When to Breed

Some rabbits are capable of breeding as young as 8 weeks old (believe me, I’ve had it happen to me).  However, it is not healthy for the doe to be bred that young, and there’s no telling if a buck that young will actually produce kits (he could just be “doing what daddy does”).  The minimum recommended age for breeding is 6 months old.  With giant breeds, you may want to postpone that to 10 or 12 months old.  If you’re wanting better fertility, it is best to breed a rabbit before it reaches a year old, and to get at least 2 (if not 3) litters a year.  Rabbits, particularly does, that are not initially bred young enough, and aren’t bred frequently enough will never produce as well as rabbits which were bred at the optimum age or frequency.  This is because rabbits that aren’t bred develop extra fat deposits and generally get lazier.  In does, the fatty deposits are often around their ovaries, which can lead to complete infertility.

If you’re buying older rabbits to breed, ask for production records, which should tell you how old she was when she was first bred, how often she’s been bred since, and how many kits she’s had in each litter (and their survival rates).  If she hasn’t been bred in the last 6 months, don’t buy her.  Also, if you’re raising for meat, don’t buy an older doe that hasn’t averaged at least 6 kits per litter (it’s understandable if the litter size has tapered off, though), with a 90% or better survival rate.  If she’s had two litters of 4 or less, though, I would suggest looking for a different doe.

Also keep in mind that rabbit fertility is also tied to how much light they see in a day. Without artificial lighting, most rabbits will have a lower fertility rate during the winter. Also, higher temperatures during the summer often results in a lower survival rate for summer-born kits. Rabbits may also be less interested in breeding when it's hot outside.