# Why does the buck need to be (x) age?



## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 25, 2013)

So I own 2 Rex crosses & 2 Cali crosses. The 2 Cali's are 11 -12 weeks, the Rexes 2 years.
Now, why does our buck, whose 12 weeks,need to be 6-7 months old to breed my Rexes? I don't think his 'family jewels' have dropped yet, so obviously he's physically incapable to breed right now, but why does he need to be 6-7 months? If he's fertile, and willing, can't you give him a chance? Kinda like goat bucks? Lol.


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 25, 2013)

You can always give him a try.  The issue with a young male is that the animal must have enough hormonal influence to create viable, mature sperm  to impregnate the female.  That hormonal influence isn't there in a very young animal.... as they mature it happens in rabbits, in horses, in dogs, in people... ugh, lol!  Sometimes a younger male can successfully breed and impregnate but there will be a tendency to have smaller litters as he just can't produce enough viable sperm to fertilize all the eggs a female can produce.   

Have his testicles descended?  That is a fairly good indicator of his ability to successfully breed...not always... but it's the first good sign.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 25, 2013)

Well how do you tell?
I'm fine with a small litter. I'd rather have a first small litter than a large first litter. Perhaps the mother would be a better mother if its a smaller litter? She's a first timer, as a, I.
Sorry, I just expected the rabbits to be able to breed sooner. They (every article ive read) made it sound like they have to be. 
Ill just give him a few tries, I only need one litter to hold me over till he's old enough to be a good breeder xD


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## autumnprairie (Oct 25, 2013)

hey you I have missed you. You can try at 4 months but you may not get anything the first time and make sure you put her in his cage females are territorial and make sure she doesn't hurt him


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## frustratedearthmother (Oct 25, 2013)

You can turn him over and look, lol. They don't quite dangle like a dogs or a goats or a bulls... they're held close to the body, but you'll see them under the anal opening....uhhhhh... if he's upside down they might be above the anal opening.... oh geeze, this is getting complicated!!

 And remember, he might not be able to father any babies at this age...  But, there's only one way to kow for sure... give him a girlfriend and see what happens.  He might get it right or he might run around trying to figure out why some dang female has invaded his space!

Good luck!


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## Bunnylady (Oct 26, 2013)

Dropped testicles do not a fertile animal make, though testicles that_ never_ drop usually can't produce viable sperm. Rabbits also have a really cute trick; bucks can pull their testicles back into their bodies when under stress. Young bucks can be really frustrating in that way - a junior has to have both showing, or neither showing; one there and one hiding is a DQ at a show (seniors have to have both there, of course). I can't tell you how many times I've seen a rabbit handler wandering around near the registrar's table jiggling a buck up and down, trying to get both of 'em down so they can get the rascal registered!

The buck must be physically and mentally mature enough to breed. Some are rarin' to go long before they are fertile, some aren't. I have heard of bucks that got a rough time from a doe the first time a breeding was attempted, who never looked at a doe afterward - so it can pay not to rush them.


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## secuono (Oct 26, 2013)

Just put the rabbit on wire and look from the bottom...
Testicles are on EITHER SIDE of the penis/anus, not on top or bottom. 
Show rabbits should be used to being handled and weird/new situations, then they'll stay dropped. 

Young bucks may not be fertile, may not know what to do or not even care. There is no reason to wait with a buck other than you might be wasting your time until he's older.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 27, 2013)

Well a re-counting has led me to see that he's only 11 weeks. So it'll probably be a lot longer, but I'm looking into getting an older buck. 

To be quite honest, I may be getting the sexes switched and my 'girl' might be the boy and the boy be a girl. Maybe that's why he's so confused, LOL. But yeah, he was pretty scared.
Can I leave him in with the doe(s) overnight or should I watche to see if he breeds? He's pretty nervous around me.
And if I leave him with 2 does, do you think he'll get attacked? I have a bonded pair that I'm looking to get into bred, but a bit concerned that they'll pick on him


Thanks ^^


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## Bunnylady (Oct 27, 2013)

I know of a buck that had a certain critical part of his anatomy removed by a doe (critical for him to be a useful buck, anyway), and I personally owned a young buck that lost a testicle to a particularly well-directed bite by his brother. I would not leave the buck with the does.


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 27, 2013)

Ok. Good idea. Good idea. 
 poor buck.


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## VickieB (Oct 27, 2013)

I tested my 4 month old buck out with a doe, and it worked so well I tested him with 2 other does the next day. Within 30 days he was the proud papa of 30 buns... 


(I have since learned the value of patience and the peace that comes with a simple routine.)


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## Hens and Roos (Oct 27, 2013)

We have a buck who is probably close to 18 months old now, 1st time we breed him(he was around 8 months old) we ended up with our 3 does having litters in Feb 2013, the 2nd time we breed him to the same 3 does in April 2013- nothing- not from lack of trying by the buck but he never finished.... we tried him again this past week with 2 does and again he has the moves correct but never finishes- we tried our younger 8 month buck with 1 doe and within a minute he completed the job.  We will see what the end of Nov 2013 brings- we weren't looking to keep the younger buck as he is related to the does(mother or grandmother).  Not sure what is going on with the older buck and figuring we will need to find a replacement for him.


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## Citylife (Oct 28, 2013)

You always take the doe to the buck, as rabbits are quite territorial.  I will put her in for 20 minutes and watch to see if she gets bred.  Its ok if he breeds her several times.  Then 6-8 hours later you can take the doe back to him for another session.  You do not want to rebreed her after that.  Put the nest box in on the 28th day.  
You need to be aware as has already been stated, he may not know what to do.  If she gets nasty with him, take her out right away.  You don't want him to get all intimidated.  I have had success both ways, but I would recommend waiting with him since everyone there is new to rabbit breeding.
Also, I highly recommend "Storey's Guide To raising rabbits"  Awesome book and an easy quick read.
Good luck and we all know how it is to want kits, now!  LOL


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Oct 30, 2013)

LOL, yes Citylife, and even my pigeons who were supposed to solve this problem killed their eggs! Gar! 

Ok, sorry, mind blank. Doe to bucks cage - doh. We are getting an older buck to breed. Trading our 3 geese for them - gah, Ill be so glad when those are gone! They eat soo much! 
So yes, we will have kits soon, thanks to an older buck. It'll also give me a choice to keep my bloodlines fairly fresh, since ill have 2 bucks & 3 does
Thanks everyone!


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## CochinBrahmaLover=) (Nov 2, 2013)

Ok, so we got a buck. NZ, Cali, SF cross, except he's all black with white hairs peeking through.
Poor guy tried breeding one of my does and despite my bet efforts, would NOT go to the correct side... Kept scaring the girl, ('why is he on my FACE?') hidden agenda, perhaps? 
He did, when I corrected him, do better on the 2 doe. I might try breed the 2 doe tomorrow, but will def. try again with the 1 tonight.

Then I have new issues :
Both of these does are bonded & I don't want to remove them. That being said, has anyone had any colony breeding issues in smaller spaces? They have plenty of room, but 
But, then I have a new issue : both of these does are 2 years old, never bred. I've heard it's bad to not breed a doe before her first year, but never understood why...? 
And last but not least - if I DO end up breeding them both, if they kindle 1-3 days apart, will that be ok? Or will the bigger kits bully the smaller ones (from what I've heard, if you breed colony style then they will nurse both sets of kits), and if there's a lot of kits, then how about milk production? I don't know how eithers milk production is, and Im a bit concerned on if there will be too many kits. 
If there's too many kits or if something happens to either doe, I do know snake owners who'd love to take them, & they are Rex mixes, not too big, so it's not like I'd be looking for an 18ft reticulated python (which, based on another rabbit owners experience, can enjoy a 20lb Flemish giant meal).


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