Breeding Dutch Rabbits

Question
QUESTION: I have a 1 month old Dutch rabbit. She has some Mini Rex in her too. I am going to start breeding her for un-selfish reasons. I have had many lectures from people about breeding but i know i have to do this because i need the experience so when i start to study to be a Vet i will know some things. When is the earliest HEALTHY age to start breeding her? She comes from a long line of great breeders. Also, is there a certain odd's or percentage that the first litter will die? If you could answer those questions, i would be very thankful.

ANSWER: Hi Nathan,

A dutch is considered a small breed and can be bred at 6 months old.  I prefer to breed around 8 or 9 months old but you want to try to get your first litter in before a year old.  A lot of it depends on where you live also. If you live in an area that has cold winters the doe may not want to breed because it is just not natural.  You also have to be very careful to watch them to make sure they don't freeze.  We put our does in the garage for the winter but it is still 50 degrees out there.  I bring the nest boxes right in the house and I only take them out to the does once a day.  It is time consuming but if you only have the one rabbit it will be easy for you.  You can also consider putting the doe indoors and you wont have to worry about it.

Rabbits are funny little creatures.  Some of them are perfect mothers the first time around.  Some of them are never good mothers.  You will not know until you breed her.  I personally will not breed only one rabbit.  Since you only have one and don't have a commercial rabbitry then you will have to take your chances.  Hand reared babies almost never survive but if one rabbit has babies and she doesn't care for them or she dies or for whatever reason she can't raise them they can be fostered to another mother.  As long as the babies are under a week old they are usually pretty good about taking care of them.  Rabbits can't count so whether they have 2 babies or 6 it really doesn't make a difference.

I am not the type of person to lecture but I want to point a few things out.  A purebred dutch that comes from a long line of great breeders is not going to have mini rex in its background.  If she does have mini rex in her background I would be strongly suspicious that she may have come from a backyard breeder.  Rabbits can carry genetic issues and a good responsible breeder would never use a rabbit with a genetic problem in their breeding program.  Since cross breeding is extremely irresponsible somehow I doubt the place she came from cares if she has things such as malocclusion or if the bucks have split penis' not to mention the thousands of deadly illnesses that rabbits can carry.  It is illegal in most places to sell someone a rabbit under 8 weeks old.  It is very dangerous to take a rabbit away from their mother at 4 weeks as they have not developed their normal gut flora and they need their mothers milk to neutralize the bacteria.

I understand that you want to breed rabbits and whatever the reason that is your choice.  I have no issue with people breeding for meat production, show or pets.  I personally do not choose to breed for meat but I do breed for show and my children and I all prosper on the show tables.  The point is that if you want to breed then you should consider breeding purebred and pedigreed rabbits.  It will not only give you experience but it will give you an outlet for some of the babies.  There is a market for good show quality animals.  There is no market for non purebred and pedigreed rabbits except the meat market.  If this is something you intend to do then the animal does not have to be purebred.  You may also want to consider showing them.  There are many vets who started out as rabbit breeders and their passion for rabbits helped them while they were in school.  There are very few vets out there that deal with exotic animals and the knowledge you will gain by participating in an activity like showing will help you significantly.  The people are friendly and they are almost always willing to help.  It is something to look into if you haven't already.

http://www.arba.net

On another note I personally do not think that Dutch rabbits are a good breed for a first time breeder.  They are a marked breed and have a lot of disqualifications.  However if you are up for a good challenge than go for it.  We only have 2 Dutch in our barn.  One buck and one doe.  Both have wonderful type and great markings.  They both have a proven show record with the doe winning multiple Best in Shows.  She just had her first litter and she had 9 babies.  She has been a fantastic mother but everyone of those 9 babies has a disqualification.  Since we don't kill cull we are now going to have 9 more spayed and neutered rabbits that we will get to feed for the next 10 years.

If you are interested in finding truly high quality show animals that are truly purebred, if you wish to tell me your location by marking the message as private I can most likely help you.  We travel all over the country and know quite a few breeders that compete nationally.

In the meantime please keep a very close eye on your very young baby rabbit.  If you have anyway to get her back with her mother then please do so.  If not then keep an eye out for any signs of bloated stomach, diarrhea, failure to eat, failure to drink, lack of fecal droppings, lethargy and weight loss.  If you notice any of these signs get her to a vet immediately.  

Good luck and I hope that I was not to harsh.

Pam

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you so much for the information. I am NOT breeding for meat because i think that is very mean to the rabbits, although it does lesson the extreme population. I would like to breed her but you said that your dutch doe had a litter of 9 and they all had abnormalities or disqualification. What do you mean by this? Like some examples? Thanks

Answer
These 9 babies will be perfect pets but quality wise dutch are a marked breed.  If the black on the belly extends up to the front legs this is a disqualification.  Several of them have this and I wont be able to sell them as show stock.  Another disqualification is when the marking on the hind feet has color running through the toes and a few of them have this and wont be able to be sold.  A couple of them have a crooked blaze and although this is not a disqualification, it is a severe fault and nobody would want them for show or breeding.  Structurally there is nothing wrong with them.  They are cute little rabbits that would make great pets.  Unfortunately it is extremely difficult to find good homes for pet bunnies and it is much easier if they are show quality.  Basically unless I can find good pet homes for them they will end up here.  It gets very expensive to have them spayed and neutered but in the long run it is easier to find them homes if this is already done. You just have to be very particular as to where you send your babies or they may end up on someone's dinner plate.  I do not sell pets unless they are spayed and neutered.  Honestly it is very rare that I will sell does as pets.  Spaying is extremely expensive but we get a bulk deal at work for neutering so that is not so bad.  Most of our does end up staying here for life.

I am sorry I confused you.  Dutch still confuse me sometimes.

Good luck

Pam