ARG.....living with girls who want to breed...even though they're too young/small

[TinysMom]

Sorry - but its driving me CRAZY....I'm about to get them stuffed toys to mount.

Any other suggestions?

 

[SilverBirchRabbitry]

What breed are they Peg? Lionheads?

 

[polly]

must be a year for it Peg I have does have a litter alive and 1 week later they are lifting their butts to you again!!

 

[TinysMom]

polly wrote:

must be a year for it Peg I have does have a litter alive and 1 week later they are lifting their butts to you again!!

Maybe it is something in the water? the air?

Nope - not lionheads...

 

[TinysMom]

SilverBirchRabbitry wrote:

What breed are they Peg? Lionheads?

I will be sharing more later with the forum (as an announcement) - either tomorrow (my anniversary) or on my birthday in September...

Otherwise - all I can say is .... I will be breeding again this coming late winter/spring.

 

[murph72]

I had two does this Spring/Summer that I had to take their babies from them early because they were furiously mounting them. One was a Holland and the other a Lionhead. It definitely must be something in the water. LOL

 

[SilverBirchRabbitry]

Announce it tommorow! LOL I just want to know xD September is soo far away D= lol

 

[irishbunny]

I want to know! I want to know!

 

[Luv-bunniz]

I know the feeling.
Obviously the giant does here are too small to be bred (the oldest is only about 4 months) and is already mounting everything and lifting whenever she gets near a buck, or even just the scent of one. :banghead

 

[TinysMom]

Since I sorta made the announcement in my "anniversary" thread in the let your hare down section...

This fall I will be having flemish in my rabbitry - and I will be able to start breeding them in December or January...

So I'm getting back into breeding - only this time it will be flemish giants.

 

[Elf Mommy]

Yayyyyyy!

 

[irishbunny]

Sooo you have Flemish rabbits right now? :shock: Pics, pics, pics!

 

[OakRidgeRabbits]

As long as it's not a ridiculously young age, it's not a horrible idea to breed them. Just like people, rabbits mature individually. Even if a breed is *normally* not ready until 6 months, a certain doe may be ready by 5 months.

As I see it, if they are eager to breed and you breed them and they concieve and raise a nice litter- they were ready. Their body would not be telling them to do that if they were not.

It's up to you whether you want to breed them now, depending on exactly how old they are. For example, I wouldn't breed a 3 month old Holland even if she were lifting. But if she were eager at even 4.5-5 months, I may consider it depending on her size.

 

[gingers_giants]

Awesome about breeding the Giants!!! Good Choice


Ginger :biggrin2:

 

[BlueGiants]

I have a number of "giant" girls that act "ready to breed" at 5-6 months, but I still wouldn't do it. If you want your girls to reach full size, I'd wait until they are 8-9 months of age and 14 lbs. (Senior Doe weight). I've always been told by the better breeders that you can't assess your rabbits until they make senior weight. And if you really want to breed better Flemish (or any breed), you need to know what you are working with.

Seems that keeping the girls around the boys (or where they can smell the boys) seems to make them ready sooner. Not much you can do about it except have patience.

 

[TinysMom]

BlueGiants wrote:

I have a number of "giant" girls that act "ready to breed" at 5-6 months, but I still wouldn't do it. If you want your girls to reach full size, I'd wait until they are 8-9 months of age and 14 lbs. (Senior Doe weight). I've always been told by the better breeders that you can't assess your rabbits until they make senior weight. And if you really want to breed better Flemish (or any breed), you need to know what you are working with.

Seems that keeping the girls around the boys (or where they can smell the boys) seems to make them ready sooner. Not much you can do about it except have patience.

The only "boys" the girls are around...is Zeus and I think he hates them (because he's jealous of them).

I'm definitely waiting till they're old enough....but still yet..those poor babies..

 

[BlueGiants]

I know Peg... and they are babies... Patience!

(I know they are not "near" the boys, but they can smell the boys on you too...)

 

[TinysMom]

BlueGiants wrote:

I know Peg... and they are babies... Patience!

(I know they are not "near" the boys, but they can smell the boys on you too...)

Great - Zeus is upset when he can smell rabbits on me...and now I find out that the girls can smell them on me too (I never thought of that).

Oh well...makes life interesting.

What bugs me is that they've been sharing one cage and now one girl will mount the other and what does Zeus do?

I think he gets down on the floor to cheer them on (to kill each other probably).

This too shall pass....

 

[irishbunny]

I don't think mounting is a sign you should start breeding is it?, my seven week old babies have started that already

 

[TinysMom]

irishbunny wrote:

I don't think mounting is a sign you should start breeding is it?, my seven week old babies have started that already

Definitely NOT a sign...no.

Different breeds mature at different ages and there is no way I'd breed my flemmies before the recommended age/weight point...

But the mounting is often a sign not only of dominance (which it is at a younger age - and even later ages) but also of a desire to breed.

I found that when my lionhead does were most receptive to breeding - they were trying to mount everything and chin everything....

My girls are 4 1/2 months...so we're looking at December or January before they can breed...and when Nyx gets here (my final doe) - she won't be able to be bred until March most likely.