First of all, the saying "Breeds Like Rabbits" is so false! It is a myth. Yes, once a rabbit breeds they can have a lot of babies and can be re-bred pretty quickly. However, it can be quite hard getting a doe to breed. It is true that the gestation period of a rabbit is a month and can, depending on the breed have anywhere from one or two kits up to fifteen or more. However, doe's can be hard to get bred. It can take a few tries before getting them to take.
I highly, strongly, sturdily, intensely, exceedingly, greatly (catch my drift??) recommend writing down the date you bred the doe! Do it as soon as you are done, don't wait and do it later! Write down exactly who you bred the doe to and I also personally right down how many times the buck 'got' her (fell off and grunted). There are many reasons for this, but most importantly because you do not want to forget that you bred a doe, or at least the date when you did and wait up to find babies born on the wire because you forgot the date to put a nest box in. Secondly, writing the sire down is important. I've seen a few times when someone was absolutely positive on who they bred together, to find that the colours in the litter were not genetically possible for said pairing. It either turns out that they didn't write the father down properly, or they thought the doe didn't take so tried a different buck or occasionally, it happens to be that the doe is housed nest to a different buck and got bred through the wire (and very rarely that someone else had come into the barn and bred the doe to a different buck). There is a lot of planning, preparation, and waiting in the world of breeding rabbits! It can definitely be frustrating at times, and can be challenging when your doe's do not have babies for months on end. However, do not give up! Keep on trying and eventually your endurance and patience will be paid off with cute little bundles of fur! And don't let other breeders get you down. There can be drama within breeding rabbits, but just ignore those people and keep your head up! Find some breeders that want to be friends and hang out with them at shows and talk to those breeders! :) Oh and remember, most Rabbit Software like Evans have a place to keep track of litters and when you breed a doe. Check out Parts 1 through 4 in Breeding Tips
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