Rabbit Web Discussion Board

Hello All,
It\'s been awhile since I\'ve been on the board...time gets away from me! I\'ve enjoyed catching up with everything.

I have a question, though. We have been trying to breed one of our bucks to a doe from one of our litters. The buck has produced at least 1 litter (before we got him). The doe (who belongs to someone else) has never had a litter (even though we\'ve tried 4 times). We\'ve observed the vulva, and it appears as though she should be able to take. She\'s been interested in the buck and has readily let him breed her. She\'s about 20 months old now, and we\'ve tried 4 times in the last 8 months.

These are Havana\'s. she\'s not overweight (even tried giving her only hay for 2 days before the last breeding).

Is it possible for the buck to stop producing sperm? Is there a way to tell, short of trying a different buck? Our other bucks are 1/2 siblings to the doe and we don\'t want that close of a relationship for breeding.

Thanks for any input.

Happy Holidays.

Hi 4HMom...glad to \'see\' ya back.
Are ya sure he fathered a litter before you got him? Just wondering because I was told a doe I bought had a live litter before I bought her and she produced 2 stillborn litters.
It might depend on how old the buck is, as well. Could it be the doe?

Half-sibs really aren\'t a bad cross (unless there are glaring faults in the line that will be repeated). I\'d give it a try.

It could very well be the doe. Trying her with another young buck will help confirm this or not. I have had does that are very enthusiastic breeders come up empty. If you breed the doe to another buck and she \"takes\", then you can start casting aspersions on the buck.

Yes, bucks can go sterile. How old is he? Bucks tend to remain effective breeders longer than do does, but they can lose their fertility over time. A common culprit is heat stress, but this time of year that is unlikely.

Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com

Thanks for the words of wisdom. We got the buck from a reliable breeder and have no reason to doubt that he\'s fathered successfully. He\'ll be 3 years old this spring, so I don\'t think he\'s too old. And you\'re right, Charlcie...heat stress is definately NOT an issue this time of year It could be the doe, because she\'s never had a litter (we\'ve kept trying, but with the same buck). Her mother and sisters have been excellent mothers. There are no glaring faults in the lines...actually, lines are very good. You don\'t think 1/2 sibs is too close for a one-time breeding? Thanks again!

if the buck has been sick in the past 2 months to where his temp. would have gone above normal he will be infertial i have a buck right now that i\'m hoping this is the reason why

No...half-sibs would be fine. I have produced some very excellent animals from similar breedings. You just have to be prepared to be very discriminating when determining which offspring to keep from such a litter as those rabbits do tend to be very prepotent when it comes to passing on traits - good or bad.

Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com

Only 4 times in the last 8 months.I put my does in with the buck everyday untill they breed.bluebird

The doe belongs to another woman, so she\'s not on-site. If the doe were here, I\'d palpate and if she weren\'t pregnant, we would breed her again right away. But, since she\'s not my doe, I don\'t find out she hasn\'t taken until weeks after the breeding. But you\'re right I would do things differently if she were mine.