Showable after breeding?

[Mamaofgirls]

This past year we purchased 3 Holland’s from a family for my girls to show in 4-H. They just completed their fair show and we got two trophy’s -Yay! We love the buck, he is super friendly and planned to breed him to a small broken blue Holland who was not in the fair. We were told if you breed a rabbit then they are no longer show quality- is this true? They are all 2 years old, which I was told is a little old to start. If we breed her this week, will she be unshowable next summer?

We do not plan to be big rabbit breeders, just hoping to get a few different colors and and maybe share a bunny with another 4-H family. We do not plan to compete at state or national fairs, just our super small county fair (with maybe 50 rabbits total!).

Thanks for you help!

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

I don’t know about showable, but I know that if you you shouldn’t breed a doe if she wasn’t bred at 6 months of age because their pelvic bones fuse together making it really risky. It makes it hard to pass the kits and could kill your doe without quick enough vet attention. In short, a kit could get stuck and kill your rabbit, but the choice is yours. I know it’s especially risky with Hollands because of their big heads and small abdomen. Also, I don’t want to seem rude, I’m just trying to make sure that you know all the facts before moving forward.

 

[Mamaofgirls]

Thank you for sharing that! I appreciate you telling me that, I was only informed of the age and dwarf gene risks at our 4-H show. I was then encouraged to “try it” … but their our pets and we love them; definitely don’t want to put them at risk.

I spoke to my husband tonight and we agreed to not be breeders and just purchase show quality Hollands and ND for the girls to show. They will be pets and 4-H projects, and super loved. We already won two trophy’s from a Craigslist buck so I think people were encouraging us to breed him this past week with our does and see what comes.. It’s not our thing.

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

Thank you for sharing that! I appreciate you telling me that, I was only informed of the age and dwarf gene risks at our 4-H show. I was then encouraged to “try it” … but their our pets and we love them; definitely don’t want to put them at risk.

I spoke to my husband tonight and we agreed to not be breeders and just purchase show quality Hollands and ND for the girls to show. They will be pets and 4-H projects, and super loved. We already won two trophy’s from a Craigslist buck so I think people were encouraging us to breed him this past week with our does and see what comes.. It’s not our thing.

Good to hear. Congratulations on your trophies by the way and good luck with future shows!

 

[W1ghtn1ght]

We have shown many of our does after breeding and them raising litters. I raise Flemish Giants. Their actual growing time is 12 to 16ish months, when many other breeds are done by around 8 months. Sometimes the does actually look nicer after having a litter. I would suggest knowing what your standard says and as long as your does meet those standards, go ahead and show them

 

[majorv]

Actually, it’s not true that you must breed a doe by 6 months or it’s a danger to them. Normally, you’d want to breed for the first time before they turn a year old though. I never raised Hollands or ND but we showed a few of our does after they’d had a litter.

 

[Mini Lop Mama]

That is not true at all. Go ahead and breed your doe! Good luck!

 

[CrazyChickenGirl]

Actually, it’s not true that you must breed a doe by 6 months or it’s a danger to them. Normally, you’d want to breed for the first time before they turn a year old though. I never raised Hollands or ND but we showed a few of our does after they’d had a litter.

That is not true at all. Go ahead and breed your doe! Good luck!

Oops, sorry then, I must have gotten misinformation when doing the research that I’d done on Hollands’ breeding.