what determines number of kits in a litter?

[Rainey]

After starting off with a doe that had 8 every time, I've been surprised by the varying sizes of the litters of my replacement does. Hope some of you can help me understand the factors that affect the number in each litter.
Here are some things I've read--don't know which are myths and which are true:
Smaller breeds have fewer kits per litter
Overweight does may not get pregnant or may have one or two very large kits
Rebreeding a few hours or a day after a successful breeding may increase litter size
When does are very ready (dark red or purple vent) when bred, litters are apt to be bigger.

And then I wonder--
Is litter size apt to be similar from mother to daughter?
Is it generally consistent for a given doe?
Is it affected by how frequently the doe is bred? by the season in which they're bred?
Do most does usually kindle a number of kits they are able to raise?

 

[akane]

Litter size is partially genetic. Breeding for a certain size litter will carry through and eventually be similar in all your rabbits. Rabbits tend to have about the same size litter every time. Some find it helps to do a second round of breeding hours or whatever later but I haven't noticed a difference. Unless I only get 1 cover the first time I don't put them back together again and I still have gotten large and consistent litters. Mine have not varied through the year except buck sterility. The meat does that I bred back to back a lot did not reduce the size of their litters. Some does can't take care of all their kits. I had a champagne doe that if she gave birth to over 5 only 5 ever lived and fostering more to her did not work either. She never raised more than 5. Some people cull kits in litters over 8 to avoid wasting energy on weaker kits that might not even make it. Occasionally you get that doe that just raises everything she can possibly pop out.

 

[Zass]

The thing with genetic traits is that there is dominance and recessive patterns in invisible traits just like with the visible color genes.

So things can skip generations or be covered up by dominant genes...or be lost from the lines entirely if breeding to the wrong animals...etc..

 

[Rainey]

The thing with genetic traits is that there is dominance and recessive patterns in invisible traits just like with the visible color genes.

So things can skip generations or be covered up by dominant genes...or be lost from the lines entirely if breeding to the wrong animals...etc..

Ok, so I knew there'd be lots of variables. But for a given doe, breeding to the same buck, if she had 6 her first litter and 13 her second, what would expect when you bred her the third time? And would having really small or really big litters be a reason for you to not continue to breed that rabbit--or to use her offspring for breeding? Is there a number of kits per litter you're hoping/aiming for in your rabbitry? Maybe it would be different depending on what you raise rabbits for.

 

[Preitler]

I would expect something around this maximum, if she is in good condition. But you never know...

I would be happy with 6 kits twice a year of each doe since I really don't eat that much meat, one doe does almost exactly that 6-5-6-6, the other has more: 5-7-9-8-11-2. Last litter was accidentially sired at the day of birth of the previous one - so not optimal condition, I would think. From the 11 actually 9 made it.