The Myth of Breeding Like Rabbits

Reader Contribution by Amy Fewell

Since we began raising rabbits on our homestead, the phrase “breeding like rabbits” has taken on a whole new meaning to us. I, like so many other rabbit breeders, had one heck of a time trying to breed my first few tries. What on earth am I doing? I wondered. And eventually I became so frustrated that I wanted to give up. The sad fact is that domesticated rabbits don’t “breed like rabbits”. And if you’re stressed out because your rabbits aren’t breeding like you think they’re “supposed” to, then this might be a breath of fresh air for you.

First of all, let’s just get this out of the way — rabbits don’t breed every single time you want them to. Yes, you heard that right. Just because you stick a doe (female rabbit) in a hutch with a buck (male rabbit), it does not mean that they will do their thing and then poof, you have kits (babies) in 31 days. Quite the contrary.

While in my honest opinion, I feel that rabbits are the easiest livestock to breed, it is not always an easy task to accomplish. The typical scenario is when a rabbit breeder tries to breed a doe, and either the doe doesn’t lift (a term used when she willingly breeds), the buck isn’t interested or can’t figure it out, or the doe lifts but is never bred.

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