08/16/2026
Something ive been mulling over was this 80% rule. Ive never heard it applied to rabbits but did hear it in a cattle management course and was wondering if it would be the same for my does. Something else ive been considering testing is a rule for fertility instead of the 3 tries. The dr stated that they tested all of their 1st year heifers with Ai (which you would time and apply under best conditions) and any that didn't take would be sent to sale. I've been considering how this could be made applicable to my young does as we dont AI rabbits. If at 80% of Sr weight and showing all signs of being ready they dont take the first time can i see this as them being not quality for brood? Ive had a couple does that did produce eventually but if they missed the first couple tries they seemed to be more likely to miss or fail later on with a more 50% rate of success in litters
If you see a rabbit breeder doing something you don’t approve of, they might actually be doing what’s best for their animals. 💜
I stand by it.
Don’t wait too long to breed your does.
And yes, there is a whopping amount of research on this!
Going by age alone is not a good way to determine when a doe is ready to breed.
Even within the same breed, different lines will mature slower/faster than others.
And of course smaller breeds hit maturity in half the time or less than some large breeds.
The general rule says your doe is ready for her first litter when she is 80-85% of her finished weight.
Waiting too long can sabotage your doe’s chances of ever producing successfully.
Skeletal growth and hardening of the long hollow bones and cartilage are complete between roughly 4 to 10 months old (again, depending on breed)
If a doe is bred when she’s at that 85% weight, the hormone relaxin is released, which permanently stretches and shapes the pelvis for easy deliveries.
Once bone formation is complete at full maturity, relaxin can’t soften or expand the pelvis during labour.
The risk of dystocia (stuck kits) goes up.
Older does, and does with too much fat, already have a higher risk (80%+) of this due to the fact they are more likely to have singletons.
Dwarf breeds are almost guaranteed to face impossible births (nearly 100% chance of stuck kits) if not bred early enough, due to their wide, blocky heads and narrow, compact pelvic frames.
It’s not that we are rushing, or have no patience, or want our does to pump out kits to no end.
Our does get long rests between litters.
Litters are intentional and planned.
Yes, you will catch me breeding a Mini Rex and Hollands at 4 months old. Rex at 6 months old.
These are the ages my lines hit the appropriate weight for a first litter.
If you don’t follow this advice and you’ve never had stuck kits, that’s excellent!
That doesn’t erase the statistics.
I think it’s best if we let people do what they believe is right for their own animals.
