The saying “Breed Like Rabbits” is a myth that has been said for many generations. While this IS true in some ways, there are a lot of ways in which it is just not the case! This month in Splitting Hares, we will take a closer look at how to breed quality rabbits, for meat, show, and pets!
To start off, let’s just break the myth that rabbits “Breed Like Rabbits.” This is true in few ways, but false in many more. It is true in that rabbits have a gestation period of only one month, and they can have anywhere from 2-20 babies depending on the breed. Baby bunnies have a high mortality rate though, thats why they have so many kits. Rabbits are also not always very easy to get pregnant. Sometimes it may take 3-4 tries before the rabbit actually gets pregnant.
Before you breed your rabbits, you want to be sure that you know what your rabbit’s strong qualities are, as well as what his/her faults are. You want to pick a rabbit that will help the offspring of your rabbit to be better than the parents. Make sure the rabbits compliment each other's qualities. For instance, Holland Lops are supposed to have short ears and a big head. If a doe has short ears, but she does not have a big wide head, it would be smart to choose a buck that has a big head. Don't use a buck that has a poor head like the doe. Choose instead a buck that has a nice big head, it doesn't matter as much if he has short ears, because she does. Because the doe has nice short ears, and the buck has a big head, they will be more likely to have babies with a good head and short ears.
What to look for depends on the breed. Find a trustworthy breeder that breeds the type of rabbit you have, who is willing to look at your rabbit, and help you to chose a rabbit that will best help to improve your herd’s quality. Try to learn as much as you can about your breed’s type, conformation, etcetera. If you are breeding meat rabbits, breed for the best meat quality, If you are breeding show rabbits, breed for the best show quality, or if you are just breeding for pets, you can try to find a match that has a friendly personality, as personality IS genetic to an extent! When breeding pets, It is better to breed two rabbits of the same breed; otherwise, if a little 4 lb doe is bred to a big 7 lb buck, the doe may die in delivery due to the size of the kits.
Once a rabbit has been picked that will help to improve the quality of your rabbits, it’s time to actually breed them! A few things to remember when breeding are:
To start off, let’s just break the myth that rabbits “Breed Like Rabbits.” This is true in few ways, but false in many more. It is true in that rabbits have a gestation period of only one month, and they can have anywhere from 2-20 babies depending on the breed. Baby bunnies have a high mortality rate though, thats why they have so many kits. Rabbits are also not always very easy to get pregnant. Sometimes it may take 3-4 tries before the rabbit actually gets pregnant.
Before you breed your rabbits, you want to be sure that you know what your rabbit’s strong qualities are, as well as what his/her faults are. You want to pick a rabbit that will help the offspring of your rabbit to be better than the parents. Make sure the rabbits compliment each other's qualities. For instance, Holland Lops are supposed to have short ears and a big head. If a doe has short ears, but she does not have a big wide head, it would be smart to choose a buck that has a big head. Don't use a buck that has a poor head like the doe. Choose instead a buck that has a nice big head, it doesn't matter as much if he has short ears, because she does. Because the doe has nice short ears, and the buck has a big head, they will be more likely to have babies with a good head and short ears.
What to look for depends on the breed. Find a trustworthy breeder that breeds the type of rabbit you have, who is willing to look at your rabbit, and help you to chose a rabbit that will best help to improve your herd’s quality. Try to learn as much as you can about your breed’s type, conformation, etcetera. If you are breeding meat rabbits, breed for the best meat quality, If you are breeding show rabbits, breed for the best show quality, or if you are just breeding for pets, you can try to find a match that has a friendly personality, as personality IS genetic to an extent! When breeding pets, It is better to breed two rabbits of the same breed; otherwise, if a little 4 lb doe is bred to a big 7 lb buck, the doe may die in delivery due to the size of the kits.
Once a rabbit has been picked that will help to improve the quality of your rabbits, it’s time to actually breed them! A few things to remember when breeding are:
- Always take the doe to the buck's cage. Never take the buck to the doe’s cage, or she may become territorial and try to hurt him.
- Once the buck falls off of the doe (sometimes they make it very dramatic, and lay there for a few seconds, grunting), you can remove the doe. Do this several times, at about 15 minute intervals, for 3-4 times. Also try 8 hours later. If at this point, she starts to growl at him, or will not let him breed her, there is a good chance that she is bred.
- ALWAYS write down the date that the doe was bred! It is not fun to wake up one morning to find babies born on the wire, or on the cage floor, because you did not know it was time to put the nesting box in. (You can keep track of breedings on many rabbit pedigree-making programs. Visit www.maplespringsrabbitry.com to see a program that my father and I have developed to do just this!)
- Give the doe a nesting box about 4 days before she is due (around day 27) and supply her with hay to build her nest with.