Kindling
The Birthing Process
Does reach sexual maturity around 8-12 months or once they've exceeded 13lbs+. Take a doe to a bucks' cage; if you bring a buck to a doe, he will be more interested in marking his territory than breeding the doe. Once a doe has successfully bred with a buck, (1-3 mating's per visit) she will be ready to give birth in 28-32 days. Make sure to keep track on the calendar; by the 26th day you should have her nesting area clean and ready for her to pull fur and line her nest. Naturally rabbits burrow in the ground, so we do our best to mimic a den within the hutch. You may or may not see her pulling her fur. Some rabbits are very private about the birthing, while others can be very relaxed and comfortable while being watched. It is usually best to leave them be while they are in this stage to create a stress free environment for them.
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Does can have anywhere from 5 to 20 kits, depending how many times the buck mated with her during their visit. It is common for some kits to die; naturally there is usually a runt, or too many kits sometimes can get squished at the bottom of the nest. If the doe has kindled very early in the year, it can be too cold for the kits if there is not enough fur pulled from the doe. Or during heat waves in late spring/summer they can get too hot. There are lots of variables to consider when breeding rabbits.
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Does feed their young 2 times a day generally. 1 time early morning; it happens very fast and you may never see her actually feeding them. Kits 'Power Suck" while the doe hovers above the nest and they latch on for 2-5 minutes. This will happen again late evening. When checking on the kits, you will notice milk in their full bellies if the doe is being tentative to them. This is a great sign, and best to handle as minimal as possible during the first couple weeks.
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Kits are born with their eyes closed, hairless, and completely helpless. They grow very fast and are usually covered with fur within a week.
Nesting area clean and ready for kindling.
Nesting box made from a tool storage bin. Wood attached to the front so kits cannot fall or jump out for the first couple weeks.
Breeding
A frequent question I get is how do you know when the buck has bred the doe? Well, in the picture to the left is a buck successfully breeding a doe. It happens very fast! He will mount her and try until the doe "lifts" her bottom up for him. He will then fall to the side momentarily. It may be normal for the doe to 'scream' but don't worry, nothing bad has happened. If the doe does not lift noticeably, then she may not be ready for breeding or not know what to really do. Generally they naturally know what to do, but first timers can take a lot longer in figuring it out! I do not put the doe in the buck's cage and walk away. I will stand by and observe. Does can become aggressive and injure the buck if they are not ready or "in the mood'. A successful, good breeding lasts no more than 5 minutes usually. That's the buck mounting successfully 2-3 times to ensure a good litter size. Some rabbits can be very shy and won't do anything while standing there observing... it just depends. I never leave my rabbits together for extended periods of time for their safety and well being.
Buck successfully breeding the doe.
