How soon after kindling do you rebreed?

[peteyfoozer]

Wondering when. Before or after babies are all weaned at 8 weeks?

 

[Sundragons]

Wondering when. Before or after babies are all weaned at 8 weeks?

I was only breeding them 2x a year, but I was also breeding for pet trade, and not food. So it depends on your need I suppose. I don't like keeping does constantly popping out babies, I believe it's unfair to them as well as unhealthy. But I know other people who do that and think I'm crazy. Up to you. They can be bred as soon as they give birth if you want.

 

[peteyfoozer]

Breeding for meat. I’m just trying to figure it all out…I don’t remember what I did before. It’s amazing what a person can forget

 

[Ridgetop]

When we had our rabbitry running (100 holes) we bred NZWs to show, for selling breeding stock, and for meat. (I had a small section of Holland Lops that I also bred for showing and the pet trade.) I ran the barn in the high production (intensive) system. I bred the does when the kits were 6 weeks old. At 8 weeks I removed the doe and put her in an adjacent cage to the kits. Two weeks later she kindled again. We would select the keepers for show and breeding at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks. Everything not considered excellent conformation for showing/breeding stock was sold for meat or put in our freezer. We were breeding abut 5-10 does at a time so about every month or two we would have at least 40 fryers to sell. We ate a lot of rabbit too. LOL With that level of production my does were on an 18% protein feed instead of the standard 16% pellet. I also fed 2 ounces of rolled oats every morning. The lactating does received 2 ounces of a mix of barley, oats, sweet feed, sunflower seeds, and calf manna.

One problem with breeding too infrequently is that rabbits are a short-lived species. Their breeding life is also short. In the wild a doe will rebreed as soon as she gives birth - that is when they are most fertile. When doing a rabbit project with 4-Hers (or the FFA kids I used to mentor) it was hard to teach them to breed continuously. They considered the rabbits as pets and often didn't want to butcher or sell for meat. The problem with that attitude is that infrequent breeding with litters too far apart can result in a doe not wanting to breed at all. A lot of the kids would only want to breed for the summer Fair and found if they did not breed continuously that the does would refuse the buck and often attack him.

If the intensive breeding method doesn't suit you, rebreeding after weaning the kits at 8 weeks is a good method. That way you will get 4 litters per year. Any less and the meat from the fryers will not pay for the feed going into the does and buck.

 

[peteyfoozer]

Thanks @Ridgetop That helps a LOT!

 

[Mini Horses]

If breeding for meat, you could intensive breed, knowing you'd be culling the does within a few breeding. Save back a couple "best" youngins. Take a break while they grow up. Then start again. Get a new buck.

Honestly, for just meat, I'd say that would get your freezer fill -- I mean they have a litter! -- and a welcome hiatus for the butchering part. Plan around your weather for best times.

It's like my dairy goats. I have full sized so use the meat buck because the kidding is only to bring on milk. The kids are "terminal", are bigger, sell better & I get milking does I replace some does or bucks whenever. I have meat & dairy for myself....sales help buy feed.

 

[secuono]

Breed at kit age of 4wks. Wean at kit age of 7wks. Gives mom a week alone and gives kits a week to be sure they're good to go before selling at 8wks or w/e.
Many moms and kits are fine doing it even earlier.
Or later, mostly up to you. Rest is dependent on mom's condition. Some get seriously worn out and you have to wean early and leave mom alone, not bred, awhile to regain condition.

 

[Ridgetop]

Rabbits usually only live about 5 years. Does start breeding at 6 months. They should be kept breeding and kindling on schedule. They are reliable breeding stock for only 2+ years, then litters may decrease in size and the doe may skip a breeding now and then. If your does are producing 8+ kits every 3 months from age 6 months to 2.5 years, then decreasing to 6 kits for a couple more years, you have certainly gotten your money's worth out of her. I would replace my does at age 3-3.5 years old or when their production dropped to 5 kits per litter and they were not settling every time. If they were special bloodlines or champion producers I kept them a little longer. By then they would have produced about 12+ litters of 8-10 fryers for me so about 90-100 bunnies. The best fryers would be kept as excellent breeding stock for show or sale. When the rabbits were got too old to produce profitably for me, I would take them to the local wildlife rescue. I donated the live rabbits to them to butcher and feed to the crippled raptors.

 

[Mini Horses]

When the rabbits were got too old to produce profitably for me, I would take them to the local wildlife rescue. I donated the live rabbits to them to butcher and feed to the crippled raptors.

. I like that.