If you’re wondering about rabbit farming, then you need to understand that there’s a good reason why the saying ‘breeds like rabbits’ means rampant breeding.

In the wild, a single doe can mother a line of offspring that can number as many as eight hundred in a single breeding season! Of course, since rabbits are also at the bottom of the food chain, many of those young will not survive to adulthood, but the commercial rabbit breeder can learn much from the breeding patterns of rabbits in the wild.

The first thing to understand about rabbits is that they need to be sexually and physically mature before they can reproduce. In the wild, rabbits will not breed until they are between four and seven months old, depending on their species. Since they are likely to be too young and immature before then, it makes sense to wait a bit longer to ensure a quality litter.

Then there is the fact that rabbits are reflex ovulators. If a female does not mate, she will not ovulate. That’s why it’s important to monitor your breeding stock for signs of estrus and make sure they mate when they’re receptive.

Rabbits will also naturally rest for about three months out of the year, usually starting in late summer, before resuming breeding. It is always advisable, in a commercial setting, to ensure that your breeders, and in particular the animals, also get regular rest between litters as this will ensure they do not burn out prematurely.

Since you can control the weather to some extent, when you have a commercial ranch, this rest period doesn’t have to be during a particular season: you can stagger your breeding schedule to ensure new cattle are always born, while still resting. his does it for about three months a year.

Then there is the care of the kits themselves. If you observe rabbits in the wild, you will notice that the females are fiercely protective, particularly of the males. This is because male rabbits will generally kill any offspring they come across, even their own. This is because they cannot be sure which offspring carry their genes, which is why it is so important to keep commercial rabbits apart. Make sure your puppies also have nesting boxes in their cages, and they will naturally put out their own fur to line them, while at the same time exposing their nipples to the puppies.

Rabbit farming is certainly much less difficult than raising many other commercial animals, however, there are tricks, such as these, that will make your rabbit farming production efforts much more successful.