were me and I were confident in taking the proper measures to ensure the success of the kits during the winter, I.E: making sure they don't freeze to death, I would go ahead and mate Ella again now, assuming you've weaned her kits, since she is a proven mommy. She will be ready by the time spring comes and then you'll still have a surrogate for Gretta when the time comes to breed her.
JUST MY OPINION though!
P.S I'm normally wrong =D
EDIT: Forgot your other questions. I'm in the same boat as you and many people on this forum. I'm just a homesteader and not a rabbitry who is trying to feed his family and make a small amount of money back from the cost of feeding rabbits. I plan to mate mine 1 weekish, (give or take a couple of days,) after the kits are weaned. So however many times a year that ='s out to be. Good luck and the main thing is to do what you are confortable with since you're the one who takes care of everything. If I was only comfortable with 2 litters a year there wouldn't be a thing anyone on this forum could tell me that would make me have more.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

The condition of the doe is how I base my decision on when to breed her. Feel her spine; spiky= too thin, gently rounded bumps= just right, can't feel the vertebrae= too fat.

 

[AnnClaire]

I generally breed back about a week after kindling, weaning the kits by the end of 3rd week (sometimes it goes into the middle of the 4th week) so the doe has some time off from nursing ... and you will find the does very receptive to breeding at that time.

If you are breeding for meat, realize that it will be some time before the current kits are large enough for butchering ... depending on the breed, anywhere from 8 weeks to 16 weeks. And, a rule of thumb is that kits gain more weight faster on pellets/hay rather than mother's milk.

So, you have one litter, then another 40 days +/- younger than that, then another ... you will need at least 2 grow out pens large enough to seperate does from bucks by 8 weeks and house all the kits. Say 8 kits/litter x 3 litters = 24 kits and say half are bucks, so a growout pen large enough to house 12 growing kits for both sexes, or enough growout pens with only 4 per pen.

The next consideration is how much rabbit are you planning to add to your diet? One meal per week? 3 meals per week? How many are you feeding each meal ... in my house it is 3 adults and I generally roast one rabbit per month, fry one per month, bake one in a casserole once per month, make one in bunny alfredo, and one in bunny noodle soup 2x per month And don't forget crockpot rabbit and rabbit pot pie LOL

So, once you have an idea of how much rabbit you will be including in your diet, breed away

Then, who is going to be doing the dispatching and butchering? How are you going to put up the meat? Do you have enough refrigerator space to age the meat or will you pack and freeze immediately? Do you have enough freezer space for that much packaged meat? How are you going to break down the carcassas? For example, I butcher, then rest in the fridge for 4-7 days (bagged in ziplocks, setting in a large bowl), then boil at least one for canning soup starter, break down several into leg quarters for frying, front legs for the casserole, and loins for the bunny alfredo. I also debone several for pot pies and other recipes to try

Most of the meat I am wrapping in freezer paper for freezing, but will be getting another vacuume sealer soon which will work for the deboned meat. And, if I wanted, I could use the canned meat for the pot pies, just have to remember to pack more meat into the jar, and then can up the leftover stock seperately.

Rabbit meat and stock can be used as a substitute in any recipe calling for chicken and/or chicken stock/broth.