Rabbits breeding through Winter?

[Frenchieboy]

I was out the other evening an hour or so before dusk thying to get a rabbit or two for a pensioner friend who enjoys them in a stew. I saw and shot 2 adults (Which my friend was delighted with) but then noticed a couple of quite young ones playing about and feeding around the outskirts of the field. Now this alone is not too uncommon to see "youngish" looking rabbits running around in spring time but these young ones, judging by their size, would have been about 6 to 8 weeks old. That would have meant that they were born towards the end of February (At the latest), which would have meant that the mother would have mated towards the end of January (At the latest) when we were experiencing all of the heavy snow and very cold temperatures. When I thought about the timing of this it just didn't make much sense to me! Mother Nature usually gets her timing spot on to give the animals a good chance in life so was this a "one off mistake, or bad timing" on her part or is it getting common nowadays for wild rabbits to breed all the year round particularly in the Northern half of the country where it is generally accepted that the climate is usually colder and damper?

Any thoughts anyone or have any of you experienced the same (Particularly in the North of England)?

[Dekers]

Young in February is not rare, not that common either, but I have seen it several times my way, this year has definately been later for the young round here though!

 

The rabbit will breed with the seasons, usually from Feb to November, but there are always exceptions, dependent an numerous factors, I have never known of any rabbit population to breed 12 months of the year.

 

I suspect your sighting is just an early one!

 

It happens!!

[deputy dog]

Iv started seeing them about on my permissions in early January. The mild winters hasn't helped and the rabbits have seemed to take full advantage of the situation, by breeding almost through the year now with out break. Most of my permissions have said they have seen a vast increase of bunnies on the land due to the increased breeding. But i suppose the more early rabbits, the more free meat and shooting i get. So its happy days for me and i suppose for most other shooters as well.

[albob]

I was out the other evening an hour or so before dusk thying to get a rabbit or two for a pensioner friend who enjoys them in a stew. I saw and shot 2 adults (Which my friend was delighted with) but then noticed a couple of quite young ones playing about and feeding around the outskirts of the field. Now this alone is not too uncommon to see "youngish" looking rabbits running around in spring time but these young ones, judging by their size, would have been about 6 to 8 weeks old. That would have meant that they were born towards the end of February (At the latest), which would have meant that the mother would have mated towards the end of January (At the latest) when we were experiencing all of the heavy snow and very cold temperatures. When I thought about the timing of this it just didn't make much sense to me! Mother Nature usually gets her timing spot on to give the animals a good chance in life so was this a "one off mistake, or bad timing" on her part or is it getting common nowadays for wild rabbits to breed all the year round particularly in the Northern half of the country where it is generally accepted that the climate is usually colder and damper?

Any thoughts anyone or have any of you experienced the same (Particularly in the North of England)?

 

 

i to noticed the same thing on a shoot i go on a lot.

they really looked like feburay ones,which surprised me to and the thing is,i never seen them till this weekend.

not complaining about the added bonus of these rabbits but,it makes you think how the hell did they survive the recent weather?

just goes to show how hardy and adaptable rabbits are.

 

 

or they may have mated though to keep warm?

 

al

[Frenchieboy]

or they may have mated though to keep warm?

 

al

 

I'll have to try turning the central heating down and see if the misses takes the hint then!

[albob]

I'll have to try turning the central heating down and see if the misses takes the hint then!

 

get her a woolly hat with ears.. it will set the scene and no gun,though..

 

al

Edited April 5, 2010 by albob

[scolopax]

I used to do a fair bit of ferreting twenty odd years ago. First young seen (in nests) was generally the beginning of February. Rabbits normally stop breeding around september, ground cover is still thick until mid november so the effective ferreting season with no young present is only about ten weeks. Often alot shorter if you are not allowed on the land until the game shooting finishes.

 

I once shot a leveret (mistaken for a rabbit) in late March, it was about the size of an adult rabbit so was probably born late january/early February.

[Zapp]

The year before last I shot a pregnant doe in late December, and another in the first week of January. Interesting to know that the harsh winter doesnt seem to have stopped them.

 

ZB

[Frenchieboy]

That's exactly what I am questioning Zapp! With the late harsh winter we have just had I am very surprised that the rabbits wee breeding that early. I know that they can breed all the year round but I thought Mother Nature would have stopped them from breeding so early in such harsh conditions.

[ollie]

The breeding off rabbits has gone through the roof around our area in the last few years; I don't know whether its mild winters or whether they are becoming imune to Mixy. The last few years while ferreting we have shot pregnant does in January, so I think they breed the whole year round; however, I would imagine that the survival rate in the winter time would be very low. I really hope bunnies are becoming imune to mixy, it is such a horrible disease and it will mean more shooting for me .

[monkeyboots]

i was ferreting 1 boxing day a few years ago and small rabbits the size of your fist where scouting out everywhere