When the rabbit breed

When to breed

The doe always should be brought to the buck’s cage for mating; otherwise, she may fight him. When the mating is over, the doe should be removed from the buck’s cage and returned to her cage. You will know the mating has been completed when the buck falls away to the side from the doe. 

If you do not see this motion, take the doe out of the pen and place her with another buck

The doe will ovulate about 12 hours after this first mating. 

The doe can be taken back for a second mating with the same buck at this time to help conception rates. 

If the doe tries to fight the buck, take her out right away and wait a few days before trying to mate her again. 

Once in while, you will encounter a female that is showing all the signs of being ready to mate but will not allow the buck to mate her. 

This doe will need to be restrained so the buck can mount her.

However, this trait can be inherited, so it is best to get rid of these does so this trait is not passed on to her female progeny.

If you are breeding the rabbits for commercial meat production, a good breeding program to follow is to breed the does 42 days after kindling (giving birth). 

This will let each doe produce five litters a year. 

With an average litter size of eight kits (newborn rabbits), this means each doe will produce 40 young rabbits each year. 

Keep records for each doe and buck during the breeding, including the pairs mated, date, and number of young kindled and weaned. 

This will help you keep track of productivity of each animal, and help you decide which rabbits to cull (get rid off) according to poor performance — fewer than seven young kindled per doe or if bucks fail to service the does — or you can keep the young of those breeding pairs who perform exceptionally well.