Do does generally have about the same number of kits each time? I'm reading that, and was wondering if it's true. If my doe had 7 last year can I expect around those numbers again? She's a mini lop.
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Thanks, I'm hoping for an average litter and to not be overrun. So maybe mate her just one instead of two?Oh, man, there are so many factors that come into play when it comes to litter size. 7 is a decent sized litter for a Mini Lop, but whether your doe would have more or less this year is hard to say.
Basically, rabbits are induced ovulators (but you probably know this). They ripen eggs, and hold them in readiness until the act of mating causes the release of a hormone that triggers the release of the eggs.
Just how many eggs a rabbit ripens at one time can vary quite a bit. Part of it seems to be genetic - some rabbits just have bigger litters. Larger breeds usually have larger litters, and some animals within a breed almost always have more kits than others of the same breed.
Some of it has to do with the doe's condition - the amount of hormone that causes the ripening of the eggs can vary; a seriously overweight doe may not be ripening eggs at all. As a doe ages, her litter sizes tend to drop; many does are basically sterile by the time they are 3 or 4 years old.
A doe's hormones can get out of whack, and she may only be ovulating on one side at a time, so conceive a smaller litter just on that one side.
A doe may breed readily for a while, and when the owner gives her a break, refuse to breed or fail to conceive forever after - Netherland Dwarfs are notorious for this.
Even though a doe's eggs wait on mating to be released, they still age after ripening, so the viability decreases. Rabbits have a hormonal cycle that ripens new eggs about once a month; if a doe is bred right after a new set of eggs have ripened, she will have a larger litter than if she were bred a week or two later. This is why we check a doe's vulva color before breeding her; a bright red color indicates a hormonal peak and fresh eggs.
The amount of egg-releasing hormone can vary. When the doe is mated, she releases the hormone, which hits a certain level in her bloodstream then gradually decreases. Some people will put a doe back in with a buck to try to get a second breeding and (hopefully) more eggs released. A study has shown that the optimum timing for that second breeding is about an hour after the first; that results in a doubling-up of the hormone and the highest hormone peak, so hopefully the maximum number of eggs released.
Interestingly, one of a doe's most fertile periods is right after kindling. Her hormones are all in sync, and typically she will ripen the most eggs at that time. Even difficult does are often eager breeders then. Normally, I would never breed a nursing doe at that time, but I have bred does that have lost litters for one reason or another, and usually get the largest litters ever from those does.
Good luck!
She repeatedly has false pregnancies
She recently pulled hair again within the last week