[Buffy in Dallas]

I've had an awful start this fall breeding. I bred 2 does. One had 2 babies,both died. The other didn't have any at all! I'm a little Irked. Maybe the heat was the problem. How long does it take for a buck to recover from heat induced sterility? I kept Him inside this summer until it got under 100 degrees. At what age should a buck be replaced?

 

[Ray]

hi Buffy, I can't answer your question about how old you should keep a buck, they can live to over 12 years. I believe there might be some standard set at several rabbitrys, in order to maximise production. However in a smaller home rabbitry used to make extra money, you can keep older bucks that have specific traits you really want, but you must keep young bucks that wont go sterile with the heat, too. This way you can breed as soon as the doe will allow, after the heat lets up, and will not be too much of a problem later. Yet you can still get litters with the old buck too. The way you described the kindling the problem may have been with the does not being fully recovered from the heat themselves, before being bred. I've had the same problem from time to time over the years, usually after a rather long heat spell with a nice break in which I bred then the heat came back. bad timing on my part. The only good answer is to be wealthy enough to have large climate controlled buildings, in other words air conditioned barns. Wouldnt that be nice? Ray

 

[chickflick]

Hi! I used to have about a hundred show bunnies AND I used to live south of Dallas a little ways.

Okay.. here's the deal: ANy buck is rendered sterile (temporarily) when the temperature rises above 85 degrees for 5 consecutive days. After fall kicks in (or at least lower temps) for a while.. breed as usual.

If you want earlier kits.. keep your buck in a/c or some other ingenious way.. cooled down. In the house could work! But I met a lot of people w/really good ideas and strategies.

Don't give up.. give it a couple of weeks and breed again. Time should be getting about right. ALSO.. did you check your femal to be 'ready".. purple in vulva area. (Of course the MEAN way to see if a breeding TOOK is to put doe in w/buck after about 2 weeks.. she'll run like she's being 'assaulted') Better to learn to palpate!

Hope this helps. (Or maybe I misread the question? Sorry, if so)

 

[Buffy in Dallas]

Thanks for the replies. I have a doe who is due in 2 weeks. I hope. :? I am building a greenhouse this week to put the bunnies in this winter. I hope to add air conditioning this spring. Of course that eliminates any hope of actually breaking even financially. Oh well, they are a fun hobby.

 

[Pat Lamar]

>(Of course the MEAN way to see if a breeding TOOK is to put doe in w/buck after about 2 weeks.. she'll run like she's being 'assaulted') Better to learn to palpate!<

"Test breeding" like that is not recommended! Even a pregnant doe will still breed and this opens the door to a potential double litter with the second litter to be born 2 weeks after the first! Does it happen? Absolutely! I accidentally bred a pregnant doe two weeks after the initial breeding. She did not run away from the buck, but willingly bred. She delivered two litters spaced two weeks apart... right on time for each breeding. Since this was an isolated accidental incident, I can only imagine how often it would happen if I made a practice of "test breeding!" Palpating is the *ONLY* sure way of determining pregnancy.

Pat Lamar
President
Professional Rabbit Meat Association
http://www.prma.org/