Proven vs Unproven: Pros and Cons

[Legacy]

The best advice I have heard regarding buying your brood stock is to get 1 proven doe that is already bred and 1 or 2 jr does and a junior buck that is unrelated. That gives you the best starting of having babies soon, and raising your stock up for temperament.

 

[Roll farms]

Our "proven" Holland Lop doe has killed 3 litters and had 3 failed breedings.

:/

4 other does here doing fine, so I can't blame feed / conditions.

 

[bunnylovincowgirl]

If you buy a proven doe, it's important to talk to the breeder about their definition of proven. To me, proven means she raised a litter and was a good mom. But I know people that say a doe is proven if she's ever kindled, whether or not she raised the litter. Also, I know someone who won't call a doe proven unless she's raised a litter AND the babies were of good quality. So it's really important to know what the breeder means.

 

[Ms. Research]

Thanks Everyone! I'm truly glad I posted this thread. Learned A LOT about what to look for proven or unproven. Truly appreciate the help from all to make the best choice for my start in breeding rabbits.

 

[SlowMoneyFarm]

I've bought youngsters and adults and IMO it doesn't really matter. Good animals are good animals. They're all individuals and what works in one person's situation may not work in another. I've heard many stories of adults that worked great, were sold and were horrid. I also sold a nice but extremely temperamental doe to a friend on a 'one shot' deal - she had one chance to produce babies for him before the stew pot. To say she was nasty - I still have scars when she latched onto my arm at a show. He had her for several years - great mom, his kids crawled in the cage with her! So I've seen it go both ways.

Changes, dogs, coons, shadows, lighting, handling, feed - all these things and more can throw a rabbit off. Some adapt some don't. There are many reasons why a rabbit is different in one home than another. A home that handles rabbits roughly may have youngsters that are spazzes to handle too. I picked up a pair of chinchilla satin adults at convention - faster to breed and get litters from. Reasons for getting youngsters are many.

I have a doe here I've had since a jr. She's never raised a live litter - horrid mom. My giant chins are normally very good moms but don't foster well. I'm hoping the chin satin will foster kits from the horrid mom. I also bought two young Cals - difference in color is clear. Have a normally good mom that had a FIT when a handful of fur from another doe was put in her nest box. Every kit in the litter had damaged ears or, in the case of the one that doesn't, a nipped toe. Every one ruined for show. I have four does that will still be good for breeding, and the mama doe has another litter in the box that she's doing fine with. I have another doe who had every excuse to destroy her litter but raised every one. She had a litter that fell out of the cage and got beyond the fence into the back yard somehow, stayed together. I scooped up babies, leaves, mama and put them into a strange cage with a drop down nest box. A few days later the Alabama tornadoes hit all around us. All five of those offspring made the trip to convention. one was 2nd in youth; the doe was top 10 in open, and her brother was top 10 in open - so 3 top 10 placings against established breeders from 5 kits - yea she'll stay not only from quality but from maternal standpoints.

Bottom line - rabbits notice things we don't and may react to things we don't. They can't tell us if a dog visits at night or if coons or squirrels are getting in the barn. And sometimes they just like some places better than others. My horrid mom might be awesome for one of you - or might continue to kill litters. Rabbits do adjust to good handling and I feel like, young or older, they will usually respond to consistent handling. Not always, but I've found it to be true more often than not.

 

[DKRabbitry]

Bottom line - rabbits notice things we don't and may react to things we don't. They can't tell us if a dog visits at night or if coons or squirrels are getting in the barn. And sometimes they just like some places better than others. My horrid mom might be awesome for one of you - or might continue to kill litters.

Too true. I think that is what happened with the adult satin doe I got. She was kind of a stressy, nervous type rabbit to begin with so she may have been a perfect mother the place she was raised and comfortable, then we scooped her up and transported her to a new location and expected her to do just as good and she didn't handle it well at all. Another example is of a young rabbit I just sold. She was 4 months old, Giant Chinchilla. Out of really nice laid back parents, her litter sister that we retained is very nice and easy to handle. I didn't handle any of that litter much as babies because I wasn't planning on keeping any and I do not like to get attached to rabbits that we end up butchered, but I did do routine checks and she had never shown agression. Was always decent attitude-wise when I pulled her out to look her over. Well, she got to her new home and decided she was NOT a nice rabbit. She would growl and charge at people. I don't have a clue what exactly happened to her, but something must have. Or else she just grew into some agression. I haven't a clue. But anyways, point is, there are risks and unknown variables around every corner. What works for me and my bunnies, may or may not work for you, and vise versa.