Well....
I put my buck in my does pen 2 weeks ago & never took him back out.
Why?
I just haven't had any problems. He's not forcing himself on the girls at all, he just hops about. He might have a very wary, slow & careful attempt at mounting a doe, but she just hops off & he sits there & doesn't chase her. He actually seems much happier in with the girls, since they mainly all sleep, eat & play together.
Of course he's mated the 2 older girls & hopefully they are now pregnant. He tries with his sister, but she won't accept him as a mate, although she is old enough to breed, she has never let him mount her. Maybe when she's older, she'll change her mind, but until then.... we'll see.
As it stands, its all been very peaceful out there. The rabbit pen is in constant view from the window & the rabbits are grooming each other & playing.
When I see the girls nesting, I will take them out until their kits are weaned & the mothers have had a good break in the rabbit shed & then I'll put them back in.
Its much easier to manage, to be honest.
I was against colony settings until now..... no chance of the does carrying twin pregnancies either, they don't flatten or lift their tails, they just hop away when he tries when they are already pregnant. And he doesn't try at all as much as I thought he would. Its more a pathetic, half attempted "are you in the mood dear?" climbs halfway on the doe & nuzzles her & if the does not giving any signs she may be receptive then he just gives up & sits back on his haunches before he try's the next doe.
He goes through this routine every morning.
Maybe, I just got lucky. I'm going to leave it as it is & just pick the does out when they show signs of being ready to birth. I have a whole pen & shed available for 4 rabbits for meat breeding.
I put my buck in my does pen 2 weeks ago & never took him back out.
Why?
I just haven't had any problems. He's not forcing himself on the girls at all, he just hops about. He might have a very wary, slow & careful attempt at mounting a doe, but she just hops off & he sits there & doesn't chase her. He actually seems much happier in with the girls, since they mainly all sleep, eat & play together.
Of course he's mated the 2 older girls & hopefully they are now pregnant. He tries with his sister, but she won't accept him as a mate, although she is old enough to breed, she has never let him mount her. Maybe when she's older, she'll change her mind, but until then.... we'll see.
As it stands, its all been very peaceful out there. The rabbit pen is in constant view from the window & the rabbits are grooming each other & playing.
When I see the girls nesting, I will take them out until their kits are weaned & the mothers have had a good break in the rabbit shed & then I'll put them back in.
Its much easier to manage, to be honest.
I was against colony settings until now..... no chance of the does carrying twin pregnancies either, they don't flatten or lift their tails, they just hop away when he tries when they are already pregnant. And he doesn't try at all as much as I thought he would. Its more a pathetic, half attempted "are you in the mood dear?" climbs halfway on the doe & nuzzles her & if the does not giving any signs she may be receptive then he just gives up & sits back on his haunches before he try's the next doe.
He goes through this routine every morning.
Maybe, I just got lucky. I'm going to leave it as it is & just pick the does out when they show signs of being ready to birth. I have a whole pen & shed available for 4 rabbits for meat breeding.
