Learn how to butcher, cut up a whole rabbit and the MANY rabbit recipes, find your favorite recipes and grow some of the herbs and other ingredients in them. Learn how to freeze, smoke, and even pressure can your rabbit meat. When you have all this information and experience under your belt, then you can worry about high production!

If you have a crazy work schedule (like me) there are ways to help with this so your does will kindle on certain days of the week.

If you breed your does on the weekend (do not forget to mark that day on your calendar) 28 days later put in the nest boxes. The 28th day should fall on the weekend again, this works out well if the weekend is when you do your weekly rabbit chores (cleaning cages, emptying drop pans, bleaching crocks and bottles etc.) and since you are working in the rabbitry is also a good day to put in the nest boxes. The doe should have her litter during the week on day 30 or day 31 after breeding (remember you marked the breeding date on the calendar!). This should be on a Tuesday or a Wednesday. Rabbits will usually kindle at night so if you work days you should be home in time to check on the new litter. If doe doesn’t kindle by day 35 you should breed her again. This again should fall on a Saturday or a Sunday.

I breed my does on a Wednesday. This is because I work during the week and never know what time I will get home. This way the does will kindle on the weekend when I am home working on the homestead.

When I first started with rabbits feed was cheap and everyone was using pellets. I could breed some of my high production New Zealand’s to get 8 big litters a year. Now I am looking to be more self sufficient with my life and my rabbits. With this new change I raise less rabbits (easier to grow and harvest food for 10 rabbits than 50) and a more natural feeding program I am happy with 5 to 6 litters a year. The litters may be a little smaller but the cost and sustainability is priceless!

How many litters a year can I get from my rabbits? This question I get asked all the time. There are many factors including types of feed and hereditary factors. Here is a breeding schedule for the amount of litters a year you want. Remember raising rabbits is not perfect you many get a doe that misses, or loses a litter.

LITTERS A YEAR-
4 Kindle litter- Rebreed 60 days after kindling- Wean kits at 60 days- Kindle next litter 91 days
5 Kindle litter- Rebreed 42 days after kindling- Wean kits at 56 days- Kindle next litter 73 days
6 Kindle litter- Rebreed 28 days after kindling- Wean kits at 42 days- Kindle next litter 59 days
7 Kindle litter- Rebreed 21 days after kindling- Wean kits at 35 days- Kindle next litter 52 days
8 Kindle litter- Rebreed 14 days after kindling- Wean kits at 28 days- Kindle next litter 45 days

4 to 6 litters a year are more likely with a natural feeding program, 6 to 8 litters a year will require more management and the need for a high protein production pellet.

You should have a calendar in your rabbitry or a calendar in the house just for your rabbits, I have a large calendar hanging in my rabbitry so I can see when to put in a nest box, I put the cage numbers on the date when the nest box should go in and when they are due. Here is a gestation chart that I use all the time.

31 Day Gestation Chart

Jan—–Feb——-Mar——April——May——June——July——Aug——Sept——Oct——-Nov——-Dec——Jan
1———–1————–4———4—————-5———–5———6———6——–6———7———7———–8————-8
2———–2————–5———5—————-6———–6———7———7——–7———8———8———–9————-9
3———–3————–6———6—————-7———–7———8———8——–8———9———9———–10————10
4———–4————–7———7—————-8———–8———9———9——–9———10——–10———-11————11
5 5 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 12 12
6 6 9 9 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 13 13
7 7 10 10 11 11 12 12 12 13 13 14 14
8 8 11 11 12 12 13 13 13 14 14 15 15
9 9 12 12 13 13 14 14 14 15 15 16 16
10 10 13 13 14 14 15 15 15 16 16 17 17
11 11 14 14 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 18 18
12 12 15 15 16 16 17 17 17 18 18 19 19
13 13 16 16 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 20 20
14 14 17 17 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 21 21
15 15 18 18 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 22 22
16 16 19 19 20 20 21 21 21 22 22 23 23
17 17 20 20 21 21 22 22 22 23 23 24 24
18 18 21 21 22 22 23 23 23 24 24 25 25
19 19 22 22 23 23 24 24 24 25 25 26 26
20 20 23 23 24 24 25 25 25 26 26 27 27
21 21 24 24 25 25 26 26 26 27 27 28 28
22 22 25 25 26 26 27 27 27 28 28 29 29
23 23 26 26 27 27 28 28 28 29 29 30 30
24 24 27 27 28 28 29 29 29 30 30 31 31
25 25 28 28 29 29 30 30 30 31 1 1
26 26 29 29 30 30 31 31 1 1 2 2
27 27 30 30 31 1 1 1 2 2 3 3
28 28 31 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4
29 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 5
30 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6
31 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 6 7 7

To use this chart, find the month and day that the breeding occurred and then straight across to the next column on the right to determine the due date, this is based on a 31 day gestation. Remember that 31 days is the normal gestation time for most rabbits, but it’s not uncommon for does to kindle their litters from day 28 to day 32. I always put my nest boxes in at day 27 or 28.

JOIN THE RABBIT REVOLUTION! Start raising rabbits today! LIKE US ON FACEBOOK and get daily information on rabbits and homesteading. I am looking for more ideas for posts please email us at riseandshinerabbitry@hotmail.com and let me know what you want to read about. Working on RABBIT REVOLUTION RADIO a weekly online radio show about rabbits and more! Thanks for reading! May your litters be large and grow fast!

Dam: Proctor Hill Farm Willow            Sire: Proctor Hill Farm Indian Summer

Willow Meadow Fern

All 3 have been dehorned and will be up to date on shots when they leave the farm.

Twins from Fairlea Avalon [dam] and MI Sugar Creek YO Toshiba [sire]

Avalon and her twins

These kids are gorgeous, well- conformed and super lovable!  Avalon has an excellent, well attached udder.  Both kids are very sweet and friendly and would make an excellent contribution to your herd and the show ring!

doe  – Willow Meadow Mika – born 4/9/12  – $450

buck – Willow Meadow Kato – born 4/9/12 – $250

Willow Meadow Kato

One of triplets  from Fairlea Nashoba [dam] and *B NC Promiseland RB Bolero*S[sire].

buck – Willow Meadow Winston – born 4/11/12

Willow Meadow Winston

Winston is strong and long like his sire.  Nashoba is a  high capacity milker with large easy milking teats.  He has a sweet, curious and very friendly personality.  If you are looking for a herdshire with a great physique, super milking genetics and a charming personality, Winston is your guy!

Sale Price: $250

Buckling#1 – Dasher  – 3.75  lbs.

Buckling#2 – Dancer -  5.5 lbs

Buckling#3 – Prancer  – 4 lbs

MI Sugar Creek YO Toshiba.   The doeling is a multicolor buckskin and the buckling is gold and white like his mother.

Kids due June 17, 2012.

http://www.proctorhill.com/summerpage.htm

Update: Pregnancy test negative. Trace will be bred again to Proctor Hill Farm ArcticBay in early March.

NEW UPDATE:  Trace was bred again to ArcticBay on March 7.   due date is August 4th.

http://www.proctorhill.com/arcticbaypage.htm!!

Proctor Hill Arctic Bay

Bolero is a handsome jet black buck with super long body and flat topline and a champion dam.  Nashoba has a high  capacity udder with large milkable teats.  Nashoba had a fantastic first freshner milk productivity giving 3-4lbs/day for her 8 month lactation.  I gradually dried her off  in October so that she could rest up for her November breeding.

Kids due on April 14th!

Twincreeks Trace of Silver  X   Proctor Hill Farm BW ArcticBay *S 

-Line breeding on ARMCH Twin Creeks BH Baywatch ++*S E 

Fairlea Nashoba  X   NC PromisedLand RB Bolero *S

- out cross – looking for long body, improved topline and udder attachments.  Nashoba has great production for a first freshner, averaging 3-4 lbs/day for 7 months!

Fairlea Avalon  X  MI Sugar Creek YO Toshiba

Avalon has excellent udder attachments  excellent conformation.  Looking to increase teat size and dairy character.
Proctor Hill Willow   X   *B TX Twincreeks SEM IndianSummer *S

line breeding on  MCH HBF Luckey Strike +S E  and  MCH Raha Acres Twink’s Pixie *D E.

Pictures will be added to the Breeding page soon.

Day 1: Breeding (note receptivity of dam and duration of breeding)
Day 3: Behavior Test dam (note receptivity of dam – there may not be spit – and allow rebreeding if receptive. Note duration of breeding)
Day 8 (same day as Day 1 but one week later): Behavior test dam
-if spit, test every seven days (every week same day)
-if no spit, rebreed and count it as Day 1
Day 15: Behavior test. If still non-receptive, schedule an ultrasound

Test every week until ultrasound.

Although the frequency is easy enough to remember, the science behind it is less so. Explanations of the alpaca follicular wave can range from highly technical (with words only a vet would understand) to the fairly layman. For someone like me, who has no vet training whatsoever, I like to dumb it down. Way down.

My favorite layman’s explanation can be found in Llama and Alpaca Neonatal Care by Bradford B. Smith, Karen I. Timm, and Patrick O. Long. My favorite slightly technical (but not too technical) explanation can be found in The Complete Alpaca Book by Eric Hoffman. I recommend you read both if not others. What I summarize below falls short of both of those sources in information – more of a “Alpaca Follicular Wave for Dummies”. Any errors are , of course, my own.

A 9mm follicle. (Photo property of Jorge Reyna, Alpaca Breeding Technologies)

The uterus of the alpaca dam is two horned. We observe that from when the placenta is ejected after delivery. Located near each uterus is an ovary. The ovary contains the supply of ovum (eggs). Follicular activity occurs in waves that begin when a hormone (follicle stimulating hormone , or FSH) is released that causes cells around the egg to form a follicle. The follicles start off small, just a few millimeters, and grow over the next few days, filling with liquid. Estrogen levels also start to rise, increasing the receptivity of the dam. This development phase lasts 3-4 days. When the follicle reaches 8 mm, it is at the minimum size needed to create a pregnancy. If the dam is not bred, the follicle continues to grow to 12-13 mm. This period of time, between 8-13 mm is when the dam is receptive and should be bred. It lasts 3-4 days, hence the magic seven day window: 3-4 days of development, 3-4 days of receptivity.

At this point, when the dam is bred, ovulation is induced and within 24-48 hours, the follicle ruptures and the egg is released into the uterine tube that connects the ovary to the uterus. It is here that it is fertilized by the sperm deposited by the male in each uterine horn. After that, the egg travels up the tube into the uterus. This takes about a week from ovulation. Meanwhile, the collapsed follicle refills with blood and becomes the corpus luteum, which begins to produce progesterone. It will develop to a size of 12-16 mm and not regress until just before delivery.

But what if a pregnancy doesn’t occur? In this case, the follicle regresses over the next 3-4 days, completing the follicular wave at 11-12 days. If you’re wondering why we’re not on a 12 day vs. 7 day rebreeding schedule, the reason is because there are two ovaries. At the point where the follicle in one ovary starts to regress, a new wave has started in the opposite ovary, creating a 7 day cycle of receptivity in opposite ovaries.

Of a more recent note, a study on OIF (Ovulation Inducing Factor) was completed by Dr. Gregg P. Adams as announced by the Alpaca Research Foundation. Although ovulation is induced through the mechanical stimulation imparted by the act of breeding itself, there has also been some question as to what role the seminal fluid imparted by the male played in increasing ovulation rates. For the dam to ovulate, a gonadotropin called luteinizing hormone (LH), must be released. Is there something in the seminal fluid that acts as a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)? The published study concludes that there is. I’m sure we’ll hear more on this topic.