Rabbit colonies?

[babyrnlc]

My 13 year old is raising holland lops. We were doing some research and found some information about keeping them in a colony. We have one male and would like 4 females. Now we have several cages (we have two females, one had her first littler this morning). We have a coop that we made for the chickens, until our chicken math made it too small. It has two coops with 4 nest boxes on each floor. (they are stacked) and then a big run. It is portable and so they can get fresh grass often. We think we are going to wire the bottom though, cause the male keeps digging.

So just wanted to know your thought on it and if anyone has had success in colony breeding. They are pedigreed so we can only have one male so we can pedigree the babies.

 

[gaited horse]

I breed and show rabbits and I don't really like the idea of coloines becasue a lot of does don't like sharing cages. I have also heard of the buck re-breeding the doe right after she has had babies or the beabies being killed by one of the other rabbits in the cage.

 

[dutchhollow]

It takes a huge amount of space, even for small breed rabbits. They are very territorial, does will fight, kill each others babies, they will get rebred right after kindling.

 

[debilorrah]

Seperate them!!! Does are MEAN to each other, and a buck has no manner whatsoever and will re-breed immediately. And that is NOT good for the doe at all.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

I agree .... I just dont think it is a good idea!! But you could have excersize areas penned in if you want to give them room to roam or perhaps put one doe with babies in an outdoor run scenario.....but it needs to be enclosed on top because hawks will get them in a heartbeat!!!

 

[C&Rman]

I thought it was a good idea up until my doe had her babies and the buck bred her right after I watched and tryed to stop it but it happened. She ended up dying she gave birth to some sort of thing. I had to hand riase her 8, 2 week old babies. I wouldn try it.

 

[NellaBean]

My understanding of it is that it is very difficult to get the dynamics right and you cant really change it once set. In theory, you could keep them all together for a couple weeks, pull the buck when its getting close to kindling time and leave him out until its time to rebreed. You still have the problem of a group of does and kits in the same area. I put a couple does together in a 4x6 pen one day, just for 5 minutes. These were does who knew each other and were both mellow. And neither had been in this pen before. It got ugly quick. I was only planning on leaving them together long enough to move another pen closer...just needed empty hands. Apparently 5 minutes was about 3 minutes too long.

I do have a neutered male that I keep with a single girl for a companion. He adores her. She is young and could probably take or leave him. I expect eventually she will get annoyed by him, as she matures.

 

[babyrnlc]

Quote:
Our two does have been in the same cage together since we got them. We had a male cage (just one male) and a female cage.

 

[debilorrah]

Quote:
Our two does have been in the same cage together since we got them. We had a male cage (just one male) and a female cage.

As they mature, they may start at each other. I can't put my does together at all, not even for a minute before they start fighting. And they are housed right next to each other!!!

 

[bobwhitelover]

NOT a good idea seperate them its much better and simpler that way