# Breed Now or Wait?



## brentr (Nov 30, 2012)

I have a NZ doe that is just weaning a litter of 10 bunnies.  Bunnies are 30 days old.  Doe is pretty rough - nursing this litter has really taken its toll.  Even with supplementing her feed with 2 tablespoons of calf manna and one tablespoon of oats daily since the day she kindled, she is not in great condition.  She's still active, perky, etc., but when you pick her up and/or run your hand along her back you can easily feel her spin and hips.  Her coat is pretty good, though.

However, inspecting her tonight, her vent color suggests that right now would be a great time to breed her - she's a good dark red color.

Here's my question: if I breed her now, and continue to free feed her and supplement her feed, will she recover her condition in the 31 days of pregnancy w/no kits to nurse?  Or am I just asking for trouble if I breed her now?

I'm inclined to rest her, but hate to pass up a good breeding window.


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## HB Sheep & Goat Farm (Nov 30, 2012)

Personally I would let her rest. She will come back into heat again im sure. Theres no need to keep breeding her and use her up too quickly. Span out her breedings and she will last MUCH longer in your herd.


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## Prairiechick (Dec 1, 2012)

I don't breed back to back unless the litter is lost right at or after kindling.  I give them at least a month after weaning to get some condition back on and then try again to get them bred but only if I feel I need to get a litter from that doe for some good reason.  I know that some meat rabbit breeders breed them back right after weaning the litter, but that seems a little too soon to me.  I know after having kids, a woman needs a break for her body.


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## UpHillRabbitry (Dec 1, 2012)

I think your inclination is right. I would let her rest, and like someone else mentioned, she will last longer in your herd. I have a Cal doe here that always seems to lose a little condition with each breeding/litter. I have resigned myself to just breeding her a couple times per year. She's a great mother, always has nice large litters and hasn't lost a kit on me yet. I value her for her ability to have large litters and raise them all. 
I say wait. 



B.


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## Citylife (Dec 2, 2012)

When I have large litters I free feed my does pellets, till the kits are about 3-4 weeks of age.  
  I would be feeding her well and adding 1/4 cup of oats to her diet daily.  She should come back pretty quickly and should be able to rebreed in no time. 
I do not rest my does often, as I feel a productive doe will stay that way  as long as she IS productive.  She is also less likely to gain access body fat.


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## treeclimber233 (Dec 2, 2012)

I agree with rebreeding her now.  If she has time to get fat deposits in her reproductive tract she will be harder to rebreed.  She should have food all the time when she is nursing.  Too much when she is pregnant may make the babies too large for her to have them.  I would breed her and give her a maintenance amount of feed for two weeks.  then slowly increase her feed for the last two weeks of pregnancy.  24- 36 hours after delivery I would give her all the pellets she wants.  If she has a large litter again you can add 1-2 tablespoons of calf manna to help with milk production.  Also very important:  Make sure the babies can reach the pellets so they can eat along with the nursing.  I bred meat rabbits for many years and always bred back pretty soon and did not have problems with low weights in my does.  If I had a litter that was not  out of the nest at 3 weeks I put some pellets in the nest for them to eat.


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## pennylove (Dec 5, 2012)

I totally disagree with breeding a rabbit in less than optimum condition. While she might successfully carry the litter and raise them, she will be in even worse condition by the time they are weaned and will likely need a lengthy recovery time. Plus, it cannot be healthy for the doe; she needs a little time to recover--gestating and nursing a litter takes a ton of energy and drains her body of nutrients, often even if she's eating well. If a rabbit looks to be in poor condition, it probably is. Let her rest a few weeks. I would wager you wont actually lose any time in the long run, because if you breed her now, she'll need even longer to recover after this second litter.


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## KittyKatMe (Dec 15, 2012)

First of all, I think you should wait to wean the first litter!  Four weeks is too young to get all the nutrients they need.  I'd wait at least another week to START weaning.  And, like the previous post stated, I agree that a doe shouldn't be bred unless in optimum condition.  My does never have more than 2 litters a year.


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## secuono (Dec 15, 2012)

Have you been free feeding her since she kindled?? 
If you have, it's strange that she would become thin. Her bowl should rarely be empty if there are kits with her. 
I would wonder if you should deworm her or do a better check of her to see if she could be sick before thinking about breeding her. 

You can breed her now and just free feed until the next litter is being weaned. 




My kits self wean starting at 3 weeks old, that is if they are on pasture. In a hanging cage, they start around 4wks. But some kits will harass mom for milk until you separate them. 4wks is the minimum, if the kits are not eating the pellets properly and showing sickness of any kind, leave them with mom longer.


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## brentr (Dec 19, 2012)

KittyKatMe said:
			
		

> First of all, I think you should wait to wean the first litter!  Four weeks is too young to get all the nutrients they need.  I'd wait at least another week to START weaning.  And, like the previous post stated, I agree that a doe shouldn't be bred unless in optimum condition.  My does never have more than 2 litters a year.


Thanks for the suggestions.  However I think you and I have different views on raising rabbits (and maybe we raise different breeds).  My experience to date has been that weaning at 4-5 weeks for my meat rabbits works just fine.  The little bunnies are eating and drinking well and do fine w/out mom.  

I agree about the conditioning issue.  I always want my does in good shape.  My experience has also been that my does can handle more than two litters a year with no conditioning concerns.  I'm averaging five litters per year per doe with no issues until this one.


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## brentr (Dec 19, 2012)

secuono said:
			
		

> Have you been free feeding her since she kindled??
> If you have, it's strange that she would become thin. Her bowl should rarely be empty if there are kits with her.
> I would wonder if you should deworm her or do a better check of her to see if she could be sick before thinking about breeding her.
> 
> ...


I have been free feeding since kindling the previous litter, and I supplement her with 2 tbl oats & 2 tbl calf manna daily.  Her condition is starting to come back.  I've wondered about the worms myself, but have never found any on her bottom  or in her waste (and I've examined *very* fresh pellets) so I'm not sure it is worms (still thinking of worming just to be sure) but not sure it is not, either!  All other signs are good - she's active, good coat, good appetite, etc.

My best guess at this point is still that she just put all her energy and calories into milk production.  She is a very heavy producer, been that way with every litter.  That is part of what makes her a great doe for me.  

I like the suggestion of breeding and continuing the free feeding.  Maybe a bit more rest and if she is still improving, I'll do that.


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## lexibot (Dec 24, 2012)

Depends on how desperately you need the babies, and how much you need your mommy rabbit. 

Personally, it would be best if she got to rest if you think she's not up to it. Get her back up to parr, then try her again. I don't know how many babies she'd had, but if it's more than 10, she's just completely tuckered out, and should have the rest.


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