HOW WE ENSURE THE BEST CARE WE CAN OFFER OUR MOMS AND DADS
We strive to give our bucks and does the best care we can offer them. We take extra care when it comes to breeding our does to ensure that we do not strain or stress them out unnecessarily. Each breeding is supervised for the first five to ten minutes just in case either rabbit involved is unhappy or feels threatened so that we may intervene. We avoid excessive breeding, and make sure that our does have plenty of time to recover from the care of one litter prior to moving on to the next.
We put nest boxes in 25 days post-breeding to give the doe time to acclimate to the new object in her living space, and to kick and throw straw out of the box to her heart's content prior to babies needing it. Litters are usually born shortly after, and we wean between six and eight weeks, depending on the litter. If it is a larger litter, we generally wean off the larger bunnies that are thriving on their own, and leave the smallest bunnies with their mother for an extra week or two. Six to eight weeks after giving birth, the babies are completely weaned from their mother, but we will not re-breed her again until a month after weaning. During this time she can regain any weight that she may have lost while nursing (although we generally make sure she receives enough feed to prevent excessive weight loss), and rest. Pregnancy and nursing both can be hard on her body, especially with a large litter, and we want to make sure that she is in the best of health when she transitions from one phase of her cycle to another.
We also retire our does around the age of four to five years old. Most does have many healthy and happy years of their lives left after this point, but we feel that this is a good age to retire them from our program. Usually a particular doe will be succeeded by one of her daughters, and she will retire around the time that her daughter reaches breeding age. We generally try to place our retired brood does in pet homes, although some do go on to show in 4-H.
We put nest boxes in 25 days post-breeding to give the doe time to acclimate to the new object in her living space, and to kick and throw straw out of the box to her heart's content prior to babies needing it. Litters are usually born shortly after, and we wean between six and eight weeks, depending on the litter. If it is a larger litter, we generally wean off the larger bunnies that are thriving on their own, and leave the smallest bunnies with their mother for an extra week or two. Six to eight weeks after giving birth, the babies are completely weaned from their mother, but we will not re-breed her again until a month after weaning. During this time she can regain any weight that she may have lost while nursing (although we generally make sure she receives enough feed to prevent excessive weight loss), and rest. Pregnancy and nursing both can be hard on her body, especially with a large litter, and we want to make sure that she is in the best of health when she transitions from one phase of her cycle to another.
We also retire our does around the age of four to five years old. Most does have many healthy and happy years of their lives left after this point, but we feel that this is a good age to retire them from our program. Usually a particular doe will be succeeded by one of her daughters, and she will retire around the time that her daughter reaches breeding age. We generally try to place our retired brood does in pet homes, although some do go on to show in 4-H.
Retired Breeders
Holland Lops
Mini Lops
Netherland Dwarves
Polish
Lionhead
Thrianta
Silver Fox
Mix and Meat Breeds