Several questions about breeding young stock

[bunnychild]

Hi. I thought I would clump all my questions about breeding younger rabbits into one topic. I have Jersey Woolies and plan to breed year round.
1. I have a doe is currently 11 weeks and one day. I want to breed her to a 2 year old buck on October 31st (17 weeks and 5 days). My concern is that he is 4-5 lbs and she will be about 2 lbs. Would he be too big to mount her?
2. I have another doe who is 4 months old. Should I wait for her to get a little older before I bred her? I was thinking of breeding her on September 30th at the latest.
3. I a buck of the same age he dropped his goods. Could he be bred soon? I would like to breed him about November 18th.
4. Lastly I have a buck who is 3 weeks and 2 days. He has also dropped his goods. Could he be bred now or should I wait a little longer? I would like to breed him by September 30th.

Thank you in advance for your help.

 

[Epic]

1 - I think she will be just fine.

2 - I'd wait to breed any of my does till 6 months old personally, I have dutch.

3 - I'd use him! Or atleast try!

4 - He's definitely way too young to be fertile in my opinion.

 

[ckcs]

As for the 4 month old doe, I recently bred a 4 month old doe with a 4 month old buck. They were a Holland Lop Lionhead mix. She had 7 babies but only 2 made it. She was rebred at 4-5 weeks and is expecting her second litter now. I have had first time moms loose all their babies so I don't attribute the loss to her age.

 

[bunnychild]

Sorry guys i just realized i made a big typo . the blue buck is 13 weeks and 2 days. that would probably change it up. :lol:

The black otter doe comes from a line of great mothers and their first litter is usually two kits.

 

[skysthelimit]

At 4 mos he may or may not be too young to be fertile.

Why breed so young?

 

[ladysown]

i breed as soon as they are mature mentally... it varies for the rabbit...some can be bred at 4 months, others at 6. Regardless of the breed of rabbit. Had one that waited until she was 8 months so go figure.

you bred when they are mentally fit to breed.

 

[skysthelimit]

Just wondering what the OP's breeding goals are.
Jersey Woolies, take time to mature into their adult bodies, sometimes up to 8 mos before you really know what you are looking at, body wise, with the head, body depth, sometimes body width and definitely fur texture.
If for pets, it doesn't matter. But for any other reason, I'd let that rabbit grow out more, because it's in what most consider the uglies, not close to a mature looking head or body. I'd want to know what it's really going to bring to the table before I bred it. I have a buck that took a year to get a good senior coat. I don't want him in my lines. Two does are six months and they still have little oval heads like French Angoras, when they should have a bolder, blockier head. Then there is the 12 week olds with adult shaped heads. I want those. Their sister molted out of a 4 inch jr coat to a 2 inch sr coat, and I don't want that.

Or these are things I would need to know before I made my breeding matches, which I could only find out if I let the rabbit mature.

 

[bunnychild]

Just wondering what the OP's breeding goals are.
Jersey Woolies, take time to mature into their adult bodies, sometimes up to 8 mos before you really know what you are looking at, body wise, with the head, body depth, sometimes body width and definitely fur texture.
If for pets, it doesn't matter. But for any other reason, I'd let that rabbit grow out more, because it's in what most consider the uglies, not close to a mature looking head or body. I'd want to know what it's really going to bring to the table before I bred it. I have a buck that took a year to get a good senior coat. I don't want him in my lines. Two does are six months and they still have little oval heads like French Angoras, when they should have a bolder, blockier head. Then there is the 12 week olds with adult shaped heads. I want those. Their sister molted out of a 4 inch jr coat to a 2 inch sr coat, and I don't want that.

I learned that you breed them once they are mature like ladysown said. They don't go into that nasty bad attitude then. I am currently trying to improve their body, being as the wool quality is very nice in my herd. I am hoping that to have older rabbits for my many rabbit season in August-October. my experience with jersey woolies was not that they had slow growth. At four months one should know how the body will be. the oldest doe will be 5 months by the time I breed her, she is mature now but she just came back from a week long show and I wanted her to relax for a week. The other doe will be 4 months when I plan to breed her if she isn't ready then, I will let her mature more.

*I apologize for typos my keyboard is broken and the on screen one isn't very good.

 

[skysthelimit]

Mines never go into a nasty bad attitude just because they aren't bred, and since I show, I don't generally breed any earlier than 8 mos. I don't use breeding to fix temperaments.

At their current age, you may have a general ideal what they body looks like, but senior heads and fur can take some time to mature. Sure they can mature early, but how do you know without letting them make it to sr prime before breeding? Often Jersey Woolies don't have proper heads and senior prime wool at 4 mos.

I'm all for breeding when an animal is ready, but we all know many animals can breed before their bodies are fully mature, and if I'm breeding to sell for show I want to make sure I'm breeding complementary animals, which I can't do if they haven't completely come into their senior selves. Looking at a senior, mature Wooly as an example, do they have the correct sr blocky head, the right senior texture fur? That is maturity for me, not age.

I'm just playing other end of the field, just because everyone seems so hot to breed as soon as ready, and I'm wondering what's the rush?

 

[bunnychild]

I can see where you are coming from.
I call their nasty temper the teenage rage. Of course I also noticed that sr does get grouchy too if it's been a while.

 

[skysthelimit]

Once I started culling for temperament, most of that went away. I had a particular doe, (Rex) that was always moody unless she was bred or nursing. I culled her, and kept her daughter, who is always pushy. I have a kit out of her, and the three are all broken castors (chestnut). The trend is familial.

I have a Jersey Wooly doe, and she just hates me, bred or not, nursing or not. She is the only Jersey that will not allow herself to be handled. There's only one way to fix her...

I bred a 5 mos old a few weeks ago, but I've been working with this line and I can see how she's gonna turn out. And her sole purpose here is to add the shaded gene to the herd. The black buck with the adult head will be bred as soon as I can tell what is adult coat will look like, he's from the dam (the psycho JW) with the kits who took over a year to get an adult coat. He's to replace my herd sire, so if he takes a year to look right, I certainly don't want to spread that gene around my woolies. I'm going to shear him, and if he doesn't grow a proper sr coat by 6 mos, he's gone.

 

[bunnychild]

My rabbits temperaments are usually very sweet except for the occasional breed me temper. Right now I am trying to improve the quality of the rabbit. When I get it to the level I want I will turn towards breeding for temperament.
As the buck doesn't actually raise the litter can we please refocus on the questions I ask. Can a 13 week old buck be bred?
Thank you for the answers on the older buck, and the little doe.

 

[PSFAngoras]

None of my rabbit get mean either if they're not bred. The only shift in temperament I get that indicated readiness to breed is that the doe is usually trying to lift for me, like I'm a buck. It's pretty funny, but I certainly wouldn't tolerate bad behavior from any of my animals. I do get the naughty teen stage, but that is usually just them actin like a little brat for a few weeks, and then its over. No bad attitude, I just get the cold shoulder a lot.

I breed for two things primarily. (Keep in mind I do angoras, but is basically a large, harrier wooly. After all, Woolies were supposed to mini, angora tempered wool rabbits).

1. Wool quality.

2. Good Temperament.

I do choose for conformation as well, but they must have the first two things. No excuses. If the first two don't exist, I don't buy the rabbit. If I had does who got nasty towards me because thy wanted bred, they'd end up in my freezer. I do allow for nasty behavior while the doe is pregnant, and while she has kits in the box, but that is the only time. (And it's worth mentioning that only one of my does from a new line gets mean while she's carrying and has kits, everyone else acts like nothings even changed.) If it doesn't clear up after the kits are weaned, again, freezer. It's just not acceptable in my book, certainly with my angora lines as large as they are.

I'd watch your Woolies closely for temperament. If they are nasty when they want bred, then they might easily think its acceptable to act that way all the time. Woolies were bred to have a mellow temperament, after all. That they get mean even occasionally sends up a red flag in my book.

 

[bunnychild]

By nasty I mean they don't run up to the cage for pets. They stop cuddling with each other through the cages and climb onto my hand trying hump it.
I don't feel a major need to work on temperament because it's not a huge problem, like I have stated before. The teenage rage is strongest in the bucks (mostly because they start getting territorial)

 

[Disney]

I agree with Sky, they need time to mature. I think it's wrong to breed them early as teenagers.

 

[Peach]

What's the rush? If your rabbits are becoming mean from not being bred, I think you are better off culling it out that breeding the problem. What will become of the does that are sold from this litter? Tell the pet owners to breed them so they don't develop a bad temperment?

I never had a doe bite or go crazy from not being bred.I put it off for a while, especially for my show string. I put it off unless I'm using a doe soley as a brood doe. I've never been able to get a litter out any sooner that 6 months. I've tried breeding at 5-5 1/2 and it has never worked. As soon as they turned 6 months, that is when they took.

I think they need time to grow into themselves and to find out the quality you have (if you are breeding for show)

I know rabbits can breed sooner than that, but I wouldn't push my luck. You might be setting her up for disaster, especially for a dwarf breed.

 

[bunnychild]

What's the rush? If your rabbits are becoming mean from not being bred, I think you are better off culling it out that breeding the problem. What will become of the does that are sold from this litter? Tell the pet owners to breed them so they don't develop a bad temperment?

I never had a doe bite or go crazy from not being bred.I put it off for a while, especially for my show string. I put it off unless I'm using a doe soley as a brood doe. I've never been able to get a litter out any sooner that 6 months. I've tried breeding at 5-5 1/2 and it has never worked. As soon as they turned 6 months, that is when they took.

I think they need time to grow into themselves and to find out the quality you have (if you are breeding for show)

I know rabbits can breed sooner than that, but I wouldn't push my luck. You might be setting her up for disaster, especially for a dwarf breed.

I just said that they don't get rabid like, they are just pouty and horny.

I have heard the answer you all have given me one the does. Thank you for your opinions.
Please would you answer my question about the bucks. It would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Peach]

You can try breeding your buck, but only you will know if babies show up in 31 days if he was really ready or not

 

[bunnychild]

You can try breeding your buck, but only you will know if babies show up in 31 days if he was really ready or not

Thank you for the answer.

 

[skysthelimit]

I tried it once, had an older doe I could not breed with anyone else, could not wait for the buck to really mature. He did the deed, but no kits. Guess he wasn't fertile.
At 4 mos he dropped dead. Glad now the breeding didn't take.

I've had buns together up to six mos, with no accidental breeds. They had the equipment but weren't fertile.

Friends 4mos old had an oops litter from her brother. So he was fertile. No real way to know until you get a litter