The key driver of profitability is the number of kittens weaned per doe per year. A determinant of this is the number of litters per year for each doe. As commercial rabbit farmers it is imperative to learn how to accurately diagnose pregnancy at 10 to 14 days of gestation.

 Possible Benefits

Accurately determining provides the rabbitry manager with some very valuable information. This procedure saves waiting the additional 17 days to see if the doe is pregnant. There are many advantages for pregnancy detection. These are as follows:

1.   Allows the rebreeding of the non-pregnant does immediately. This increases the efficiency and the usefulness of the doe. This allows the non-pregnant doe that is rebred, the opportunity to be more than half way into another pregnancy. This is beneficial as it allows the most possible number of kits from that individual doe per year.

2.   Allows the manager to maintain the doe in proper and appropriate body condition. Pregnant does have increased nutritional requirements during the last one-third of gestation period and require increased feed intake to insure the healthiest offspring possible. Does that have the feed intake increased and are not pregnant have a tendency to get fat and will have excessive fat around the reproductive organs. Does that are too fat tend to have reproductive problems and many become difficult to join. Often these does have to be culled from the herd for lack of productivity. This is a dramatic financial loss when breeding stock is lost from the herd.

3.   Saves time, money and labour. Preparing, inserting and maintaining a nest box for the doe requires sanitation, filling the box with nesting materials, time and effort in placing the box in the doe's cage and supervision. In addition to the increased amount of feed required when the doe is not pregnant. These are all wasted expenses and effort.

4.   Saves and prevents disappointment. Everyone anticipates the arrival of a new litter of rabbits.

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