Rabbit Breeding Project Ideas for 4-H and FFA

Building a Herd One Litter at a Time

A rabbit breeding project moves beyond the show table to the nursery. You keep a buck and one or more does, plan matings, care for the doe through pregnancy, and raise litters to weaning. Rabbits mature early and breed quickly, so you see the results of your choices faster than in almost any other livestock project.

Skills You Gain

Members learn to read a pedigree, judge breed standards, keep breeding and litter records, and make honest decisions about which animals to keep. You also learn nutrition for pregnant and nursing does, how to provide a nest box and how to handle kits gently. Culling is part of breeding, and a responsible member learns why and how decisions are made with an experienced mentor.

Project Ideas by Level

Getting started

Choose one breed and learn its standard of perfection, including body type, color and disqualifications. Visit a breeder, hold the animals and ask what they look for in breeding stock. Start a record sheet with name, tattoo or ID number, date of birth and parentage.

Developing

Breed one doe to a buck and keep a calendar for the mating, pregnancy, kindling and weaning dates. Record litter size, survival and weights at set ages. Write a summary comparing what you expected with what happened.

Advanced

Plan two or three matings with different goals and compare the litters. Develop a line record showing which animals produced your best offspring. Offer a few quality young animals to other members and write an honest sales description.

Costs and Time

Quality breeding stock costs more than market rabbits, and housing needs to be sturdy and clean. Busy times happen around kindling, when you may need to check the nest several times. Plan to record every event, every day.

Welfare and Safety

Handle rabbits calmly and support their hindquarters. Keep nest boxes clean and the doe's environment calm. Does can be protective and bucks may scratch, so wear sleeves if needed. Provide cool shelter in summer and protection from drafts in winter. Check for diseases with your vet and learn more at the AVMA. Quarantine any new animal before adding it to your herd.

Contests and Records

Breeding classes at fairs reward good type and records, and many counties include a record book or herd display. Rules, tattooing requirements and class names vary by area. Registration and show details for purebred rabbits come from the national breed organizations, which are separate from 4-H and FFA.

Where It Leads

Breeding leads to larger rabbitries, genetics study and careers in animal science. Related pages include market rabbits, cavy breeding and livestock breeding. You will find more FFA and 4-H project ideas in farm.fm's 4-H and FFA section, and the agriculture directory lists breeders. FFA members can see awards at ffa.org.