*It can be tough going to breed an older unbred doe sometimes. I had a 5 yr old satin female. I eventually got a single viable litter out of 2 pregnancies but I tried all but one of my bucks. I just bred her every 2 weeks, 2 times in 1 24 hour period. But, I almost gave up several times. . . & after that one good litter, didn't breed her anymore. . .
One question that hasn't been asked yet is why do you want to breed them? Unpedegreed pet sales won't bring you anything, and dutch, while they have a good meat to bone ratio, aren't that big.
i have over 50 rabbits and I leave mine together for a week at a time to make sure they breed. A female is more prime in her younger age the older they get the less they want to breed but I do have one that is 3yr old and she is breeding strong. I breed all kinds from Dutches, to Lions heads, Lops, Gients, red eyes, and blues eyes Albinos, French Lops, I have 7 mothers on babys as i wright this
We will keep trying, leave her in longer, wait till it gets warmer, or find another doe.
Just as a FYI, we want to breed them to try and get a junior doe or buck to show at the fairs this summer.
Best just to go with a younger doe, especially if the older one has not been bred for a long time. We rarely kept does past the age of 3 as they have a tendency to throw smaller and smaller litters. Not the case with all, but with a good number of older does. If you are going to show, you want a good, big litter from which to choose the best for showing. To keep a doe fertile and producing well, they need to be bred often. The more litters, the better the reproductive health. Most folks don't keep does past the 2 year mark if they have bred them consistently. I kept one doe past the 2yr age just because she was a good mother and a good producer but even she started throwing smaller litters after a time. Good luck!