Breeding and reproduction of rabbits all other pets. A complete handbook on backyard and commercial rabbit production glossary breeder. Handling the breeding doe it is advisable to mate does when they are coming into maturity. C547 raising rabbits ksre bookstore kansas state university. Breeding meat rabbits 101 the imperfectly happy home. Smallscale sustainable rabbit production attra ncat. Reproduction a ovulation the rabbit belongs to a group of mammals which do not ovulate spontaneously. These schedules are based on the average 31day gestation period. Many breeding failures result from the does being overfat. Rabbit breeding and rural development the mexican family packages. Although a single mating is often sufficient stimulus to stimulate ovulation, breeders often allow mating to occur several times over a 30minute period before returning the doe to her enclosure. Two does and one buck should produce 180 pounds of meat per year. With a wellbalanced and complete feed, the mating delay must be adapted depending on the size of the previous litter. Learn about topics such as how to determine the sex of a rabbit, how to tell the age of a rabbit, how to take care of a pregnant rabbit, and more with our helpful stepbystep instructions with photos and videos.
For smallmedium breeds, they can be bred at 67 months old. Having one rabbit is a good start, but the only thing better that having a rabbit is. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat. The normal estrus cycle is 16 to 18 days, with two infertile days at the beginning and the end when the doe lacks interest in the buck. A complete handbook on backy ard and commercial rabbit production. Thus there are only 40 days, or two oestrus cycles, in which to conceive. Breed young does of the small and medium breeds at 6 months of age and giant breeds when they are 8 to 9 months old. This lets you line up some of the good genes so to speak. Careful selection of rabbits for breeding can lead to improvements in the herd. This is a form of breeding where two rabbits are breed together, then the offspring back to the parents. I learned, the hard way, that breeders dont generally sell a doe that is producing well.
Breeding season of the wild rabbit in new zealand nature. You can get a loan from the bank, or funding from investors, to use as capital to start your rabbit farming business. Commercial rabbit production mississippi state poultry science. Bucks male rabbits are usually ready around 6 months old if a small breed, 7 months if medium, and 9 months for a large breed. Aug 21, 2017 breeding rabbits documentary modern method of rabbit breeding. Proper handling of the breeding doe and providing her with a comfortable hutch and nest box are also necessary for a sound breeding programme. Rabbits need a balanced diet of unlimited grass hay timothy, orchard, oat, brome, limited pellets, and fresh greens. Breeding domestic rabbits, from mating the buck and doe, to weaning the bunnies.
The perfect butchering age is around 8 weeks of age. Breeding techniques and management 4h1464 is part of the michigan 4h youth development rabbit tracks series. If you as a homesteader are considering keeping and breeding rabbits, they can produce a steady additional income. However, additionally, we can also see their vulva appears more visible and may turn a reddishbrown color. Breeding and reproduction of rabbits all other pets merck. Just keep working down the line, after a few generations down, cull and keep the best. Now you can avoid the common problems with raising rabbits, and learn all the interventions you can employ to avert disaster with bucks, does, and kits. All the secrets and tips for rabbit breeding from the top experts in the world compiled from over 20 years of handson rabbit breeding experience, including what to do when something goes wrong, how to handraise baby rabbits, and a detailed breakdown of the breeding process.
If youre just starting out, id recommend starting with a trio 2 does and 1 buck. A complete handbook on backy ard and commercial rabbit. Print out a breeding board on standard paper, then laminate or place in a plastic page protector. The section at the top of the page is for your rabbit s name and breed. A significant percentage of baby rabbits do not survive past weaning age.
Little reliable information is available on the breeding cycle of the wild rabbit oryctolagus cuniculus in new zealand, though there is a widely held. This means you will need a larger breed so it will be a decent size by the 8week mark. The rabbit s life expectancy in the laboratory or breeding colony will rarely exceed four to five years, although under natural conditions they may, particularly in the case of males, live at least twice that long adams, 1976. A correctly written chart recording the male and female ancestors of a rabbit, also showing the date of birth. The doe should always be taken to the males hutch for breeding and not vice versa. How to prepare the rabbit nesting box and when to place it in the does cage. To download, rightclick either pdf or word under each icon. Rabbits are inducedovulators and ovulation occurs only after mating. Rabbit breeding is a brief affair ovulation occurs 10 to hours after mating vella 2012, o malley 2005, richardson 2000. Jul 24, 2017 selecting the types of rabbits thats best for you all different types of rabbits make a wonderful addition to a backyard micro farm that are easy to care for, fun to raise and that has lots of benefits.
Cows in poor condition and lactating may stop cycling altogether. The amount of capital required when raising rabbits for meat depends on the scale of the project. The release of eggs in female rabbits is triggered by sexual intercourse, not by a cycle of hormones as in humans. Despite how the old adage sounds, there is some credibility to the comparison of certain mating habits and rituals with that of the rabbit. The symptoms of a female rabbit in heat are similar to those of a male rabbit. Free rabbitry record sheets to download and print rabbit. We filled the web pages with as much detail as reasonably possible. Our 87page ebook covers all aspects of rabbit reproduction from mating, to pregnancy, kindling, care of the rabbit kits, weaning, sexing, and rebreeding. Sanitized nest boxes should be placed in the hutch between the 27th and.
Breeding keep records doe is induced ovulator in heat 14 out of 16 days gestation 33 days breeding schedule take doe to buck day 1016. A rabbit may normally start breeding at the age of 6 months for the small to medium size breeds and 8 to 9 months for the heavy breeds. You will need money for constructing the rabbit hutches, buying the breeding stock, buying the feeds e. It also could includes grandparents or sometimes greatgrandparents. It also discusses common breeding problems such as decline in productivity, pseudopregnancy and lack of libido.
Breeding rabbits is an emotional experience, and rightly so, for its taking on a lot of responsibility to bring new lives into the world. A small breed may accept mating at 34 monthsof age whereas the larger breed may accept mating at 89 months of age. After the doe has kindled, i normally rebreed her at 6 weeks and wean the litter at 57 weeks. Before we can even think about breeding our rabbits we must have a good foundation stock.
Line breeding can enhance good attributes but you will also see some bad attributes amplified. A doe can be used for breeding up to the age of 3 years and culling shouldbe made afterwards. Breed young does of the small and medium breeds at. Production of rabbit skins and angora wool rabbit skins the angora 9. We discuss this in detail with our post on raising rabbits for profit. It is important to know that when raising rabbits for meat that the older the rabbit gets, the tougher the meat becomes. You should have cages for your kits so that the mamma rabbit can rotate back into your breeding cycle. Since we dont keep our records binder in the rabbitry, we record breedings on a breeding board, then transfer the info to our binder once a month. Rabbit reproduction raising rabbits ebook on breeding rabbits. The guide to raising and breeding rabbits for meat mother. Rabbit breeding schedules are usually based on 7day.
One who breeds or rears a special variety of rabbits in conformity with accepted standards of perfection or for the purpose of improving their commercial value. The types of rabbits to choose from rabbit farm, rabbit. When it is time to breed your rabbits it is best to do so on solid ground. Raising rabbits breeding rabbits department of education. A complete handbook on backyard and commercial rabbit production glossary pedigree. Most inline breeding is done to amplify the desirable traits of the two rabbits chosen to breed. It is very important to record breeding info immediately. The gestation period time between breeding and kindling is 31 days. Dob is date of birth, and dtb is date to breed when your rabbit is a senior and old enough to breed. Mar 11, 2020 kits will mature to butchering size in about ten weeks, and dont need to be with their mother that whole time.
Rabbit breeds of medium to large size are sexually mature at 4 to 4. Here are links to all the reproductive and maternal stages of rabbit breeding. Breeding rabbits documentary modern method of rabbit breeding. When left to their own devices, it is possible for two healthy females and one healthy male rabbit to produce one offspring for every week of the year. Then click save link as if you are using firefox, or save target as if you are using ie. This 3page fullcolor fact sheet covers setting up a rabbit breeding system, mating, and determining proper age to breed. I only kept one sheet for the whole rabbitry and noted several rabbits placements on it in each show. Rabbits will usually kindle at night so if you work days you should be home in time to check on the new litter. You want to start breeding does female rabbits when they are reaching maturity. This is the period of time between mating and kindling birth of the young rabbits. A domesticated rodent of the genus oryctolagus cuniculus.
Number of rabbits per unit in rabbit farming project. Breeding rabbits learn everything you want about breeding rabbits with the wikihow breeding rabbits category. The average gestation period time from breeding until birth of young is. Line breeding is the act of breeding a father to a daughter, or a mother to son. Also, part of dealing with new life is dealing with death. The first oestrus cycle after calving comes after about 36 days the second oestrus cycle comes 15 to 21 days later. Breeding rabbits documentary modern method of rabbit. Be sure to first construct hygienic and safe rabbit hutches, and be well informed on rabbit care, before ordering your first furry rabbits, and experiencing. Below is a line breeding chart to show how this is done, the first two should be unrelated. The next section includes identifying markers such as sex, color and pattern variety, tattoo, as well as a brief reminder of his or her bloodlines. Show records i used this one on a rabbitrywide basis.
There are many species in the rabbit family but all domesticated rabbits are believed to have descended from a single species known as the european rabbit. This is one of the most important ways in which rabbit keepers can increase production. May 05, 20 the doe should have her litter during the week on day 30 or day 31 after breeding remember you marked the breeding date on the calendar. Rabbitry management the production cycle organizing a rabbitry 8. There are too many rabbit breeds to fully describe in this manual. More info on rabbit pregnancies get practice interpreting confusing rabbit pregnancy signs in one breeders three californian does. Duration of does pregnancy from mating to kindling. Remember poor breeding stock will produce poor offspring. We find they will mark territory with urine, have periods of both restlessness and aggression as well as riding objects for sexual stimulation. As with all animals, the growth and physical development of the individual doe should be the final deciding factor when to breed. To fulfill the demand for rabbit meat of the evermore densely populated urban areas, both prepacked whole rabbit carcasses and cutup such as hind legs and loin were successfully introduced. Always keep in mind, however, that inbreeding can also magnify undesirable traits, so choose carefully. Rabbit breeding and rural development the mexican family.
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