What to do if a doe rabbit is infertile? A detailed guide to finding the cause

1. Improper feeding and management.

First, excessive nutrition, which turns replacement breeding rabbits into obese commercial rabbits. It is recommended that farmers use a scientific feed formula, appropriately adjust the proportion of concentrate, ensure that crude fiber accounts for about 15% of the daily ration, and supplement with an appropriate amount of hay, vegetables, etc. Second, nutritional deficiency, which makes multiparous doe rabbits too thin. Some doe rabbits have large litters and too long a lactation period, causing excessive consumption of the mother's nutritional reserves, making it difficult to restore body condition. Therefore, attention should be paid to "gradually" increasing the feeding amount and raising the protein proportion in the daily ration during lactation. Third, a single feed variety, with too little protein supply and insufficient vitamin E. Therefore, attention should be paid to the nutritional balance of the feed and to adjusting and improving the feed.

2. Lack of technique and mistakes in operation.

Farmers are unclear or inaccurate in judging whether a doe rabbit is in estrus, and mating at the wrong time causes infertility. When a doe rabbit is in estrus, its appetite decreases, it is restless, strikes the cage bottom with its hind claws, and sometimes raises its hindquarters and tail. If it is placed in a male rabbit's cage, it likes to approach the male rabbit and is willing to accept mating. Whether a doe rabbit is in estrus can also be judged by observing its vulva. When a doe rabbit is in estrus, the vulva is moist, red, and swollen. If it appears pink, it is the early stage of estrus; if it appears bright red, it is the middle stage of estrus; if it appears purplish red, it is the peak of estrus, which is the best time for mating.

3. Inflammation of the reproductive tract leads to infertility.

Sometimes the vulva of a doe rabbit is red, swollen, inflamed, or even ulcerated and discharging mucus, and this situation very easily leads to infertility in the doe rabbit. The affected area can be washed with a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, and sulfadiazine can be given orally at 0.1-0.2 g per kg of body weight, 2-3 times a day. Penicillin can also be injected intramuscularly at 20,000-40,000 units per kg of body weight, 2-3 times a day. Mate again after the inflammation is cured.

4. Congenital infertility.

This condition mostly occurs in replacement doe rabbits. In some cases, intramuscular injection of the estrogen diethylstilbestrol and follicle-stimulating hormone can achieve a relatively good breeding effect, but those that have not been in estrus for a long time and do not respond to treatment should be culled in time.

5. Infectious infertility.

Brucella, Toxoplasma, spirochetal diseases, etc. are also important causes of infertility in doe rabbits. These pathogens can spread under natural conditions and can also be infected during natural mating, and affected rabbits have obvious clinical symptoms. The principles of prevention and control are early detection and early treatment, doing a good job in the environmental hygiene of rabbit houses, doing a good job in disinfection, strengthening nutrition, and enhancing the body's disease resistance. Xu Guojun