Rabbit Question

[nao57]

So... I gave up trying to hobby farm rabbits about a year ago. The city said we couldn't keep rabbits, period. They were OK with other animals though; just not with rabbits.

I'm actually OK with it. I don't like how they smell. And it wasn't working for me.

But in the back of my mind I want to know why it didn't work. That part bothered me.

I tried for 6 to 8 months trying to get the rabbits to breed and produce litters of new baby rabbits to raise for meat and to sell. And never ever did any of them get pregnant. This I found puzzling. They had beautiful cages, that were very clean. They had shade from the heat. And they had plenty of water and feed. They always had water access. I tried to keep the cages from getting too hot in summer also, and the overhang on top should have kept them not too hot.. or do you need a second overhang of wood over the top of the cage, to keep that piece cool too?

There was 10 rabbits. 8 were does, and 2 were bucks.

But none of them could ever get pregnant, even with alternating the bucks in.


...

Is there a way someone could somehow make the rabbits infertile before selling them to people like me, so that they could cut out competitors? This was especially something I wanted to ask.

Or are people selling rabbits that are too close to each other genetically to the point of the new ones being sold could be all infertile? (Or could that have been intentional also?)

I probably won't be able to rabbit farm for a bit. But still in the back of my mind, they should have been able to get pregnant. How is it that 100% of the does never got pregnant? In terms of math, there should be a failure rate, but for 100% to fail should be impossible. At worst, it should have been the case that maybe 5 or 6 failed to get pregnant and maybe only 1 or 2 would succeed. But that didn't work either.

 

[FoodFreedomNow]

Hmm...did your rabbit stock come from the same source? Age? And did you actually see the buck successfully breed the does?

 

[cassie]

Could the rabbits have been too fat? If you get rabbits again, I suggest you might buy from a reputable breeder and purchase two junior bucks, a junior doe and a bred senior doe. Most breeders of any kind of livestock offer some sort of guarantee with their animals. The fact that none of the does got pregnant suggests to me it was some sort of a management issue but I have no idea what it could be. If you don't already have it, get Storey's Guide to Raising Rabbits by Bob Bennett. It covers all aspects of raising rabbits and you might find it helpful. He also has a picture of what can best be described as a stealth rabbitry. It is made of lattice and it looks like a greenhouse. Neither the city nor your neighbors can complain about your rabbits if they don't know you have them. If it isn't in that book, it will be in one of the other books he has written. None of the books are expensive and I got mine from amazon. As for breed of rabbit, you might consider Florida Whites. They are smaller than the New Zealand but are blocky and have a good dressing percentage. I was going to put in a small rabbitry and get some Florida Whites meat and to show, but before I did COVID hit and that was the end of that. I now live in a place where I cannot raise rabbits. You mentioned odor. I don't remember my rabbits ever producing much odor. Not enough ventilation? Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[SheaLoner]

Bucks can go sterile in the heat And it can last for months. Some people will castrate bucks for sale as pets with out notifying the buyer. And rabbits caged together can also castrate/damage each other enough to prevent breeding.
I have had does that wouldnt breed, too much internal fat. A strict hay diet with min pellets can help but will take time.
Do you have any pics of the old set up?