# doe not getting pregnant - what are we doing wrong?



## silvergirl (Jul 30, 2006)

Hi, all,
We bought twenty doe this winter and bred them according to the schedule we were told to follow... Putting the doe with the buck to stimulate ovulation and then taking her out and returning her to the buck twelve hours later for the breeding to take.

Out of twenty doe, only one has produced a litter. Clearly, the advice we got was wrong. What is the interval you all find most successful between the first and second breeding to the buck? 

We had hoped to have kits to harvest in 8 weeks and now we are coming up empty handed! We've carried these rabbits all winter and need to see an income from them over the summer. Any advice you can give would be most appreciated!

Thanks
Silvergirl


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## freedomfrom4 (Jul 27, 2009)

I'm probablly doing it wrong, but I put the doe in and leave her there till the next day. I don't have any luck with just a quick date. I also watch at first to make sure there is no foul play. I just bred a bunch, so we will see if it really worked in 26 days  

My young bucks don't get it done as well as my old bucks either. The old fellas don't care if I hold the doe or not, but the young ones can't focus on thier job if there is no chasing involved.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Are you making sure the male breeds the female each time?

Are these all with the same male?

I'd try a different male.

I leave mine together until my female is about to pop, wouldn't work for you unless you put them all in a colony situation and just pulled the does into individual cages when they got fat. 

I'd still try a different male, preferably an older one who knows what to do.

How old are your does?

How fat are your does and buck?

I'd try a different buck. I know I'm saying this alot, but you should have had more than one litter all winter even with the way you are doing it (which is a very successful breeding plan for alot of people).


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2010)

There are about as many methods of timing breedings on rabbits as there are people breeding them. I've tried all of them I've heard of and *my most successful litter sizes are coming from a 2nd breeding 1 hour after the first.*

If there is something wrong with the "equipment" of the buck or doe, any method you are going to use will fail. I'd try a different approach, and if doesn't work, you will need to look at the condition (fattness) of your animals, ages, receptiveness, etc.


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## nzw tom (Oct 7, 2009)

I put the doe in with the buck and let him breed her 2-3 times. I then take her away. In 6-8 hours, I put the doe back in with the buck and let him breed her a couple more times.

If the buck does not breed the doe, the first time, I try again the next day.

This has worked well for me.

Good luck
Tom


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## silvergirl (Jul 30, 2006)

Thanks, everyone...

We've got a total of six bucks that we have bred the doe to... a dozen of them were due on the 2nd and only one gave birth... another six were due yesterday but only one was even pulling fur... so far nothing from any of them...

We've tried the 8 - 12 hour method of re-breeding... consistently with the same buck both times... I've watched to be certain that the buck was mounting the doe successfully - falling off to the side, as they do - three of our bucks were born in 08, the other three in 09... admittedly two of the bucks seemed less enthusiastic than they should have... so we will probably cull them and introduce some younger bucks... but to have eleven out of twelve doe not produce anything, and five out of another six giving no sign whatsoever that they are getting ready to produce - well, I wondered if we were doing something wrong... 

When I was younger (a lot!) I lived on a farm near Toronto, Canada, and we bred rabbits there - the farmer taught me to check for the doe's readiness by checking the vulva but I'd never heard of anyone else doing that, so when we got into breeding our own rabbits, we did the twelve hour gap method...

I'll try the one hour gap... and I'll try checking the doe for readiness, record our results, and let y'all know...

Thanks
silvergirl


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2010)

Another thought: Are you using the same buck on multiple does on the same day/session? If so, the first 1 or 2 may get "the goods" while the rest he may just be "shooting blanks".


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