Things I Wish I Knew Before Breeding Rabbits
Here's a list of personal experiences that I encountered along my rabbit raising journey. I hope some of you find this helpful and can avoid some shortcomings that I went through! It'll save you a substantial amount of time and trouble.
Breeding
1. They might "breed" like rabbits but conceiving healthy, surviving litters can be trying!
2. Don't just breed once and wait 30 days only to be disappointed if the doe didn't take. Breed and then attempt 10 days later in case she didn't take the first time.
3. Starting with a trio will increase your odds of a successful litter: both for conceiving, ability to foster kits, etc.
4. Plan your breedings around the health of the doe. If she loses flesh or condition, consider waiting until she recovers.
5. Make sure you choose a good buck -- does seem to have a shorter breeding span (overtime litter numbers will get smaller, stress toll on their bodies, etc) but a good buck can produce across many does and longer amount of time.
6. Don't be afraid to rebreed your does while they are still raising up kits. If a doe is in good shape, you can safely rebreed her once her current litter is 4 weeks old so that way when you wean, a litter will be on the way. Sometimes giving them too long of a break in between litters isn't always the way to go if you're going to be serious about showing!
7. Seeing the same buck over and over on a pedigree is a GOOD thing. Even I squirmed a bit when I started in rabbits when I learned that a doe would be bred back to her sire, and grand-kits up to grandsires...this is a great system called "line breeding". There are many good articles online describing why many breeders do this to concentrate the positive traits in their bloodlines.
Raising Kits:
1. Don't wean earlier than necessary. Most kits thrive better the later they're weaned.
2. Know your state laws regarding sales of animals. Most don't permit sales of animals under the age of 8 weeks.
3. Provide plenty of hay and fresh water. They'll go through growth spurts. Hay provides much needed fiber as they begin to transition from nursing to pellets.
4. If you handle frequently kits, you'll likely end up with better socialized animals.
5. If you're breeding for showing, not just meat, consider allowing only the fittest and strongest kits remain with the mother. The more milk they can receive, the healthier and quicker they'll grow.
6. Cull stragglers. In the beginning this might be hard because you're wanting to keep what you can but overtime, you'll note that even the runts and stragglers have an impact on even the best and strongest kits. Do them a favor and save resources/time for ones that have a better potential in your barn.
7. Note the qualities you are seeing in your barn. How do certain bloodlines interact with itself/others? It's takes experience, but it's an important skill to know how your breedings are working. Sometimes linebreeding only works so long and then you'll need to figure out when to outcross.
Keeping Rabbits
1. Wear either a Carhartt jacket/Kevlar knit sleeves or some form of arm protection to prevent getting clawed up.
2. You will never have enough cages - make them before you think you'll need them.
3. Keeping extra supplies on hand like water bottles and feeders are handy when something suddenly breaks or you need to quickly build a spare cage.
4. Keep a rabbit medicine kit BEFORE you end up needing it. I learned this the hard way (stores being out of stock with rabbits requiring a certain item).
5. Consider ways to keep your rabbits cool in the summer so that they don't get heat stress (fans, frozen water bottles to lay by...)
6. Conversely, warm in the winter: insulating cages, heat.
8. Inspect your hay closely. Mold, dusty hay, or alfalfa can cause what appears to be snuffles (sneezing, running eyes, allergy like symptoms).
Showing
1. Prepare the week before a show, not last minute. Getting tattoo ink off fur, making sure you have hay/water bottles packed, etc. is not something you want to worry about the morning of a show.
2. Arm yourself with business cards for your rabbitry. Shows are a great way to build connections and nothing is worse than not having a pen on hand or a piece of paper to jot down info.
3. Make sure you submit complete info about your rabbit for show entries. This includes: rabbit breed, variety, class (junior/int./senior), sex, and tattoo number.
4. Keep a gallon jug of water ready to fill water bottles at the show.
5. If you are showing more than one breed, it's helpful to have someone assist paying attention to what your classes are called. Sometimes all of your breeds may be up at the same time but you can only physically attend one!
6. Show only your best animals -- there's no point in wasting money on a judge's opinion if you already have a good gut feeling yourself. However, if you need an opinion between which rabbit you should keep or need further information, sometimes it's worth to bring the rabbit along.
7. If you want to show rabbits, particularly at cooped shows, consider buying or making risers for several reasons.
-If your rabbit has never been exposed to cedar shavings, they can display symptoms of irritation like sneezing, runny eyes, etc. and not truly have an illness.
-If you have white rabbits, forget staying clean!
8. At cooped shows, don't always presume that the rabbits next to you at a show are actually healthy - bring cardboard pieces to slide between cage walls to instantly create a healthy barrier. Many breeders do this, so it's not uncommon to see!
9. Remember a judge's opinion is only that: a judge's opinion. It doesn't hurt to find out more about a judge. Sometimes some judges have experience raising multiple breeds over the years and are very good all around. Sometimes they only raise fancy breeds and will incorrectly breeds and pose a commercial rabbit wrong! They're human. Sometimes a judge will have a long day with no sleep or a break and not examine a rabbit as closely as they can...Take all of this into consideration.
9a. Don't cull purely based on a judge's opinion. You know what you see in your rabbits, in your herd, and what's out there. Sometimes even several judges can overlook a nice rabbit. Keep a balanced focus.
1. They might "breed" like rabbits but conceiving healthy, surviving litters can be trying!
2. Don't just breed once and wait 30 days only to be disappointed if the doe didn't take. Breed and then attempt 10 days later in case she didn't take the first time.
3. Starting with a trio will increase your odds of a successful litter: both for conceiving, ability to foster kits, etc.
4. Plan your breedings around the health of the doe. If she loses flesh or condition, consider waiting until she recovers.
5. Make sure you choose a good buck -- does seem to have a shorter breeding span (overtime litter numbers will get smaller, stress toll on their bodies, etc) but a good buck can produce across many does and longer amount of time.
6. Don't be afraid to rebreed your does while they are still raising up kits. If a doe is in good shape, you can safely rebreed her once her current litter is 4 weeks old so that way when you wean, a litter will be on the way. Sometimes giving them too long of a break in between litters isn't always the way to go if you're going to be serious about showing!
7. Seeing the same buck over and over on a pedigree is a GOOD thing. Even I squirmed a bit when I started in rabbits when I learned that a doe would be bred back to her sire, and grand-kits up to grandsires...this is a great system called "line breeding". There are many good articles online describing why many breeders do this to concentrate the positive traits in their bloodlines.
Raising Kits:
1. Don't wean earlier than necessary. Most kits thrive better the later they're weaned.
2. Know your state laws regarding sales of animals. Most don't permit sales of animals under the age of 8 weeks.
3. Provide plenty of hay and fresh water. They'll go through growth spurts. Hay provides much needed fiber as they begin to transition from nursing to pellets.
4. If you handle frequently kits, you'll likely end up with better socialized animals.
5. If you're breeding for showing, not just meat, consider allowing only the fittest and strongest kits remain with the mother. The more milk they can receive, the healthier and quicker they'll grow.
6. Cull stragglers. In the beginning this might be hard because you're wanting to keep what you can but overtime, you'll note that even the runts and stragglers have an impact on even the best and strongest kits. Do them a favor and save resources/time for ones that have a better potential in your barn.
7. Note the qualities you are seeing in your barn. How do certain bloodlines interact with itself/others? It's takes experience, but it's an important skill to know how your breedings are working. Sometimes linebreeding only works so long and then you'll need to figure out when to outcross.
Keeping Rabbits
1. Wear either a Carhartt jacket/Kevlar knit sleeves or some form of arm protection to prevent getting clawed up.
2. You will never have enough cages - make them before you think you'll need them.
3. Keeping extra supplies on hand like water bottles and feeders are handy when something suddenly breaks or you need to quickly build a spare cage.
4. Keep a rabbit medicine kit BEFORE you end up needing it. I learned this the hard way (stores being out of stock with rabbits requiring a certain item).
5. Consider ways to keep your rabbits cool in the summer so that they don't get heat stress (fans, frozen water bottles to lay by...)
6. Conversely, warm in the winter: insulating cages, heat.
8. Inspect your hay closely. Mold, dusty hay, or alfalfa can cause what appears to be snuffles (sneezing, running eyes, allergy like symptoms).
Showing
1. Prepare the week before a show, not last minute. Getting tattoo ink off fur, making sure you have hay/water bottles packed, etc. is not something you want to worry about the morning of a show.
2. Arm yourself with business cards for your rabbitry. Shows are a great way to build connections and nothing is worse than not having a pen on hand or a piece of paper to jot down info.
3. Make sure you submit complete info about your rabbit for show entries. This includes: rabbit breed, variety, class (junior/int./senior), sex, and tattoo number.
4. Keep a gallon jug of water ready to fill water bottles at the show.
5. If you are showing more than one breed, it's helpful to have someone assist paying attention to what your classes are called. Sometimes all of your breeds may be up at the same time but you can only physically attend one!
6. Show only your best animals -- there's no point in wasting money on a judge's opinion if you already have a good gut feeling yourself. However, if you need an opinion between which rabbit you should keep or need further information, sometimes it's worth to bring the rabbit along.
7. If you want to show rabbits, particularly at cooped shows, consider buying or making risers for several reasons.
-If your rabbit has never been exposed to cedar shavings, they can display symptoms of irritation like sneezing, runny eyes, etc. and not truly have an illness.
-If you have white rabbits, forget staying clean!
8. At cooped shows, don't always presume that the rabbits next to you at a show are actually healthy - bring cardboard pieces to slide between cage walls to instantly create a healthy barrier. Many breeders do this, so it's not uncommon to see!
9. Remember a judge's opinion is only that: a judge's opinion. It doesn't hurt to find out more about a judge. Sometimes some judges have experience raising multiple breeds over the years and are very good all around. Sometimes they only raise fancy breeds and will incorrectly breeds and pose a commercial rabbit wrong! They're human. Sometimes a judge will have a long day with no sleep or a break and not examine a rabbit as closely as they can...Take all of this into consideration.
9a. Don't cull purely based on a judge's opinion. You know what you see in your rabbits, in your herd, and what's out there. Sometimes even several judges can overlook a nice rabbit. Keep a balanced focus.