List of Articles about Farming and Gardening
Our Other Site has Rabbit Book for Sale

 

 

BREEDING RABBITS

Be sure the male rabbit stays cool in the summer to keep sperm count high.

Does can be bred at 6 or 7 months of age. Bucks are ready at 6-8 months for breeding. Bring the female to the male’s cage. The doe will wag her tail if she wants to mate. The buck falls over after mating is complete. Don’t wait until the doe is a lot older to breed the first time, otherwise she may never get pregnant.

Mating causes the doe to ovulate. So it’s good to re-breed 8 hours after the first time. Fat does have a harder time getting pregnant.

If does loose their entire litter, they can be rebred 5 days later.

Does can be rebred as early as 2 weeks after rabbits are born but it’s better to wait until 6-8 weeks after rabbits are born. Others say rebreed at 4 weeks. If the doe had only a few babies, then rebreeding at 4 weeks is OK. Some say it’s best to rebreed does when they are still nursing. But there should be a week between when the babies are weaned and when the doe gives birth again. Rebreed sooner in the spring and later in the winter. If rebreed right away, the doe can have 6 litters a year.

BIRTH

Does usually give birth 31 days after mating. Give the doe a nest box on the 28th day. Put hay or straw in the nest box. She lines the nest with fur from her chest and stomach.

LITTERS

Does only nurse their litters once or twice a day, and only for about 5 minutes. Litters which are being nursed have bellies at least as large as the rib cage, if not larger. These litters are warm and covered with hair, and the babies seem comfortable. When the litter is not being fed, the abdomens are smaller than the rib cage, the litters may seem the same temperature or cooler than your hand, and are very active when you touch the nest as they know they only have a couple of minutes to nurse. If truly the doe is not nursing, holding her on her back to let the babies find a teat is the most common practice. Bottle feeding baby rabbits carries a 90% mortality and is not recommended.

Chilling or hypothermia is the most common cause of new born babies dying. Be sure the doe has a nest box which is bedded with hay, straw or other soft bedding and she has pulled fur from her body to serve as a blanket. Does often loose their first litters. Having rabbits kindle when the temperature is below 60 degrees requires frequent checking on the does. Heat lamps and nest box warmers can cook a litter so require often checks.

For the next 8 weeks feed the doe all the feed she will eat. Hay and oats are good too.

OLDER BABIES

Baby rabbits will start jumping out of their nest box at 2-3 weeks old. If the weather is warm, you can remove the nest box when 3 weeks old. In most weather you can remove it at 4 weeks. Babies can be weaned at 4-8 weeks. Female babies can be left with the mother as long as you want. You can put all the baby does in one hutch and all the bucks in another. Later bucks will each need their own hutch.