Breeding Rabbits - What You Need To Know About The Do's and Don'ts

When it comes to breeding rabbits, one should not
only know about the proper care for them but also
the genetics involved. Whilst some people
might think of breeding rabbits as a simple task
to accomplish, it is not always this
way. There are certain rules to follow when
it comes to rabbit farming and in order to
produce the best, you have to keep in line with
them. First off, let's talk about the basics.

A small breed doe or female rabbit is ready to
mate by the time she reaches 5 months old. On
the other hand, a buck or a male rabbit would be
ready once he reaches 6 months old. Typically, it
would be wise to breed rabbits whose ancestries
have proof of good genetics and overall great
productivity. For this reason, you would need
the pedigree listings and various show winnings.
In fact, as a breeder, you should keep your own
records as well. As for the ratio, you can keep
it at 1:10 if you wish. That is, 1 buck to 10
does. The buck would be able to breed up to 7
times a week effectively. Now, let's talk about
the do's and don'ts of breeding rabbits.

- Do mate rabbits of the same breed. The only
exception to this rule would be breeding for the
sake of meat or pets. Otherwise, you may not mate
rabbits that aren't of the same breed. This is
because you won't be able to sell a pedigree
rabbit that has mixed blood and can't trace its
background for up to 4 generations.

- Don't keep more than one rabbit in a single
cage. This is imperative once the rabbit reaches
3 months or older. The reason for this is the
fact that rabbits actually mature faster when
they are kept in solitude.

- If you feel like you are ready to start
breeding rabbits, bring the doe to the buck's
cage. Don't do it the other way around because
the buck would be to busy sniffing around the
doe's cage to even pay attention to mating.

- There are people who live the doe in the
buck's cage overnight whilst there are those who
take the doe out once the 2 rabbits have mated.
If you choose to go with the latter, you need to
put the doe back in after a couple or more hours
as this would actually increase the likelihood
of pregnancy and might even increase the number
of offspring.

Quite obviously breeding rabbits isn't as easy
as it seems. However, with enough effort and
research, you would be able to do it correctly.
After all, breeding rabbits is a science and is
something that everyone can learn given enough
time to do it.

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Find out the correct way of breeding rabbits the
first time and avoid having to make painful
mistakes that beginner rabbit owner's are prone
too. Separate yourself from the average rabbit
owner who will end up harming their rabbits
without knowing it and you could learn more tips
on breeding rabbits from the guide here:
http://www.howtoraiserabbits.com

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