is it happening to you 2

[coursing mad 5]

i went out the other day and all was good not one kill, ended up with 8 connys

[snipercp 0]

in september we didnt dig once but weve dug loads of times the last few times weve been out.

 

connor

[festa 206]

since the back end of last year we've had to dig just about every set but like most of us have said in the past this is when a finder is worth its money in gold i think its down to climate change lol we've never normally get temps like we have the back end of last year -17 in places if i was a bunny id not want to come out in play

 

atb gary

[Kate28 22]

whent out yesterday and iv never had rabbits so reluctent to bolt after alot of hanging about and diging we got 16

[comanche 3,003]

While we're on the subject can anyone define the rabbit breeding season,in the case of the ferret, producing hormones is it brought about by hours of daylight?or as some say the cold weather,

 

according to my missus rabbits can breed all year round as a menstruel cycle lasts for 28-30 days so in theory thats a litter a month.

atb ryan123

Tis true.In commercial rabbiteries does can be mated as soon as they have given birth which means that they are pregnant whilst feeding a litter .If not mated imediatly though the doe does'nt come in season untill the litter is weaned at about a month .

Light does bring the doe into breeding condition but too much light can actually take a buck out of condition . This means that there is often a few weeks in the hight of summer when breeding slows down as the bucks lose interest . They sometimes perk up briefly in the autumn when the days get duller and take advantage of the odd doe that may still be in season . These autumn matings account for the odd babies you sometimes see after Christmas. A litter concieved at the end of October will be born at the end of November and weaned by the New Year.

Normally rabbits will start to pair after Christmas as the light levels slowly rise and mating starts . But while light levels affect the urge to mate it is weather conditions and other factors that actually affect the successfull birth of a litter . This is because up to about 18 days into the 30 day pregnancy the doe can and will reabsorbe her babies back into her body if she is under stress. This saves her the physical strain of wasting her energy by producing young that will die due to cold ,starvation or similar negatve factors .

So although it is common to catch pregnant does from the New year onwards it must not be assumed that all these litters will actually reach parturition .Quite large foetii can be absorbed back into the mother if conditions are bad and people who stop ferreting because they catch their first pregnant doe of the year are sometimes a bit premature in their action.

Only from about March/April onward do the bulk of pregnancies actually seem to run full term -probally due to the warmer weather and emerging spring growth that provides food for mother and babies .

Has to be remembered that as the rabbit is not a native of these lands its breeding cycle might not be conveniently in tune with our seasons and that things like a dullsummer or light reflected from snow or frost might also add a bit of variation to the rythme .

[Haystack 11]

Went ferreting the other day, alot seemed either very reluctant to bolt, or went straight away.

 

Another thing I saw alot of, was rabbits 'sitting' at the entrance of a hole, I wouldn't notice till a ferret bit it on the arse and it would start screaming. I'd then be able to pick the rabbit up within 1ft of the holes entrance. - Got 4 rabbits this way. (this was in the snow)

Edited January 4, 2010 by Haystack

[joey1979 0]

It could be as the season goes on the rabbit has grown to maturity and is physically stronger than earlier in the season, therefore needs more persuading to shift..

[jigsaw 11,864]

I was only saying this to my hunting mate Sunday,we had 9 rabbits,all but 2 bolted,yesterday I went on my own with the kelpie X and had 7,all but 1 had to be dug.The hob I use is a good bolting ferret and rarely has to be dug but they were siting still for some reason.Bloody annoying too.

[jusar whippets 10]

My old grandad who used to be out at all times during the war and later on where he shouldn't have been, always said to me, if you want to dig to your ferrets, then go ferreting when the moon is on it's last quarter of it's cycle.

 

Works for me, only 1 dig this year and all bolted apart from this one.

[kbotw45 1]

Its been the same down here up until a the weekend we were hardly bolting a thing, but sunday and yesterday we were bolting them one after the other, we put it down to the heavy rain and that but its interesting that so many people have been having the same problem

[theferreter 311]

the bunnies have been bolting well this season havent done much digging