# Buck Question



## HomesteaderWife (Sep 7, 2015)

Hey there Backyard Herds- I know you all have been great help for my family as beginning rabbit breeders. So I come to you with another question. I have noticed one of our males, after breeding, will stiffen up and sort of fall over (which apparently is a typical reaction from what I researched). My question is in regards to our other buck though, who when trying to breed has only one time EVER done this. I have tried pairing him with a female today, but as many times as he mounts...he never stiffens or does the falling over thing. Can we still have a successful breeding without that reaction? Or is it necessary for that to happen to ensure a successful pairing?

Again, we are new to the rabbit world, so thank you for any help received. Everyone here has been great and explained things for us! I'm really hoping this pairing is successful with our rabbits!


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## Bunnylady (Sep 8, 2015)

To put it in plain language, the grunt/sqeal and big thrust is the rabbit ejaculating. It is theoretically possible for some sperm to be passed to the doe without it, but pretty unlikely. A buck might continue to grip the doe so he doesn't actually fall off, or he might hang on so fiercely that he takes the doe over with him,  but the moment of successful breeding is pretty hard to miss.


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## HomesteaderWife (Sep 8, 2015)

From what I had kind of read up on about breeding behavior, I figured this would be so. I wanted to make sure and ask the community here just to check, so I am thankful for your reply. I'm going to re-try the breeding this weekend and hopefully get some results with the pair! Thank you again!


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## Hens and Roos (Sep 8, 2015)

we had a buck who was hit and miss on his breeding of the does.  Not sure what breed you have but have you check the weight of the buck to make sure he isn't over weight- that could also cause him not to finish.  Depending on how warm your weather has been could also play into his not finishing.

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## HomesteaderWife (Sep 25, 2015)

We still haven't had a successful breeding with the pair, but want to continue trying. Our male is not overweight at all, but what should I be looking for in regards to the weather? We've had a bit cooler, rainy days here lately, but what temps should I be trying to look for?


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## Hens and Roos (Sep 25, 2015)

What are your temps these days?  We aren't getting warmer then mid 70's, I would be comfortable breeding now with our rabbits as our temps will be in the 50-60's when the does kindle.

maybe the doe just doesn't like your buck- I've been told this can happen too!


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## promiseacres (Oct 5, 2015)

Is the doe accepting, lifting? I have a doe who refuses to lift and the buck never finishes... just wears out. He finishes fine with a different doe.


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## JakeM (Oct 7, 2015)

I've had bucks who wouldn't squeal/grunt and still get the job done. They only way you could tell that they did it was if they hopped away from the doe or if they slowly fell off the doe's back.

You can always check the doe's vulva and see if there's and ejaculate around the vent. At the same time, check the color. If it's pale, she won't want to breed and chances of conceiving are very low. If it's a deep red/purple then she should be wanting to or at least able to conceive pretty easily.

If the doe is red/purple and you are really having difficulty try a different buck with the doe and vice versa. Or do a forced breeding. In case you don't know what that is, forced breeding is where you restrain the doe. Sometimes the doe will then lift, but most likely not. If she doesn't lift, then take your free hand and place in on her belly. Slide it farther towards her vent and then lift her rump slightly off the floor. Make sure her legs are still on the floor or just barely over it. This allows the buck access to the vulva without her needing to lift since your the one doing it for her.

Sorry if it's too much at once. I've gone through this before and only recently finally got a doe to take, so I know how frustrating it can be.


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## HomesteaderWife (Oct 7, 2015)

Well, so far she still won't accept and he still won't finish. I have tried to assist by gently lifting her, but this particular buck scorns when I do this, and just hops off the opposite direction as soon as I try to help. We have left them together for a small amount of time to see if maybe they would just have a natural little fling, but no luck still. Is there anything I can try to do to help her relax and accept the buck without having to directly intervene and try and assist?


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## Hens and Roos (Oct 8, 2015)

Can you try her with a different buck and him with a different doe to see what happens?  Maybe they just don't like each other


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## HomesteaderWife (Oct 8, 2015)

Our only other buck is an Angora, so I was hesitant to breed them. The males are both the same size, I just was hoping for a true NZW breeding.


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## Hens and Roos (Oct 8, 2015)

You could still process the litter- it probably just wont be as big as true NZW, but it might give you an idea if the doe is receptive to a different male.


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