Breeding

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Making Nest Boxes

Nest boxes should be made to fit the doe. Depending on the size of the rabbits you raise, you should allow enough room for the doe to get in the box without getting on her babies. To know for sure you should build boxes at least 6 inches wider than the back of your doe. Measure across her back and build your boxes accordingly. Boxes should be at least 9 inches deep, so as not to let the babies crawl out to soon. The length of the box should be measured the same way. Measure your doe from head to tail, giving her at least 6 inches. Here, at Simpson's Back Yard Farm, We make the front panel of the box only 6 inches. This allows us to see into the box easier, it also helps us to see the babies when we are checking on them. The problem with this is it allows the babies to climb out at around 2 weeks old. We try to keep the babies in the box at least 3 weeks.

Profitable or not

I have a small rabbitry that consist of twenty five does. I have a herd of geese, and four different breeds of chickens approximately forty five at any given time. Are my rabbits profitable on the schedule I have chosen to breed by? You tell me. We dont have much left, but the rabbitry feeds all my animals and pays for the supplies I need to keep going. To me that means profit , if I only used the money the rabbits made to buy the rabbit food and supplies I would have money to save. Since I let them pay for everything we need for all the farm, guess what I have money to save.

Simpson's Backyard Farm / Rabbitry

Breeding/nests

Keep in mind what works for one dosen't always work for another. Here, at Simpson's back yard farm, we are on a two week schedule.

We are breeding, kindling, weaning, and delivering every two weeks

Housing and breeding

A buck and doe should never be housed together in the same hutch. They are not social creatures and do not share well with others. The buck will claim the doe by spraying her with urine, covering her with his scent. This is almost impossible to clean off. He will also spray everything in the cage, the feeder, the waterer, and his part of the cage. He does this to keep her in her side. The doe will cower away from him, eating less and drinking less, thus causing her to become under nourished and dehydrated.

When they reach breeding age, the fight will be on.

A buck will begin to develope at three months of age, and will be fertile. A doe will also be able to breed at this age.

I can not stress enough, this is to young!!

A doe bred at this age may or may not carry the kits to term. If she does she may not be developed enough to make the milk sufficient enough to raise them. A pregnancy at this age usually ends with the doe aborting. Since she is not fully developed a pregnancy at this age may cause sterility, because of the trauma of delivering kits when she is not developed enough to do so.

That said........Lets move on!

A doe should not be bred before five and a half months old. (preferably six months). When breeding the doe should be carried to the buck. When turned around the doe will fight for her space and be harder to breed.

A first time doe will usually take as soon as you put her in with the buck. If this does not happen, return her daily ,or check her for heat. To check for heat grasp the rabbit by the ears and nape of the neck together turn her over and look at her vaginal area. If she is in heat the area will appear red and swollen. She will take then. After placing the doe in the buck cage never walk away until you see them take at least once. It can happen in an instant.

Here, we let the buck breed three times before returning her to her cage.

A buck has an unmistakeable sign that he has done the job. He will repeatedly mount the doe and try, but that dosen't mean he has achieved his goal. When he has, He will ball up and fall over. If you don't see him do this he has not bred the doe.

After weaning a doe needs to recover at least five days for her milk to subside. There are those who breed even before weaning the kits . I do not recommend this practice! It is really hard on the doe and lessens her life span. It can also cause mastitus. ( an infection in the does breast)

Breeding problems

What other breeders do is their own business! I do not practice or condone force breeding. I have been told this cost me litters. I don't think that I need them so bad that I have to harm my doe's health, and risk losing her earlier than should be. On top, above ,and over the fact that I sell my rabbits for a profit is the plain and simple fact while they are in my care I love them.

I believe that my Father in heaven has designed all animals, human and beast with a built in knowledge when our bodies are not able to perform some things in life. I believe that a doe knows if her body is ready to carry another litter. Maybe if she has nursed a large litter, she has lost a lot of her strength, and needs time to rebuild herself before nursing another litter. I believe she has that instinct built in.

I am not now or will I ever be so greedy that harming my does will matter less than the money I will be making.

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