When to give up? Maybe just a rant but i need to voice it.

[joybellfarm]

I bought some mini rex from a good know mini rex breeder that was selling out. I bought 2 Sr does and 1 jr and a jr buck. Well after hearing that she sold her cull first and is just know selling her good stuff. I know this is just rumors. But ive been trying for 3 months to get the 2 does bred 1 did lift and miss the other just tucks herself in a corner. A week ago i sent the does to a friend house she has a heated barn and her bunnies bred thew the winter. And the Jr buck wants to romance them and is not a aggressive breeder. He was born in May so plenty ready to bred. Well the Jr doe was hopefully bred but after a week the 2 older ones did not bred. There coming home today and i think i will try for a week more but im at this point that i believe they will never breed. They come from really good lines so ive kept trying but in at that point to believe she did sell me trash . I dont know why breeders need to do that to new breeders. I spent over $100 for these Rabbits.
I found out that the buck has long guard hairs the Jr doe has white hairs and 1 of the older does under coat has wrong color. The oldest doe is turning 3 the other is turning 2.
I know this winter has been bad but surly moving them would have brought them in.

 

[skysthelimit]

:evil: :evil: :evil: :evil: :angry:

 

[michaels4gardens]

Just my opinnion-- but-- I don't buy any mature anything from anyone, -- I buy just weened rabbits, from nice litters, and raise them myself.
I have heard your story so many times. [and I am sorry that has happened to you], --but sad to say-- that is so typical, -- it is hard to "get in to rabbits" with someone elses "proven culls" -The learning curve is steep enough, without starting with the rabbits they are culling. If you "must" buy an older buck or doe-- make sure it is from a friend you trust, and you are sure of their production, and health statis.

 

[Prisma]

Keep your chin up! Mini Rex aren't as hard as some other breeds, but they are not the easiest either. Doesn't sound promising, HOWEVER, it may not be the case, just keep in mind that cull does not mean junk all the time, it simply means to remove from your breeding/program. I have seen some nicely typed MR not have the fur or have stray white hairs or wrong under color for competition but go on to produce nicer kits. Keep thinking positive. It is very competitive in most areas with MR. What lines are the rabbits out of? Good lines are a nice add and will help (if papers are correct) to guess at what will work with what breeding wise, but it is no guarantee of success.

What are your goals with the Mini Rex? If it is to show, look at spending $40-50.00 per brood and even then they will have issues. No one will sell their absolute best unless they are really selling out for good, and even then price usually represents quality (to a point, but not always). Do you have the ARBA SOP? Have you talked or went to any shows and looked at MR being judged/breeders that do well there? Good show lines can some times be hard to breed, not always but some times. How are you trying to get the does to breed besides what you've listed? True, winter time usually slows things down a bit, but rabbits do not have a heat cycle so can breed at any time if you can get them to lift/do well otherwise. Time to settle in, physical condition good (not too fat not too skinny), etc?

I can certainly relate, I bred 15 does (some new, some not) and not a single one palpates positive I've not had a single weanling in over a year now. I rebred 2 does last night that there is no doubt they aren't breed and just have to hope/watch. I've purchased good rabbits for a good price, but never gotten a better than themselves kit from them either even with what would be considered compatible lines and good chance of improved offspring. Its not the breeder's fault or mine, the rabbits just didn't measure up. If you do decide to scratch them and look again, try to look for a breeder that is doing well in your area (or as far out as you can go) that has similar goals and similar set up (feed type, housing conditions, handling, etc.) to try to get the best results. I've aslo found that buying jr or sr doesn't really matter with show lines, sr being less than 3 years of age for does and 4 for bucks, but that's just my experience. I gamble either way bringing home the doe or buck that I paid $30 or $65 or even $200 for will do well as it isn't the exact same environment and care that he/she was doing well or at least okay in before and there's no guarantee he/she will out do themselves for me when I do breed them.

 

[bobqdevon]

The one we get some rabbits from occasionally doesn't pull any crap. They will show us which litters, and juniors, are available, and let us choose, without guiding to any particular one out of any litter. I get to choose based on what I see and like. And the bucks and does are there, so you can see who made what.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I have gotten screwed from breeders that I thought I could trust and only got really more screwed from them... Since I have gotten bad rabbits from so many breeders now ... I will never give out my culls. .. they go in the freezer first. . It will not do to others that has done to me. ...I will also not sell my best either.. Example.. I have a litter of angora right now that I will not sell.. I am keeping the whole litter.. And I don't sell to many rabbits. if any.

 

[skysthelimit]

I am mad that the rabbits won't work, but consider, if you aren't a top (or seasoned) show breeder, some breeders will not sell you their top (good) show quality/breeding quality rabbits. There are my picks, your picks, then genuine culls, that never leave the barn.
And I know breeders whose culls are better than some peoples tops stuff. There is a particular breeder who sold a GC buck he no longer needed, to him it was a cull, but someone could make use of it, he had the GC sire. I used the buck once, and it pretty much completely changed my program, gave me a shorter, compact Rex in one breeding, which is why I can cull everything else.

If you have a breeder mentor, have them vouch for you. I was fortunate to have a established breeder in all 4 of my breeds, introduce me, so that people took me seriously immediately and were willing to help me get started. It helps that Rex people are so nice!

I've had success with 2-3 year old does, my rabbitry started with a 3 year old doe sold bred with her current litter, big litter of 9-12, then the same experience as Rebel.Rose, the kits didn't measure up. Now I've been working on my Rex for a few years, the same lines, and finally I have what I would consider good show prospects. I sold the parents to make room, they are only 2 years old, and I've spent a lot of time getting them to where they are, they will produce quality kits, but I need room for the new generation. That generation is now my culls, and they are better than what I got, and I know I would be happy if someone sold them to me, so I would think someone would be happy to get them (I already have a home lined up for the last one). I have sold all of my original stock, and almost all the offspring from the past two years. All I have left now are the 3rd and 4th generations. <br /><br /> -- Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:16 am -- <br /><br />

I have gotten screwed from breeders that I thought I could trust and only got really more screwed from them... Since I have gotten bad rabbits from so many breeders now ... I will never give out my culls. .. they go in the freezer first. . It will not do to others that has done to me. ...I will also not sell my best either.. Example.. I have a litter of angora right now that I will not sell.. I am keeping the whole litter.. And I don't sell to many rabbits. if any.

Oh yes double it for the Angoras. The harder the rabbit is to come by the less likely I will sell a good one to someone starting up. Someone asked me for a Rex as a pet the other day. I told her flat out no, I don't sell large rabbits as pets. Second I have spent too much on this breeding program to sell a brood/show rabbit at pet prices, either it is breed/show worthy or it's a cull, I won't have an unworthy rabbit wind up with babies on CL. Besides the amount of Rex breeders is is too far spread out to send breedable rabbits into non breeder homes.

 

[dangerbunny]

Breeding can be very frustrating, when they don't "breed like rabbits" it took me almost a year to have luck with my Hollands, I was on the verge of throwing in the towel. You can try checking the Sr. Does for fat deposits and signs of vent disease, if the young buck is lazy you can try stressing him by a car ride or moving the does cage next to his. Make sure their diet is good and they are getting enough vitamin e.

Good luck!