The business of making bunnies in an outdoor run
At Salt Ranch we have a different approach when it comes to our rabbits. We don’t have rows and rows of pens and we don’t do large scale breeding. We are what is glamorously referred to as a backyard breeder. Backyard breeders get a reputation for being ignorant, and in many cases this is true, but we consider ourselves well researched, educated and responsible! Also having four years of experience under our belt with a track record of success, makes us feel confident in educating others in our experiences. But we are not yet experts and our operation is tiny.
This hutch can be converted into one, two, three or four separate cages - each with two 2×2×2 sections. The front is all wire and their patio and bathroom, the center is wood and wire - the living and dining room, and the back is all wood and the bedroom! It opens from the front or back.
All of that said, below is a glance into how I prefer to bring my girls and boys together!
We have a large outdoor convertible rabbit hutch and run that our bunnies share. We generally keep a couple of does for breeding and one buck. We also “borrow” boys from time to time to introduce new bloodlines and so that we don’t have to keep everybody separated all the time. We have a similar system with our goats.
A few facts that make breeding tricky:
Female rabbits are territorial, more so than males.
Rabbits can bond with their mates.
Mature male rabbits can get along with one another, but don’t consistently.
Mature female, rabbits generally get along, but also don’t consistently.
Rabbits need companionship, preferably in the form of another rabbit.
Just like any other animal, rabbits have very different personalities.
First encounter outside the hutches. She is a little unsure of him, but they work it out eventually!
The things that we have done in order to accommodate the above facts:
Our run is large enough to accommodate a larger number of rabbits.
This run also has plenty of room to escape and areas to hide from other rabbits.
Our hutch can be transformed from one large hutch into up to four smaller hutches.
Each of our hutches has separation from the adjacent hutch between 2/3 of the space, and the front third of their space is separated, but they can see one another.
As caregivers, we are very involved in getting everyone equal time out of doors, and making sure that no one gets bullied and everyone has a friend!
A lot of folks ask me about how the actual breeding process works:
Always bring the female to the male and not the other way around. Females are more territorial than males, and you also don’t want the male to get too distracted by new things to do his job.
Use his cage or better yet, neutral territory.
We introduce them by putting them side-by-side in hutches where they can see each other, but also can separate themselves if they need privacy.
After a day or so of meet and greet we let them both out in the run (making sure all other rabbits are contained in hutches)
They will immediately start circling each other. She may run away a couple of times but generally will come back to circle again.
The male will mount the female after a few minutes of circling.
He mounts her for around 10 seconds and (ideally) will just kind of fall off of her to the side. I let them do this until I see him fall off - then I am more assured he “finished” the job.
He will continue to do this a handful more times.
Once she is over it, she will either run away from him and/or get aggressive toward him. This is why I supervise the entire time.
Once they are done with their initial mating series, I separate them for a few hours and then repeat. Some breeders try a day later or a week later, but I have not found that to be necessary yet!
Mating Circle Dance!
So, hopefully that gives a clear picture of what our breeding program looks like. We love it - watching interactions between them, playing with little babies, and seeing the smiles of their adoptive parents.
