WinterBreedingDepression

    If you're suffering from the "empty nestbox syndrome", take heart, many breeders experience this same phenomenon during the winter months. Why is this, and is there anything you can do to improve conception? Unfortunately, nature may be against you. In the wild, winter is not a normal production time for rabbits due to the cold and lack of abundant food supply. So, breeders are working against the doe's internal time clock by attempting to force year-round production.
     During winter months, there may be a decrease in conception rates, litters born dead or dying shortly after birth and there may be an increase in reabsorbed litters, fetal giants and retained kits. These problems may be attributed to the fact that beginning in the fall, the doe's LH (luteinizing hormone) levels drop, resulting in the seasonal decline of reproduction known as "Winter Breeding Depression". Studies in Switzerland have shown that does housed in a controlled environment with a constant temperature, humidity and daylight hours of the normal spring/summer breeding season, continued to exhibit seasonal trends controlled by their internal time clocks, rather than environment. Due to the number of factors involved in successful production including genetics, management, doe receptivity, buck fertility, ovulation rate, light, humidity, temperature and feed, it is difficult to obtain conclusive results.
     So, what can you do? While you may not be able to beat mother nature, providing optimal breeding conditions may provide you with some winter litters.
* Provide breeding rabbits with a good feed that ensures adequate protein and carbohydrate levels for production.
* Don't underfeed or overfeed. Fat does have difficulty conceiving.
* Keep does in production. Idle does may build up fat around the ovaries.
* Breed maiden does at 6-8 month depending on breed. The older they get, the harder it is to get that first litter out of them.
* If rabbits are housed in a building, lengthen "daylight" hours by providing 14 hours of broad spectrum lighting per day.
* Provide clean, fresh water at all times.
* Be sure rabbits are free from disease (including vent disease and Pasteurella). Regularly treat for internal parasites with a deworming & Cocci medicating program.
* Provide proper sanitation and ventilation.
* Continue to present reluctant does to the buck daily. Does will often breed by the 4th day. Massaging the vent area may also help entice her to "lift" for the buck.
*Provide a heated nestbox or bring the nestbox indoors during warm weather to keep newborn kits from freezing. Lining the nestbox with styrofoam board will help the litter to maintain their body heat.

If all your best efforts have failed, the doe's LH levels begin to rise during late winter/early spring, and those reluctant does should start lifting their tails and producing with good management practices.