Should I breed again this year?

[CanucksStar#17]

I live in British Columbia Canada where the winter gets pretty cold. I don't remember breeding this late in the year, but wouldn't mind having more rabbits for the freezer. Does anyone live in Canada or somewhere where it gets cold early in the year? Do you guys breed after September? I wasn't going to breed again because I didn't want to breed my only female again (she was the only one I had because my other two had to be put down because they got paralysed) but after figuring some things out I remembered that a neighbour had given me a rabbit back in the spring and she would now be old enough to breed. So I am able to breed I just don't know if I should our not. Would you guys breed your rabbits this late? Does anyone bred all winter? If anyone does how do you keep the babies alive?
This is only going to be the second winter I have owned rabbits (well third but I'm not counting the first year because all my rabbits where to young to breed the first year) and I can't for the life of me remember if I bred rabbits this late or not :?

 

[3mina]

I'm a bit east of you in Alberta *waves* and it kind of depends on how you've got your rabbitry set up. My herd is outdoors year round and without supplemental light, which is actually more important than temperature. So I generally don't breed after the end of August/mid September because my does tend not to catch. My mortality rate is much higher as the light fails too.

 

[CanucksStar#17]

My rabbits live under our back porch not really sheltered from the cold or the wind. Sometimes we also get snow under the porch right beside the rabbits. I was going to put plywood up to shelter them from the wind but I don't know if I will be able to get it done in time also plywood is quite expensive and it would only be for the winter time because it would get too hot in the summer. My brother who owned the rabbits before me said he bred all year round the one year but a lot of the babies didn't survive. That's what I'm worried about, my does get pregnant really easy but when they have their babies if it is to cold then the babies won't live.

 

[Ramjet]

My rabbits live under our back porch not really sheltered from the cold or the wind. Sometimes we also get snow under the porch right beside the rabbits. I was going to put plywood up to shelter them from the wind but I don't know if I will be able to get it done in time also plywood is quite expensive and it would only be for the winter time because it would get too hot in the summer. My brother who owned the rabbits before me said he bred all year round the one year but a lot of the babies didn't survive. That's what I'm worried about, my does get pregnant really easy but when they have their babies if it is to cold then the babies won't live.

You can always bring the nest box & babies inside only putting them out for momma to feed them then bring them back in until they are mature enough to deal with the weather which shouldn't be more than a couple weeks.

 

[CanucksStar#17]

That is a good idea Ramjet! But how will I know when she is supposed to feed them? I read somewhere that they only feed them twice a day, I'm not sure if that is true or not, but I want them to be fed the right amount. Also I think the biggest problem is when she has the babies. Since she will be a first time Mom I don't know how good of a mom she will be. With my other two females I knew both of them really well, one of them I didn't have to worry about her or her babies, but her sister wasn't such a great mom but I knew she always had her babies in the evening, between 5:00 and 10:00. But I have no clue about this rabbit!!! I don't think it would be possible to bring her inside until she has had her babies, plus I don't know how much she would like that. I really don't know.... maybe I should just try it out see what happens.

 

[Brus]

I am in Alberta as well.

Next week i am going to be finished my "Rabbit Shed" it is just a 3 sided open shed with a tarp across the front for the hutches to live in, i am planning on breeding all winter and supplementing light up to 12-16 hours per day.

I am thinking that the shed should allow in natural light, and provide a bit of additional shelter from wind and snow, add to that lots of straw in the hutches and everybunny should be cozy.

My doe has a liter right now, and by the time they are weaned my second doe will be breeding age, so i plan to breed her and see what i get!!

I'll keep everyone updated on my success, and failures :lol: