Summer Breeding

[JT_Hunter]

I have read some comments here about not breeding in the summer. I would like to get some feedback on this. I would like to continue to breed thru the summer if their is no danger to my rabbits.

 

[MaggieJ]

A lot depends on how hot your summers are. I prefer to time things so nobunny is giving birth between mid-June and the end of July. Those six weeks tend to be the hottest here. By August, the nights are usually getting cooler and daytime heat is not quite as hard to handle. Learn to get a feel for the rhythms of your seasons and work with them as much as possible.

 

[BoxerMom]

I agree, much of it is going to depend on the weather patterns of your location. Where I am at, even in the summer it doesn't get very hot so I will allow them to give birth in the summer. Now the winter, I am unsure of.

 

[JT_Hunter]

It gets pretty hot here...has been in the 90's much of June already...I do have a box fan at the end of each rabbit hutch area, but I am still concerned about the health of breeding in summer time..

 

[eco2pia]

I, too, do not have a heat problem in summer--we have maybe 3 90degree days a year. I wonder if you would be able to tell by watching your rabbits if they were being stressed by the heat? Ours seem miserable on hot days, as they are not acclimated to it, I would imagine rabbits more accustomed to the heat might take it better?

 

[akane]

We bred year round since last spring. Had a few misses in the heat from the bucks going sterile. Lost 1 litter of 8 in the winter to freezing because they doe did not build a good enough nest. Other than that we've raised healthy litters in temps from 100F to -30F. We did bring some does inside the week it got -30F but we left 2 out there and we left them all out there through many -10 to -20F nights.

 

[arachyd]

Rabbits definitely will show they are feeling the heat. They'll be reluctant to do anything but lay around and will pant rapidly. If you see a wet muzzle on one of your rabbits and you have not given them anything to cause it (rubbing their face on a frozen water bottle, etc.) you've got a bunny in danger of dying from the heat. A pregnant rabbit is under extra stress and, IMO, must be given ice or some other way to keep cool. I have not lost any to the heat but there have been some close calls. Consider how very good their fur is at insulating them from the cold. That same fur prevents them from losing body heat in the summer too.

 

[Legacy]

It gets hot here. It was 102 today. My very good proven momma had babies in this heat 2 days ago, she didn't pull hair and she had them on the wire. She refused to get in the box until I put all the babies in there and made her stay for about 15 minutes. She lost 4 babies but we still have 5. And this is a prove doe who has done very well at making nests and pulling hair and raising babies in the past. I guess the heat is just too much for her. I didn't mean for her to be having babies in heat this bad but you never really know in Texas how hot it is going to be a month from now. I should have stopped with the last litter but thought I could get one more in before it got too hot. I won't breed again till Sept.

 

[ladysown]

my breeding tends to be done by mid June. My last litters will be born on the 23rd (hopefully). Then I"ll breed again starting in August (usually the middle) with no real push on the does. I find summer heat causes more issues for bunnies than anything else.

 

[ottersatin]

I breed my rabbits year-round:
There is always the risk of a sudden rise of extreme heat,
in that case I have a fan/fans to move the air through the aisle,
never directly on the rabbit. [Drafts can kill]. :bunnyhop:
I have not had many problems but I have trees overhanging the Rabbitry/Barn.
I also will remove some of the fur if I feel that the Doe has been overzealous
in her nest making.
Ottersatin. ldtimer:

 

[JT_Hunter]

Well, it seems that I need to wait until later in the year to start breeding again. I will monitor the temps in the rabbity. It is inside of a tent, and under shade trees, but it has been pretty hot out, and it is only the beginning of the summer. I have 6 yungins that are 8 weeks old now, and 4 more that are just 2 weeks old, so that should feed me thru the summer, as it is only me and the beagle...maybe start breeding again mid August to early September....Thanks everyone...

 

[xlt]

really have to watch out for the zealous nest builder in the heat, as already mentioned. Lost litter of six, because I pulled the fur and soiled hay out the box, put clean hay in, and the doe pulled even more fur... killed the kits.

They don't like the heat, but here in El Paso, the hottest part of the day lasts about 2 hours and then it fairly quickly cools off in the evening. Waiting on my last litter on Sunday, won't be breeding again until Sept (maybe late August, depending on how the rains settle in).