rabbit breeding question

featheredfriendlover

Songster
10 Years
Jun 5, 2009
305
2
121
do you have to breed the female twice to make sure she is bred or can you just breed her once. the first time i checked her private area and it was wet. does that mean she was bred successfully?

another question.

what should i do to prepare for the babies? how soon should i prepare? do i need to feed her more? do i need to give her more water?
 
you can only breed them once, that is fine, but usually it is recommended to breed them twice in a 12 hour peiod--this is said to increase the litter size. Do not breed after 12 hours past the first breeding--it can cause delivery issues.

usually when you put the female in with the male, they will get their business done rather quickly. You should stand to watch it so you know. When rabbits mate successfully, the male will freeze up and fall over. this is how you know it was a successful mating. i usually wait about 8 hours, put the doe in again, let them mate again, and then put her back in her pen and wait 31 days.

About three days before they are due, put the nest box up and put in some shavings and straw or hay. their nesting instinct will kick in, and they will make a nest. they will pull fur to line the nest box, and also to make her nipples bare so the kits can nurse.

When she is nursing, she will drink more water. I usually keep their feeder full after they kindle, until the time for the babies to be removed.
 
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When we breed, we usually breed the doe in the morning, then an hour later, then 12 hours after the first breeding. We seem to get good conception rates/litter sizes this way, but your mileage may vary.

We'll palpate our does around day 16, when the babies should be around the size of grapes and easy to find. If she isn't bred, we'll make plans to rebreed her.

On day 26-28 (depending on the doe, some nest early) we'll give her a next box. We use pine shavings and grass hay in ours.

Once the babies are born, we gradually increase the feed the doe is getting. Being pregnant isn't too hard on a doe, but nursing those kits is! By the time the babies are 2 weeks old, the doe is on free feed. This is also about the same time the kits start exploring/nibbling food, so they have free access to it when they want it.
 

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