I have 2 does and a buck. One doe is older, I'm not sure exactly how old, but she raised babies before I got her. The other doe and the buck are about 6 months old. I've been putting the buck in with each doe every 10 days for several months. The younger doe did get pregnant once, but I missed it and she delivered 1 baby on the cage floor, so I know the buck is good. I don't think they're too fat. Of course, it's been awfully hot. What could be the problem?

-- Lynne (boodad@us.inter.net), August 26, 2001

Answers

Well, the buck and younger doe are a little young yet. I don't start breeding my rabbits until they are about 9 months old. If you're free feeding them, they could be overweight and not breeding properly as well.

-- Cheryl in KS (cherylmccoy@rocketmail.com), August 26, 2001.

Lynne, when I raised rabbits, I always put the doe in the buck's cage. Rabbits are very territorial, and that affects the breeding. Each doe needs her own cage, otherwise they will fight and fight, and no babies. Do you have a mineral block in the cages? That helps too. My problem was just the opposite of yours, LOL.

-- Judy in IN (whileaway3@cs.com), August 27, 2001.

I had trouble with mine not breeding well in the heat of the Texas summers, so I think the heat might be part of the problem, too. Is it starting to let up?

-- mary (marylgarcia@aol.com), August 27, 2001.

I don't know much about rabbits , but is it possible you are putting them together on the wrong dates ? What about putting them togeter every day for an hour or so ? Are you sure they are in heat when they are together ? .They should not be fat or to thin , should be wormed and on a good quality food with hay and salt available .Good luck .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 27, 2001.

I remember several issues back of countryside where these people built one large pen and kept several does in it. Then they would let a buck run in their with them for 10 days or so and would eventually have all the does bred. The does would turn out to be good mothers. They would each have their own nest in this big pen and would steal babies from other does and put in their own nest. They all helped raised all the baby bunnies.

I have been wanting to try this cause a few years ago when I was working a lot of hours I was having the same problem. I would only have a few minutes in the morning to try to breed the does with the bucks and I wasn't having any success either. I was just figuring that I probably wasn't putting the doe with the buck at the right time of her estrous.

-- Russell Hays (rhays@sstelco.com), August 27, 2001.

Russel, you should know that it is common for Does to kill other Does' babies and her own too if she is upset about defending her young and her territory, and to fight the other Does. That is why each Doe usually is kept in her own area. some breeds are more layed back than others but if a person is serious about raising bunnies it is a bit more sucessful to keep each of the Does seperate, and to keep that area quiet and as free from stress as possible. :)

-- Little Quacker (carouselxing@juno.com), August 27, 2001.

Bucks go sterile when the temps. rise above 85 degrees. This is temporary and they will become virile again when it gets cooler. You could try breeding later in the evening when it is cooler.

Lean your does some. For the larger breeds no more then 1 cup of pellets a day for the smaller breeds it is 1/2 cup. Also provide some sort of roughage (hay, oats, straw, etc.). Fat does will not come into estrus.

If you turn your doe over and her vulva is red she is in estrus, if it is pale pink she is not. Then there are all the colors in between. Do not be surprised if your doe plays a reverse role and mounts the male, this means she really needs to be breed.

Another trick used to bring a doe into estrus is placing her in a cage between 2 males. Make sure one of the males is the one she is to be breed with.

Does that have not been breed take some coaxing :) sometimes you can slide you hand under the doe and lift her hind quarters up slightly to assist the buck.

Place the doe in with the buck, it shouldn't take but 10 minutes for the deed to be done, while you are waiting and she is out of her cage, it is a great time to clean it out, wash it down, remove any fur, replace the board is she has one, and just do some general maintenance. Remember she is going to have babies! Some people leave the buck and doe together for an hour some take the doe out after 15 minutes and then place her back in again later on in the day. Some leave them in overnight. That really depends on the rabbits and how they interact.

If you are not sure if the doe took, place her back in with the male in about 10 days. She is either interested or not. You can always palpate at 15 days, but unless you know what you are feeling for you can do more harm then good, and since you have the doe in your hand, it is just as easy to stick her back in with the buck. While she is out of her cage again :) time to look at the nesting box making sure it is clean and ready for those new babies.

What ever breeding cycle you have your does on that is what they will get accustomed to. In other words, if you breed back every 45 days then they will breed back every 45 days. If you breed every 6 months then they will breed back every 6 motnhs. This does not apply to every doe but usually seems to work out this way.

-- westbrook (westbrook_farms@yahoo.com), August 27, 2001.

It's been too stinking hot for the bucks to be potent. It takes about a month once the highs go below 80 for the bucks to be reliably fertile again. Wait til mid October or so to breed and put everyone on a diet for the meantime. You don't want the does skinny, but not rolypoly either, but trim and pretty.

As said before, take the doe to the buck. If she's ready the job will be done almost before you get the cage door closed. I have seen where a breeder made a pen of chicken wire and 2 x 2s about four foot high and four foot square, put a buck and two does in it out on the grass and let the three be for a couple of hours while she sat nearby doing something else -- got the breeding done, exercise for the rabbits and a few treats for the rabbits -- couple of nice litters, too.

Tired of heat and humidity,

Sara in IN

-- Sara (urthmomma@aol.com), August 27, 2001.

Little Quacker, it is called "colony raised rabbits". I haven't been able to find just which issue had the article in it, except I did find a small mention about it in another issue of countryside. These rabbits are raised on the ground in a large colony (how big I don't know). But the issue did state that the does still have their very own territories inside this colony. I remember something about inside the colony was kept 2 bucks in their own pen which they would let one loose when time to breed all the does.

Maybe somebody can help us out and recall just which issue of countryside it is in.

-- Russell Hays (rhays@sstelco.com), August 29, 2001.

What is this business about rabbits "coming into estrus" and "at the right time"? My books say that rabbits ovulate after the stimulation of breeding--that there is no regular estrus cycle, so long as the doe is in good physical condition she should breed any time. Educate me, please.

-- Jimmy Slavic (Macrocarpus@gbronline.,com), February 09, 2002.