netherland dwarf and 2 lionheads

[MissAbraKadabra]

i have my netherland dwarf who is almost a year that i have raised
i recently came into 2 black lionheads
and was considering cross breeding, them

any thought or comments or concerns would be helpful
i did some basic searches and ill be looking more into it but i wanted to see if this is something someone has already done and get some tips on it or opinions on mixing these two breeds

 

[CityFarmer202]

I've never bred those to breeds before, But i breed New Zealand White rabbits, Harlequin rabbits, Dutch rabbits and Angora rabbits. One of the funnest things to do is cross breeding because you never know what the babies look like! I've cross breed new zealands x Harlequins, Harlequins x dutch, angora x dutch, etc. Best of luck!!!!

 

[farm n louisana]

I'm breeding a dwarf hotot to a lion head she due in about 1 1/2 2 weeks

 

[farm n louisana]

Female is the white dwarf hotot male is the orange lion head

 

[Silver Bantam]

i have my netherland dwarf who is almost a year that i have raised 
i recently came into 2 black lionheads 
and was considering cross breeding, them 

any thought or comments or concerns would be helpful
i did some basic searches and ill be looking more into it but i wanted to see if this is something someone has already done and get some tips on it or opinions on mixing these two breeds

There is a lot more to breeding rabbits then just putting a male and female together, you will have to think it through carefully before you decide you want to raise rabbits. This information is mainly based off my experiences with breeding Netherland Dwarfs

First of all, is the one year old Nethie a doe, or a buck? If it is a doe, not a good idea. It's just to risky to breed a doe for the first time at a year old. If he's a buck, then ok. What gender and age are the Lionheads? The breeding ages for first time Lionheads are about 6 months for does, and 6-8 months for bucks. So if you have a doe that is older then 12 months, and hasn't been bred before, it may not turn out well. You also must be aware of some of the issues that may crop up if you decide to breed Netherlands. Being a small, compact breed, does often have problems such as stuck kits when birthing. Stuck kits may happen if you breed a buck with a doe that is smaller or even the same size as the buck. This is why many breeders only use 'BUDs' as Netherland Dwarf brood does. 'BUDs, are basically 'Big Ugly Does', that are bigger then the standard, so usually don't have problems kindling. To breed quality rabbits though, a 'BUD' still has to come from good lines.

Last of all, what are you breeding for? I'm not trying to put you off, because breeding rabbits can be a great hobby if you are starting with quality stock and everything, but in my experiences, there really isn't much of a market for crossbred or 'mutt' rabbits. If you want to breed rabbits, I suggest you start with maybe two quality does and a good buck, and go from there.

 

[Bunnylady]

The Lionhead is a fairly new breed; the original mutation that causes the Lionhead coat appears to have happened maybe 20 years ago, in Europe. Only a few people have gone to the bother and expense of importing Lionheads into this country; once they had them, they had to breed them to something. The usual breed of choice has been the Netherland Dwarf. Most Lionheads have a great deal of Netherland Dwarf blood in them. However, the Lionhead that is in the standard isn't just a Dwarf with a funny coat; there are some details of type that are different. IMO, crossing a Dwarf to a Lionhead at this point is a back cross. A "good" Lionhead has a double mane, because it has two copies of the mane gene. Breeding to an animal without a mane will result in offspring that have only one copy of the mane gene; these are called "single maned" Lionheads. Single maned animals may have decent manes as youngsters, but only scruffy, wispy bits of longer hair as adults - they will never have the big, poofy mane that is described in the breed standard, and IMO are "Lionheads" in name only. But if that's what you want to breed, well, that's your business.

 

[MissAbraKadabra]

im not looking to large scale breed just two to five liters over 2 years, i have several friends and family who would like one like mine, and my neighbor who is a soon to be retired netherland dwarf breeder with a buck i can barrow for breeding, all of the 3 i have are females. the two lion heads are about 2 years as i found out , i was hoping the 2 lionheads werent females but im happy they are here none the less, they needed a better home then where they were , they are slightly larger than my netherland but are in needs of lots of grooming and nail trimming that needs done any extra

any extra kits i couldnt home my local feed/pet store would sell them for me as companion rabbits and give me a % of the sale

pardon my terminology im still learning. this isnt something im just jumping into, im still researching and learning as much as i can pros and cons before making the decision

 

[farm n louisana]

That's the same reason I'm breeding my 2 is for family

 

[MissAbraKadabra]

i am looking to be a breeder some day, but rabbits isnt it. i have 2 sulcatas im waiting to grow, those will be breeding but i have a good 5 years before that