too old for first time breeding at a yr?

[gardenbunny]

first off i only ever post the dumbest questions so i apologize in advance if this is really dumb, basically my question is, will breeding a doe later make her a bad momma?

i have a doe that needs to be retired, shes been killing kits digging out of her hutch ect, i decided to keep her best looking doe to breed, she was born apr 1st. i was trying to wait for her to be 5 months old to breed her but something came up and we have to go to europe in 9 weeks, which doesn't give me alot of time to breed her. i am trying to keep the rabbit count low for my friend who's rabbit sitting but if i don't breed her now and breeed her next spring will it make her a bad mom because she'll be used to being a non-momma rabbit? is it better to breed too young or too old?

 

[Miss M]

Not a dumb question at all.

Breeding a doe later will not make her a bad mama.

Many members have found that breeding does young (even 4 months... sometimes even a little younger) frequently makes for better mothers -- bigger litters, better mothering, etc. This doesn't mean that breeding for the first time older, even at a year or more, will make for a bad mother.

It's up to you to weigh breeding her now and having your friend bunny-sit the litter as well, and how long you're going to be away, and waiting to breed later. There's no right or wrong answer.

 

[Zass]

I tend to think breeding younger is better, but my velveteen lop doe, Mucky, was a perfect mother started very close to a year old.

I really believe that starting them later is more of an internal fat issue than anything else. Younger rabbits are just a lot less likely to have the fat buildup around their ovaries that we tend to see in unbred older does..

 

[MamaSheepdog]

How long will you be in Europe? Could you breed her as soon as you get back?

As long as there is plenty of fur in the nest the kits should do just fine in cold weather.

 

[Zinnia]

I agree. You could breed her for winter babies. My cold weather litters grow faster than my warm weather litters. My only advice is to have a nice baby-kicker lip on the nest box so you won't have trouble with kits accidentally getting a ride out of the nest box (attached to the nipple) and into the cold air.

 

[gardenbunny]

thank you so much for the advice everyone!!
I think I will try to breed her either before or after leaving for Europe, I had problems waiting too long(3 yrs old) and the doe not being able to give birth due to fat build up, but its nice to know if I do have to wait till spring she probably will be okay. I live in southwestern Ontario, I kicked around the idea of bringing her into my basement for the winter to have babies. last yr I bred them in march thinking april would be nice but it snowed the day they gave birth hah and all those babies survived. does anyone have experience with letting a male and female spend the winter together I have one hutch I call the king hutch with heated water dish and built in nest box.

 

[HansenHomestead]

Sorry to just butt into this thread, but I have a question, lol.

I have 4 Cals (2 does, 2 bucks,) and 2 cross does.

At what age can you successfully breed your buns?

Everyone that I had asked, said DO NOT BREED until they are 6-8 months old.

 

[gardenbunny]

Sorry to just butt into this thread, but I have a question, lol.

I have 4 Cals (2 does, 2 bucks,) and 2 cross does.

At what age can you successfully breed your buns?

Everyone that I had asked, said DO NOT BREED until they are 6-8 months old.

I was always told 5 months but now i'm hearing a lot of 4 months if they look ready

 

[Zass]

Here is a recent thread on when to breed answer most questions : when-to-breed-a-doe-t24147.html

 

[GBov]

I have had good success with a 5 year old doe being a first time mother and bad success with a 4 month old mother so I have learned to just go for it and see how she does. :lol:

Mostly though my younger does do better on their first go while my older does usually need a try or three to "get it right".

I routinely have does and bucks live together but it not only takes LOTS of space but it also takes a VERY mellow pair of rabbits. And, with a healthy pair of bunnies, you will get babies every 4 weeks until the doe calls a halt to breeding. There is also a bit of a risk of the new kits being trampled by the buck trying to breed the doe as soon as the kids are born.