What time of year should I breed my rabbits?

[Laci7210]

When should I get my rabbits bread? Is it already too late in the year? Is the end of June too late for them to have their babies? We don't raise rabbits, we just have 2 girls and 2 boys and we were wanting some babies to raise and then maybe rehome depending on how many they have! How many babies on average does a doe rabbit usually have in 1 litter? Thanks for any advice!!

 

[settingdusk]

We breed year round when we have rabbits

 

[SA Farm]

Personally I don't breed my rabbits after June only because I don't like the idea of them having babies in the July/August heat that we have here. I start again in September. Rabbits can breed any time of year and if you have the facilities to keep them cool in the summer/warm in the winter, you can do it whenever you want, pretty much.
Usually you want to wait until after 6 months old to breed and keep in mind that it's very difficult to breed a doe over a year old who's never been bred before.
Take the doe to the buck and watch them to make sure the doe doesn't hurt the buck. If she cowers in the corner or fights him, take her out and either try again later that day or the next.
Litters can range anywhere from 1-15 with 6-8 being the most common. If you want a large litter, it's recommended that you bring the doe to the buck several times in one day. What usually happens with smaller batches is only one ovary gets fertilized.
Hope that helps

 

[Laci7210]

Ok thanks! That was very helpful! How long should I leave the doe in with the buck if I don't want a lot of babies? I am pretty sure that we got them as weaned babies April of 2012.. Are they too old to breed? Thanks again!

 

[SA Farm]

You can try to get them bred, it's not impossible, just more difficult. Won't hurt to try. If you don't want too many, just put the doe in, watch until the buck curls up and falls on his side and then take her out.

 

[Laci7210]

Lol ok thanks

 

[UnlabeledMama]

They just need to be together long enough to get the job done!

My doe was over a year old when we attempted to breed her and she was only in the buck's cage for a few minutes and we got a litter of 9!

 

[Laci7210]

I tried and he humped her for maybe 5 seconds then she tried to hurt him so I took her out. Is she bread? Or should I try again later?

 

[SA Farm]

Chances are, she's not. The buck needs to fall over for a good chance of breeding. I would try again a few hours later and, if she's still not responsive, try again tomorrow.

 

[Laci7210]

Ok I'll let you know how it goes