Breeding... How you do it.

So I was thinking about this the other day and thought I would share my thoughts with everyone and also ask what y'all do as well.

When it comes to breeding there are several different ways to go about it, with most ways ending with the same results (eggs and babies).

For example:

Person A Starts cooling in January and breeds till May.

Person B Starts cooling in November and breeds till March.

Neither person is wrong, just different ways to go about it. I'm sure both would result the same, eggs and babies in the long run.

Now my question is. Who breeds year round? I've considered this myself only because I have a few females that usually don't ovulate until April-June time frame. Where some of my other females ovulate almost immediately after being paired. Almost like pairing them initiated the cycle (which I'm sure it probably did).

So how many of you breed year round, just with different females at different times of the year?

Please elaborate with a comment.

Thanks!

I didn't think about this to begin with... But I suppose males would have to take a break also. Unless they just never stopped eating.

So please add to your comment whether you have more than 1 breeding team of males.

Each year I have done it slightly differently.

This year I cooled in September started pairing a few females October, a few more females started being paired in January and I am about to start pairing a few more now.

In other words looks like this year I will be breeding year round since I had different groups of females ready at different times, might keep doing so in the future as well.

I would like to do the year-round thing.

Deborah brings up an interesting point on which I have a question. What makes the groups of females ready? Did you have them in different areas and cooled them? Or is it that they are just now up to size? Or something else?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ClarkT

I would like to do the year-round thing.

Deborah brings up an interesting point on which I have a question. What makes the groups of females ready? Did you have them in different areas and cooled them? Or is it that they are just now up to size? Or something else?

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Just a matter for them to be at a size/age (I go by both and have my own specific criteria) when I am comfortable breeding them.

They are in the same rack so the temps were the same for all the females that were ready an soon to be ready.

I cool a little bit differently than some people too, I keep my room at 78 degrees during the winter and drop the hot spot to 80 at night and for 10 hours (temps on the warm side during the day remain at 88)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ClarkT

I would like to do the year-round thing.

Deborah brings up an interesting point on which I have a question. What makes the groups of females ready? Did you have them in different areas and cooled them? Or is it that they are just now up to size? Or something else?

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Same as Deborah. I go by size and age.

Most people go by 3 years, 1200 grams. I go by 3 years, 1500 grams.

In my experience as a breeder a 1200 gram female is going to waste your time. Most will lay 3-4 eggs and they are way more prone to becoming egg bound also. I'd prefer to breed a female that is at least 1500 grams because if you do only get 4 eggs, more than likely they will be 4 huge eggs.

I personally stopped cooling. The first year I ever bred I cooled and a couple of my animals got sick with RI. So after getting everyone back to peak condition I stopped cooling and just started pairing when my "season" started and my females still ovulated. Everything still works the same as before, I just never have to drop temps.

Well this is my first year so I guess I have no specific way of breeding them.

So far what I've done this year was that I started pairing in the beginning of September (trying to stick to the 3 in 3 out schedule.. even though there might've been a 4+ day gap in between pairings). Cooling started when temperatures here started lowering naturally, so cooling started in August I believe. I've been pairing all season and am still pairing the same pair now.

The female is close to an ovy; she should be ovulating any time next week. So, maybe my female is a little slow if I've seen locks EVERY single time I've paired them since September, but she and I are newbies at this.

I'm probably gonna go with this same schedule next season

I pair till i see ovulation. This year eggs will be laid April,May,June

I paired until i saw ovulation. this is my first year and my female started refusing about two months before she ovulated. went off feed a month before.

whatever works for you


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Hmmmmm. This is a very helpful thread.
Diff people
Diff areas (temps and weather)
Diff times


This is my first time and both my male pastels and female normals time also.
I started pairing in early oct. Saw lock ups in mid oct.
I didn't cool. Let the lovely SoCal weather do that for me.
And am just now seeing ovulation. I'm guessing she'll be
Laying by the end of april.
Next year ill be beginning the pairing in january.
Since that's when I saw my lady actually building.
Ill aso possibly have my other 2 ladies having a go at the season.

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