Show doe, how late to wait to breed?

[skysthelimit]

I have a nice rex chin who is just 6 mos. She is good for the table. The problem is, I won't be able to go to a show until April 7th. By then she will be nine months. I've been told that after a certain age it's very hard to get a doe to conceive. This is so different than dogs, which have a show career that last years before they need to be bred, and they can show after they whelp. I guess rabbits aren't shown after they kindle a litter? I don't want to jeopardize her reproductive health in any way. No show wins matter if she can't conceive.

 

[SatinsRule]

It's a crossroads which every showroom breeder comes to, and yes most does will reach a certain age when they won't breed any longer. If you're intent upon showing her in April, I'd intro her to the buck about 10 days out.

 

[5dognightfarm]

I agree. Breed her 10 days before the show.

 

[ladysown]

you can show rabbits after they kindle a litter...as long as they are in condition why not?

 

[SatinsRule]

you can show rabbits after they kindle a litter...as long as they are in condition why not?

With most rabbits, you simply cannot do this. They lose so much of their body condition after having their litters, and with a doe, it's normally not coming back after they've raised a litter.

 

[currituckbun]

Wow happens to the best of us.

 

[curlysue]

Few breeds can still show after a litter We waited till my daughters dwarf doe was nine months we never could get her bred.I kept her sister.

 

[ladysown]

But I have seen many senior does show...and many of them have kindled a litter. If they lose that much condition after kindling then what are you feeding them? Seriously... I would have to ask what am I doing wrong if my does can't bounce back after doing a very natural to rabbits thing?

My rabbits lose some condition when they kindle, but not so much that they can't bounce back. Even when I follow a five week breed back, by the time the does kindle again they are in great shape... and that's just four weeks.

 

[akane]

My rabbits look the same when they kindle except to maybe lose some round belly from kits and have a little bit of a line from milk hanging down if they are feeding a lot. Within 2 weeks that's gone and the ones that have been breeding near constant for 2 years look no different than when I got them. I've heard of tons of people showing does after litters with the only concern being getting their coat back after pulling it for litters. It's posted all over the internet and mentioned across the show room that someone is waiting for such and such doe to molt after a litter or "she's normally got a better coat but she had a litter 10weeks ago so she didn't place as well as usual today".

 

[5dognightfarm]

you can show rabbits after they kindle a litter...as long as they are in condition why not?

They get squishy.

In some breeds it isn't as noticeable. In Harlequins, no one ever really seemed to notice, so I showed mama rabbits all the time. A Checkered Giant, though, looks like a saggy mess and doesn't really tighten back up to be worth showing.

 

[akane]

Maybe with the arch breeds it is an issue but I wouldn't think so with rex. You can hardly tell they are pregnant or have kindled half the time even when handling them daily. They just remain solid muscle. Mini rex are usually the ones I see being shown during and after pregnancy.

 

[SMR]

I think a great deal has to do with some lines too...I've seen lines in Mini Rex that looked good after kids, others eh no more show careers.

 

[skysthelimit]

I have noticed that I could hardly tell if Scream was pregnant, and I could hardly tell she had kits when I picked them up at six weeks. I was in doubt until the 29 day, when I thought I felt kits. I have another doe bred and I'm not sure if she's having kits, can't feel a thing and she won't let me handle her. I would rather not show her if it means she might not breed later on. I would rather risk breeding her and not being able to show her, and if there is any chance at all, showing her after the first litter.

 

[PulpFaction]

Yes, in general the does are just a lot looser in flesh/skin, some of them seem longer. My Thriantas ar 3.5-4 lb rabbits that regularly throw litters of 7-8. After carrying and feeding those litters...well, even though I can get them back in coat and good flesh condition, it's just not the same. They can't compete with virgin does, younger rabbits, or bucks.

 

[akane]

I've picked up Amako the day before and the day after having a litter of 8 I couldn't tell the difference. She just mysteriously pops out offspring and feeds them from hidden milk. Tsuya is a little more obvious but Tsuya is a little chubby too so she looks quite round when carrying larger litters or heavy with milk. Twix you couldn't tell except her problem was that she'd pull her fur like a maniac and within 2 litters be practically bald so it took a year to grow her coat back to normal. I warned the buyer who went ahead and let her sit for a year and then took her to shows and has been doing fairly well with her after the 3 litters I got out of her. The champagnes I can't tell. I've questioned whether the mini rex or champagnes had milk many times because their bellies were solid only to have them feed large litters just fine. The checkered giants are obvious. They go from full bodied with a round belly back to an arch with a hanging, jiggly, milk belly but I haven't paid attention to whether they flatten back out again if not rebred because they've only been breeding for a few months. None of my commercial type breeds seem to be any different though.

 

[PulpFaction]

I'm eager to see how my cal Satin holds up after a litter. He dam took a BOB after weaning a litter of 13... The Satin as a whole is just a lot more resilient—the Thriantas aren't there yet and they may never be since it's such a constant battle to maintain the color.