Summer heat vs time between litters

[Teneniel]

Hello there! I’m new to BYH and to meat rabbits. I have Silver Foxes.

my founder doe has a litter that is 3 weeks old. I was going to rebreed her at 6 weeks, but it’s looking like we’re in for early hot weather. I do need another litter before I break for summer. In your opinions, it better to wait and risk the heat, or go now and risk a tired cranky doe?

thanks so much!

 

[promiseacres]

It just depends on your needs and set up and location. If you will need more meat in about 4 months then breed her. If not give her a break.
We are in NW Indiana, I have an insulated shed plus add fans in the summer and offer ice bottles. We've had a litter or two in September, and early July but pretty much nothing July and August. With our current rabbits we rarely have fall litters either, as they seem to be more willing in the Spring. Taking a break could reduce your doe's willingness until Spring, it's hard to say but I have seen that different breeds and lines are more seasonal than others. So far our Polish and NZ appear willing any day or time. Our Mini rex and Velveteen lops are definitely more willing in the spring.

 

[Teneniel]

Thank you! It was 80 today and my buck was a sack of potatoes. They have shade and ventilation but all of us here in the PNW melt in any kind of heat. We’re whimps.

yesterday I did end up taking the doe out to the buck and she was more than happy to spend some time with him, which surprised me. Hopefully we’ll have another litter and then she’ll get a nice long summer vacation

 

[Ridgetop]

As long as you keep the litter cool and out of direct sun (remove excess fur in the am and out it back at night when it cools off). Use fans and ice bottles and you can breed all summer. Make sure to check the litter am and pm for dead kits since flies will lay eggs in dead kits and you can lose the whole litter from the contamination. I am in southern California and used to breed all summer through high temps in my large pole barn. You can also mount misters around the outside of the rabbit area and they will drop the interior temperature by at least 10 degrees. The new misters put out so little water that it evaporates by the time it hits the ground. I used to breed all winter long too by running a light in the barn.

When breeding through the summer, it is not the doe you need to worry about as much as the bucks. Adult bucks go sterile in the heat and become fertile again when the temperatures drop. I always kept a December or January buck for summer breeding. A young buck will stay fertile in high heat when an adult buck will be sterile. If you want to breed during hot summers this is the easiest way to get litters.

 

[Teneniel]

Thank you! That was extremely informative! This is my first year, so I’m sort of going with the natural rhythm of things until I figure out my needs. I will keep that in mind going forward!