Preparing For Breeding
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Make sure to spend time preparing for breeding before you jump right into it. Once a bunny is successfully bred, there is not much time before you will have babies! Here are a couple questions to consider before you start breeding your rabbits:
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Why do I want to breed rabbits?
Are the bunnies I am breeding of good quality? 
Am I trying to breed close to the standard of perfection?
Do I have a plan for housing the rabbits once born?
Do I have a plan for the rabbits I am unable to sell or rehome?
Do I have the proper time for the extra care requirements of breeding? 
Etc.
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There are a lot of things to consider before you can begin breeding. To me, the biggest items are why do you want to breed, and do you have the necessary time to do it?
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If you want to breed just because you think baby bunnies are cute, then I suggest you don't breed. There are plenty of bunnies already needing homes, so there is no need to add more low quality or pet only rabbits.
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If you are choosing to breed for the purpose of showing or at least breeding rabbits to try and reach the standard of perfection for your breed, then you must make sure you know what you are looking for in a quality rabbit. You must have high quality parents, or at least ones that have several very good traits, otherwise you will continue to produce subpar offspring.
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Let's say you truly are breeding for the right reasons, and you have good quality stock to achieve your breeding goals. That's great! But you still need to have a plan for the babies that are not of show quality that are produced or even show quality ones that just don't sell. Letting rabbits go, selling for dirt cheap, or selling to clearly bad homes is unacceptable. It might be sad, but preparing for culling of rabbits is necessary. We send groups of low-quality rabbits to a local cull buyer, and there are often cull buyers at shows picking up unwanted rabbits. You typically will only get about $1 per pound, but it is more ethical than adding them to the pet population. Cull rabbits are bought and used for things such as their meat and/or fur. For example, my cull buyer buys them to make into dog treats for her small business and finds ways to utilize the whole rabbit.

Only once you have answered all of the preparation questions, and feel you truly are breeding for the right reasons and have the right tools to do so, should you begin breeding.

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[The Standard of Perfection refers to the book published by the American Rabbit Breeder Association. The Standard of Perfection (SOP) lists all of the recognized breeds and gives a detailed description of how that breed should look. Breeders try to produce rabbits that can achieve that Standard of Perfection as described in the book.]

 

 

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How to Breed

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Once you have made all of your preparations, then you can begin your breeding process. The time of year you decide to breed should depend on the weather, the age of the animals, and if there are any events you are breeding for. 

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For example, I try to make sure I breed my does by the 9-10 month mark at the latest, but no earlier than about 8 months. This is because once rabbits are over a year old it gets significantly harder to breed them. If they have had babies at or before a year, then they usually will continue to have successful breeding's. I heard it has to do with their pelvic bones and fusing together if not bred, but I am not positive. 

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Bucks usually mature slower than does, and they don't always know how to get the job done right away. I like the breed first-time does to proven bucks, and first-time bucks to proven does. Proven refers to whether or not you have had a litter come from them before. Proven bucks have sired litters and proven does have given birth to litters. By using proven animals with unproven ones, you are more likely to know if your unproven animal is having issues since you are using a proven one and therefore the problem should not be with the proven animal. However, some bunnies can be picky about who they are bred to so this is not always fool proof.

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How early you can breed an animal has to do with their breed, weight, and overall condition. Small breeds tend to mature more quickly and therefore can breed sooner, while large slow-growing breeds may need more time. Here is a helpful screenshot:

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I also like to plan breeding's for shows. I like to have juniors between 4 and 5.5 months for shows as that is a good age for them to be mature enough to compete well, but still in the younger category. Young seniors are also a good age to shoot for which is 6-7 months old. (*This is regarding 4 class rabbits and not 6 class*). I try to plan breeding's to have rabbits that age for the shows I plan to go to. This takes a lot of planning and good luck that the does get bred when you want them too.

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You may want to breed a doe at a certain time, but she must be in good condition for you to go ahead and breed her. She must have good weight on her and look in good condition just generally. If a doe still hasn't put on weight since her last litter, then you want to make sure she gets back into condition before her next breeding. This is not only ethical but also increases the chances of successful litters.

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The time of year can also make a difference. If it is too hot out, does may not want to breed and bucks can become temporarily heat sterile. If it is too cold and your barn/shed does not stay warm enough, then it may be too cold for kits to survive. Storms can stress out moms and bucks. All these different weather-related things should be taken into consideration but are hard to completely plan around. 

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You have decided when you are breeding, and now it's time to breed!

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One of the first things I always tell people when breeding is to bring the doe to the buck. Does tend to be more territorial, so it is safer for them if you bring the doe to the buck's cage. The buck should be too excited about a lady friend to care that another bunny is in his space.

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How long you want to have them together is up to you. Some people only keep them together until they see the male tip off which can sometimes happen quickly. Usually, a successful breeding will be indicated by the male tipping off. You will notice him on top of the female and then suddenly stiffen and fall of the side of her. This is common and usually a good indicator he got the job done. I have noticed that this doesn't always happen quickly. I personally leave my bucks continuously with my doe for several days, even up to a week. This gives him a better chance of getting her bred I believe. With this type of breeding, I make sure to watch them closely the first day. I will check very frequently the first few hours to make sure they get along fine. If the buck is too aggressive when breeding or the doe is mean to the buck, then a long breeding is not possible. 

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Putting them together and giving them a little time is usually all it takes to get her bred. Then in 31 days or so you should have a nest full of kits! It is kind of crazy that this happens, but it really almost is always on day number 31 after breeding. I have had a few does go a day or two earlier/later, but 31 is usually when they give birth. When I have had a doe give birth on a different day, let's say day 32, then she will likely continue to have her litters on day 32 for the rest of her litters. They are usually quite consistent to it is good to write down the day the kindled (gave birth), so you know for next time you breed!

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Here is a breeding chart I like to use so you know when they will be due based on when you bred them! For example, if I left my rabbits together from January 1st to January 5th, then I should expect her to give birth between February 1st and February 5th.

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Now that you have bred your rabbit, you need to prepare for the kindling process and care of the young kits.

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Caring for Kits

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You want to make sure you have a nice space for the kits to be born. A doe will want a slightly hidden, protected, and cozy area to have her babies. Most breeders to use nesting boxes. A nesting box is just what it sounds like, a box where a doe will make her nest. Most have tall sides with a slightly shorter front for her to jump in, and a top to keep the babies protected (plus the moms sometimes like to sit up top). Here is what a nesting box might look like:

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A nesting box should be added to her cage about a week or so before she is due to kindle. If you put it in too early, she may use it like a litter box which makes it less sanitary, and you will have to clean it frequently. If you put it in too late then she may not have adequate time for nest building or might even make her have her babies not in a box if she is a doe that gives birth early.

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​I like to add some shavings to the bottom of my nest boxes and some hay inside as well. The hay is nice as it will sometimes entice the mom inside as she wants to eat the hay. Then she sometimes will also use the hay along with her own fur to make a nice and cozy nest. Most moms will pull a good amount of fur (which you may want to keep for moms who don't pull enough). Some moms will pull fur all from one spot on themselves giving them a bald spot which is normal. If it gets dry, I will sometimes add Vaseline. The shavings in the nest box absorb some moisture which is nice to keep the nest drier for the babies. You also want to make sure the box is big enough for mom to squeeze around in, but not too big where a kit could get separated too easy for the others (as they provide warmth to each other and make it easier for mom to find and feed). Most websites that sell nest boxes tell you dimensions and breeds they are suitable for or make your own!

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Now that you have got your box in there, hopefully you will soon see some babies! I can usually tell there is babies in the next when I see fur pulled and the fur seems to wiggle on its own (but thankfully it is just squirmy kits making it move!). If the doe is new to you, I would not handle the kits too soon. This could stress the momma out as your scent is still new to her. I like to not touch the kits until they are about a week old (even for my old and experienced mommas just to be safe). Instead, I will just pull back the fur to take a peek and then recover them to make sure they are warm.

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If you notice any bloody or damp spots in the box, feel free to take it out and replace with new shavings/hay to avoid infection in the babies. 

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From here on out, it is pretty much mom's responsibility, and they tend to know what they are doing! They will feed mostly early in the morning and late at night, so don't stress if you see her out of the box quite a bit. Sometimes they can actually smother their babies if they are in there too much. 

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By around a month you should notice them starting to explore outside the box. It is crucial that you make sure you pen is baby proof, so you don't have kits falling out of the cage or getting injured by anything poky or sticking out. At this age you can likely sex them as well to get an idea of whether you might have males or females. I tend to not be fully confident in gender until 6-8 weeks, but it is fun to make a guess, and it also lets the kit get used to your handling. To make sure your kits become friendly rabbits, frequently take them out and hold them, talk to them, and allow them time to warm up to you. Some breeders will get a radio to play inside their barn to get the rabbits used to human voices and noises.

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Once they start coming out of the box, you will also likely notice the cage needs to be cleaned more frequently, you will need more water in the pen, and you will go through food a lot quicker. During this stage I added several more feed and water dishes in to allow the growing babies to eat as much as they need and help keep momma fed as well. I will sometimes supplement black oil sunflower seeds and rolled oats (like the quaker brand) into their diet to help add more calories and fat. The rolled oats are great to add into the mom's food right away after she has kits, as the carbs help aid in milk production. Add just a sprinkle on top daily, and only when they have babies, otherwise they may gain too much weight.

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​It varies a bit by state, but typically, kits are not able to be rehomed until they are 8 weeks or older. Check your state for specifics, but most breeders will want to hold onto their babies until 8 weeks to be safe. If the babies are growing well, I will sometimes separate them from their mom at 6 weeks as they are eating and drinking on their own and allows me to make sure they can thrive without their mom before they leave. Usually for show purposes, you are not able to tell if a rabbit is good enough to keep or if you want to sell them until they are closer to 12 weeks old.

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I would caution considering buying a rabbit from a "reputable breeder" if they are trying to sell rabbits before 8 weeks or selling the whole litter right at 8 weeks. Sometimes breeders know for sure that a few rabbits in their litter can be sold at 8 weeks as they may have traits that they likely won't grow out of that would be bad for show, but most won't sell them all unless they are just doing it for profit (which is shady!)

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As a breeder, have a plan for where you will house these young rabbits as they can't and should not stay with mom forever. Additionally, you should separate males and females by 2.5-4 months usually depending on breed, and females (even if they are sisters) may fight and need their own cages too.

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Doe Troubleshooting​

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This section is to help if you think your doe is having troubles getting bred. Here are some of the tips I have heard that may help a doe take (get bred).

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Getting her in the mood:

Sometimes it seems that a doe just doesn't want to have babies and therefore won't lift (pick up her tail and bottom to make it easier for a male to breed her). The following herbs and supplements I read are good additions to food to make a doe more receptive -- Parsley, Raspberry Leave, and Black Oil Sunflower Seeds.

Make sure you only give about a teaspoon or two of a mixture of these a day, but they are supposed to get does in the mood to breed! I like to buy parsley and raspberry leaves dried so I can mix it all together with the black oil sunflower seeds. Then I store it in a food safe container which makes it easy to keep on hand.

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Keeping the babies in:

There are several herbs and supplements that help aid a doe who is pregnant. Raspberry leaves (once again I like dried) act as a prenatal for rabbits. Strawberry leaves (I liked dried) are rich in iron which helps prevent miscarriages. Rolled oats, like mentioned above, are good to help get milk production going and get the doe into mom mode. Another trick for keeping a doe bred is to give her a special treat in her cage right after taking her out of the buck's pen. Sometimes a doe will get back to her own cage and immediately pee which could expel the sperm out. Giving her a treat might make her distracted and give the sperm a better chance of reaching the egg. I like to give them fresh fruits or veggies to distract them.

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Eating babies:

It is sad, but sometimes a mom will eat her babies right after giving birth. This is typically due to stress or problems with the kits. A doe will eat them as a way to quickly get rid of them so predators don't find them and the rest of the nest which might occur if she just pushed the baby out of the nest. Crazy how their instincts lead them to do this! To avoid a stressful mom eating her babies, try feeding a bit of bacon. It is an older passed down remedy, but I swear it has worked for me! I fed just a tiny bit of cooked bacon, and she did not eat her kits like she did the first time being bred! This is one of the remedies that I will once again disclaim that I am not sure the science behind it or if it is true at all!

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Table breeding:

Some breeders choose to do table breeding for their rabbits as they think it increases the chance of a successful breeding. This is where both rabbits are on a table or surface together and not in a cage. You supervise the breeding and in some cases I have heard of breeders hold the female still (and sometimes even pulling their skin forward for the chunky moms). This can supposedly help the buck get the doe bred. I have a buck though who does not like me interfering with his breeding, he won't even try if I am too close! However, some bucks don't mind.

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Heat:

If it is quite hot out, your chances of breeding go down. You can supplement into their diet Blackberry Leaves as it helps promote circulation and can therefore aid in cooling the rabbits down. Ginger root also aids heat stress. Give just a small amount of each when it is hot out (one tsp or so).

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Buck troubleshooting:

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Increasing his sperm count:

These supplements are supposed to help increase the sperm count of bucks and also help aid in heat sterility. 

Ginger root and Rosemary Leaves.

These you should also only give about one or two tsp per day (not of each, total quantity). It is best to give to the bucks the week leading up to the breeding date.

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Table breeding:

As stated in the section above, table breeding can help a buck get a doe bred as you help hold the doe in place. If you don't want to hold the doe, a change of scenery may still help him get the job done.

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Heat:

If it is quite hot out, your chances of breeding go down. You can supplement into their diet Blackberry Leaves as it helps promote circulation and can therefore aid in cooling the rabbits down. Ginger root also aids heat stress. Give just a small amount of each when it is hot out (one tsp or so).

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