# When to rebreed doe



## Silver Marten (Apr 27, 2009)

How long after kindling do you rebreed your does?

Emily


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## ladysown (May 3, 2008)

depends on your purpose for the rabbit and what you are comfortable doing.

some breeders follow a 42 day breeding schedule. Some breed within two weeks of kindling. Others allow for 5-6 week weaning and then breed once weaning is complete. 

Some people breed year round, others take time off depending on what the weather is, or what their plans are and such like. Me I take time off during the summer (vacations, heat etc) but otherwise breed the rest of the year. MOST of the time I breed two does at the same time (sometimes three) and then let them raise out their kits and breed back any time 6-8 weeks post kindling. I mostly breed for the pet market and don't really like pushing my does too much. I will occasionally...particularly for my bigger breeds as they tend to have more substance to them.


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

so funny you post this! I was just reading on this topic... our first two litters are 2 weeks old and some folks rebreed at this point...

I would be happy with 6 litters/year so I might rebreed at 4 weeks--it seems too soon to do otherwise...

http://pan-am.uniserve.com/pg000031.htm


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## RiverPines (Dec 12, 2006)

Anywhere from 3 months to a year or more.
I breed for fiber and so quantity is not an issue and I dont need to roll them over fast.
The quality of fiber matters most and it is available throughout the rabbits life.

So I never breed a doe sooner than 3 months after kindling. I need her to maintain peek condition to grow that fabulous fiber.


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## ctomosky (Jul 14, 2008)

I will breed them once every three months if they have kits, and once every other month if they don't. But, those are meat rabbits, I don't breed my angoras nearly as often.


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2009)

I'm raising for meat. I have 4 does. I breed two at the same time. I rebreed the does when their kits are 4 weeks old. I wean at 6 weeks.


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## Guest (Sep 28, 2009)

If you are showing your rabbits, the show seasons (spring and fall) will greatly determine when you will breed. If you have an awesome doe who is doing well at shows, do NOT breed her until the show season is over and/or when you're ready to retire her. Kindling will kill her coat and conditioning...some can NEVER go back and do well at shows afterward.


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

Lyndseyrk said:


> I'm raising for meat. I have 4 does. I breed two at the same time. I rebreed the does when their kits are 4 weeks old. I wean at 6 weeks.



Yep, same here, altho I sometimes dont have the option of breeding 2 at a time.


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## Reauxman (Sep 14, 2002)

I breed as close to weaning as possible. 

Sometimes it is the day they wean babies, sometimes a week or two later. Some does do not take when they are still lactating. 
Reaux


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

according to an article I read, does do not stop lactating... They said it is a falacy that you can "dry" a doe. I don't know, but will be re breeding our meat buns at the four week mark and removing the doe at 6 weeks to give her two weeks to herself in a new clean cage.

THe fryers will grow out and at 8-9 weeks will be butchered (males) or kept in a grow out cage (females) until 6 mos.


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## Reauxman (Sep 14, 2002)

You can feel the difference between a doe in milk and a dry doe.

I'm calling BS on that article.


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

Reauxman: not trying to be argumentative!

I will post a link tomm when I find it--I found it an interesting read--everyone has difference opinions. One article insists on breeding a doe at 80% of maturity ie 4 months at the latest---everyone here has cautioned to wait 5-6 mos min... Many opinions--I am trying to learn all I can!


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## 5050 (Oct 29, 2008)

The commercial breeders down here want their junior does to be 6 months old, before breeding. Many breed back at 30 days after kindle. This are NZW's almost exclusively.

The man who owns Blue Chip farms in the Carolinas raises thousands of rabbits. They breed back at 42 days after kindle. This saves cage space, lets mom feed the buns for you saving on feed costs, much lower mastitis issues in his opinion. The Does stay in better condition longer, the does get a couple of weeks to recover from any stress, fewer misses, higher weaning rates. Think more rabbits grown out per cage with the 42 day system.
Many folks here are happy with 3 - 4 litters a year.
Ultimately it will depend on your goals for your rabbits.


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

I begin breeding my jr does at about 4 1/2 months or so. I have Californians and New Zealand Whites.


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

50/50
Thanks--very helpful advice!
I was doing the math and recognize that if you wean at 42 days, there is less feed/cost involved. I was aiming for 4-5 litters/year with an average of 6 weanlilngs per doe.

Lots to learn...


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

what breed is Blue CHip raising--looks like Cal's...


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## bluebird2o2 (Feb 14, 2007)

I wait till the babies are 6 or 8 weeks but im breeding for shows.


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## o&itw (Dec 19, 2008)

If one is breeding for meat, and looking for good production the 30 day cycle works pretty well. At 4 or 5 weeks the kits are often starting to be weaned by the does, and this gives the doe another 3 weeks to fatten up a bit. 

I guess it is all about what ones goal is, and what one is feeding. I feed pellets and hay with some greens. Those feeding mostly forage will probably need a longer cycle. Looking at the economics of production, one has an individual cost for raising the kits (feed) which can not be varied. The number of kits produced a year has to be divided into the fixed costs per year (breeding stock, feed for breeding stock, cages and supplies ect. [and labor if anyone wants to due a true analysis]) If one is raising rabbits commercially they have to include labor as it is their "profit" In any case the cost to produce a kit is the cost of that kits feed PLUS his share of the fixed cost. Total fixed costs divided by the number of kits, plus the cost of feed (and maybe processing) for that kit = the cost of raising the kit. Thus one can see that the number of kits per year is the largest changeable factor. That is why large litters and many litters are so important, they drive the "fixed cost of raising a kit way down.

Of course, most of us are not comercial meat breeders, so we are not always as concerned about these factors. We don't necessarily need that much meat, and we tend to value the quality of chemical free meat, and the value of rabbits as relaxation as higher priorities. If a 30-day-after-kindling cycle seems to be intense, remember that colony raised rabbits and wild populations often breed back within a couple of days of kindling.


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## moonkitten (Mar 4, 2005)

Ceres Hil said:


> according to an article I read, does do not stop lactating... They said it is a falacy that you can "dry" a doe.


Ceres Hil, I understand you aren't being argumentative and neither am I, but the statement above implies that once bred and nursing a litter, that doe will continue to produce milk for the rest of her life even if she's never bred again. 

I suspect that what the article intended to say was that a doe CAN lactate continuously, and that you don't NEED to "dry" a doe. For example, a doe could nurse LitterA for 30 days, kindle again and nurse LitterB for 30 days, kindle again and nurse LitterC for 30 days. Indeed, some colonies do this and some breeders might choose to breed back in this fashion as well.

Those who cage raise and leave a significant interval between breedings, will tell you that does *will* stop lactating between litters when given enough time to dry up. That's not an opinion, that's a fact. Can you imagine lactating for the rest of your life with no popples to nurse? OUCH 

This might be splitting hairs, but I think it's important to have accurate information out there for newbies.


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

Moonkitten

Thats a good response: no I wouldn't want to be lactacting for life--now there is a slogan!

It seems that the article I read, missed some info or needs more explanation; I am merely learning all I can and obviously there are many opinions and studies (doesn't make them right either!)

I will have to dig out the article re-read and post a link...

thx


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## MaggieJ (Feb 6, 2006)

The Internet is a wonderful source of information... but there is also an awful lot of misinformation out there. It never hurts to run it by the forum and get opinions. And yes, Moonkitten explained it beautifully! :goodjob:


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## emptycupranch (Jul 13, 2008)

I have been breeding 6 weeks after kindling, weaning at 8 weeks, and breed two does at a time.


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## Silver Marten (Apr 27, 2009)

Thank you for all of the excellent information. 
I am wanting for my doe to be as productive as possible but I also want for my kits to grow well. Do kits that are weaned earlier than 7 weeks tend to grow slower than kits that are weaned at 8 weeks?


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## SFM in KY (May 11, 2002)

Silver Marten said:


> Do kits that are weaned earlier than 7 weeks tend to grow slower than kits that are weaned at 8 weeks?


I've weaned as early as 5 weeks and as late as 7 weeks, but tend to prefer weaning at 6 weeks. I've actually seen very little difference in growout times, though ... everything seems to end up being about butcher weight between 9 and 11 weeks. 

I've found that putting doe and kits in the growout cages at about 3 weeks and removing the doe when I wean seems to make weaning go easier on the kits. I don't see the 2 or 3 days of some of the kits not eating well that I sometimes had when I was moving the kits to growout cages. I also think that having the bigger cage, especially with large litters, helps as well.


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## Reauxman (Sep 14, 2002)

I wait 6-8 months to breed my does regardless of the breed. 

Years ago I didn't do that and noticed that some does took to mothering right away. Those did fine. Those that didn't followed suit with the next few litters, and never caught on until about 18 months old. After watching this time and time again, and loosing many nice litters, I asked a friend and she said she just waits the extra two months and 95% of does will be good first time moms then. It works for me.

Yes, 95% of my does build a nest and nurse their litters. I gave up wooden boxes for drop nests and it made a world of difference. Unfortunately this won't work in most places as the babies will be frozen half the year.


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## Silver Marten (Apr 27, 2009)

Reauxman said:


> I wait 6-8 months to breed my does regardless of the breed.
> 
> Years ago I didn't do that and noticed that some does took to mothering right away. Those did fine. Those that didn't followed suit with the next few litters, and never caught on until about 18 months old. After watching this time and time again, and loosing many nice litters, I asked a friend and she said she just waits the extra two months and 95% of does will be good first time moms then. It works for me.
> 
> Yes, 95% of my does build a nest and nurse their litters. I gave up wooden boxes for drop nests and it made a world of difference. Unfortunately this won't work in most places as the babies will be frozen half the year.


That is very interesting.
I have never heard of a drop nest before. What does it look like?

Emily


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## 5050 (Oct 29, 2008)

Bass and Klubertanz have pictures of the drop down boxes on their catalogs, I think. There may be pics of drop down boxes someone has posted but I couldn't find them.
Here is an interesting alternative one of our innovative members came up with.
http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=288523&highlight=cage


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

Reauxman said:


> I gave up wooden boxes for drop nests and it made a world of difference. Unfortunately this won't work in most places as the babies will be frozen half the year.



Evidently you do not have the correct setup. My drop nests are designed so that the wooden box can be flippped over when the doe is to kindle. After the litter is weaned it is flipped back over and provides a resting board for the doe. Picture it as a drawer in your dresser. I use them year round and our temps can get as low as 0* or lower.


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## Ceres Hil (Aug 13, 2008)

i like their two liter bottle holders! wow--that would save a lot of time refilling waterers...


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## Briza (Aug 11, 2009)

Great thread! Thanks for sharing all the different ways to do this.
We break in summer and only rebreed after weaning. And does are mature before first breeding but we don't push any of our animals much.
Great reading. Thanks


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## Reauxman (Sep 14, 2002)

General Brown said:


> Evidently you do not have the correct setup. My drop nests are designed so that the wooden box can be flippped over when the doe is to kindle. After the litter is weaned it is flipped back over and provides a resting board for the doe. Picture it as a drawer in your dresser. I use them year round and our temps can get as low as 0* or lower.


No, I have no problems with mine. I don't have any wood. All it does it makes the kits warmer in summer and harbors bacteria. I have all wire, and it is stuffed with hay before the does drop.


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## General Brown (Jan 10, 2008)

You live in Louisiana, and Im sure the climate is different. In the colder climates, wooden nest boxes are a must. They can be disenfected just as any wooden cutting board in any kitchen. Drop down nest boxes work great for me in Missouri.


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