Apple's Guide for First Time Breeders!

[rabernet]

If you're open to constructive critiques - there's a lot about this step that I don't agree with:

Take your female BP and place it in the breeding tub. I usually leave her in there for a couple of hours so that she can adjust. Then, put the male in with her. Sometimes you will see them lock. Locking is when the male and females' tails are together, on top of each other. If you do see a lock, you can take the male out as soon as he's finished. You will put him back in every 2-4 days until you see signs of an ovulation.

Females ideally should not be moved. They should be bred in their own tubs, with the males introduced to them once or twice a month, not ever 2-4 days.

Many breeders will tell you that more often than that is really over-kill.

Also, you'll hear from many breeders who have had to physically move their facility, and had significant decrease in successful breedings, even if the move was several months before breeding, because the girls just take a lot longer to adapt to being moved, even if they are placed back in their original tubs at the new location.

It's also why some folks get anxious to buy breeder girls at the beginning of the season, and then get frustrated when those girls don't go for them that first season.

So moving them into a "breeding tub" makes little sense to me, and I don't personally believe that it's more likely to put a female OFF of breeding than on.

Hope that helps!