Rabbits - Raising Small Animals - page 18

You will want to keep two bucks for every ten to 20 does. If you have less than ten does, it is
also wise to keep two bucks in case one buck fails to inseminate the does. Good bucks will
have a productive mating life of two to four years. Bucks will molt (shed part of the fur coat)
once a year for about a month and may not breed during this time. The productive reproduc-
tion schedule of a doe is two to three years. Do not breed closely related bucks and does such
as siblings or half-siblings as inbreeding will increase the chance of genetic defects. When
you obtain rabbits, you should make sure you know whether your rabbits are closely related to
each other. If they are purebred or pedigree rabbits, they should come with paperwork that
shows their parentage.
When to breed
The doe always should be brought to the buck's cage for mating; otherwise, she may fight
him. When the mating is over, the doe should be removed from the buck's cage and returned
to her cage. You will know the mating has been completed when the buck falls away to the
side from the doe. If you do not see this motion, take the doe out of the pen and place her with
another buck. The doe will ovulate about 12 hours after this first mating. The doe can be
taken back for a second mating with the same buck at this time to help conception rates. If the
doe tries to fight the buck, take her out right away and wait a few days before trying to mate
her again. Once in while, you will encounter a female that is showing all the signs of being
ready to mate but will not allow the buck to mate her. This doe will need to be restrained so
the buck can mount her. However, this trait can be inherited, so it is best to get rid of these
does so this trait is not passed on to her female progeny.
If you are breeding the rabbits for commercial meat production, a good breeding program to
follow is to breed the does 42 days after kindling (giving birth). This will let each doe pro-
duce five litters a year. With an average litter size of eight kits (newborn rabbits), this means
each doe will produce 40 young rabbits each year. Keep records for each doe and buck during
the breeding, including the pairs mated, date, and number of young kindled and weaned. This
will help you keep track of productivity of each animal, and help you decide which rabbits to
cull (get rid off) according to poor performance — fewer than seven young kindled per doe or
if bucks fail to service the does — or you can keep the young of those breeding pairs who per-
form exceptionally well.
Nest boxes