I am not good at breeding rabbits.

[GLENMAR]

So i had 3 bucks and bred them to 4 does. Only 1 doe kindled. She only had 4 babies.
These were American Blues and New Zealand, so I would expect bigger litters.
I watched all the bucks finish and fall off. All does were bred twice except the one that actually got pregnant.
Their weights are good. What am I doing wrong??

 

[D1]

are these first time breeders? sometimes they dont take the first time.......how old are they?.......sometimes age makes a difference.........sometimes the doe will accept the buck, however if she is not in "heat" she will not take.. try them again as for size of litter its just like all other animals...the peek of the her season is the best time to breed her, before or after will reduce the number of babies born.

 

[GLENMAR]

Yep. They are all first timers about 12-14 mos old. I have rebred 2 out of the 3 again.
I am going to breed the 3rd doe today or tomorrow.

 

[alsea1]

They will get with it. They are rabbits lol.
Rabbits ovulate when bred. They do not have heat cycles like other animals. Which makes breeding much easier.
Just keep trying.

 

[GLENMAR]

Ok. I guess I am just impatient.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Especially if they haven't been bred in a while, the first litters will be harder to get and smaller in number. Breed them again, I do once in the morning and again that evening and call it done. I let the buck fall off a minimum of 3 times. My does have been consistently giving me 10+ litters. Only the entire last litter I had was killed by a rattle snake. Don't put your cages on the ground. (I was in the process of making stands) and I learned the hard way.

 

[Bunnylady]

Like cats, rabbits are what are called "induced ovulators." They ripen eggs, but hold them in readiness - it is the act of breeding that causes the eggs to be released. That said, they do have hormonal peaks and valleys. Eggs ripen at the hormonal peak; a doe bred then is more likely to have a good sized litter. Before putting a doe with a buck, check the color of the lining of her vulva. A bright, cherry red color signals a doe at the peak of her cycle. A doe with a light pink color is less likely to breed, and less likely to conceive if she does. A purple color shows a doe that has passed her peak. She may or may not breed, but she's less likely to take if she does.

But the simple answer to "What am I doing wrong?" is - you are working with rabbits!

 

[alsea1]

Thats good info bunnylady.
I am going to start checking the color and adding that to chart info.
Thank you

 

[GLENMAR]

I thought there were only 4 babies actually there are 7!!

 

[Bunnylady]

I thought there were only 4 babies actually there are 7!!

Ah, the ol' "make babies appear out of thin air" trick!