Keep in mind that sometimes the second "later" litter can cause the FIRST litter to be late (have seen this in photos from other people) causing those kits to grow too big and be still born, getting stuck in the birth canal, killing the doe. It can and does happen. So it's just unreliable to breed on multiple days and increases the risk beyond that of a normal pregnancy.
Here again, I wonder if there is any proof of cause and effect, or whether someone is assuming that since the doe was late, that the second litter somehow caused it? As in, has someone deliberately created this situation under controlled (laboratory) conditions and this was the result? I can see that her hormones could be all mixed up with two different pregnancies going on, but has anyone actually studied it?
I have many times seen does carry well past their due date when they are carrying just a few babies. When that is the case, the babies are usually HUGE when they are born, and they almost never survive (I have occasionally helped does deliver such oversized babies). I have also seen babies of widely different sizes born to the same doe; this seems to happen more to older does (once again, breeding on only one day).
When I first got into rabbits, everyone "knew" that the cause of wry neck was an inner ear infection; that's what every rabbit-wise veterinarian would have told you, too. Now, we know differently. So I have to wonder how many of the other things that "everybody knows" about rabbits won't pass the scrutiny of scientific proof, which is why I ask.
But while I agree that there is some risk here, I'm not going to bash someone who decides to try colony breeding "because they are callously risking the lives of their does" as I have seen some do. I accept that multiple pregnancies can happen, but I don't know how common they are. All I can say is that it hasn't happened with any rabbit that I have owned.
Mentioning things that I haven't any experience with, there is someone on BYH that has a rabbit that:
bred in early June
did NOT kindle in July
kindled 6 in mid-August, NOT rebred
kindled 8 in late September, NOT rebred
kindled 1 in late October
Bred early December
kindled 8 early January, NOT rebred
kindled 8 early February
Ain't that fun!
I wasn't sure if you were asking me SternRose..I have no idea what breed they are my husband just brought them home from an auction one day...2 girls and 1 boy is all he was told
