Breeding Harlequin - Advice from breeders needed!

[coneil]

I need advice. I have wanted a harlequin for awhile. I finally have the opportunity to get one or two!! By chance there is a breeder about an hour away from me. He has 3 Japanese does and one buck for sale. One of her does I am definitely getting. I want to breed harlequins. The one's she has available are 6 months old already. So perfect time for breeding her the first time. That kind of has me worried. I read that if they are not bred before they are one year old their pelvic bones could fuse together and they will have a lot of trouble conceiving naturally. She will be my first rabbit. I have no clue how long it will be until I can purchase a Japanese harlequin male. I will also be moving to another state in 6 weeks. That state has zero harlequin breeders.
I know harlequins originally came from dutch rabbits. There is a young dutch male for sale also within an hour of me. She posted that he has champion genetics. He is the black and White dutch. I am leaning towards getting him... but he is the standard black and white dutch. White is not a good color to have for Japanese harlequins... but i hear that harlequin is desirable in dutch rabbits. I am am really leaning towards him. But I am unsure. Who knows how long it will be until I can get a Japanese Harlequin male. Advice please?

 

[Dutchgirl]

In my opinion, you really shouldn't mix breeds, especially if you're trying to breed anything more than pets. Of course, if you want to be able to breed the doe at a later time, I would just breed her now no matter what buck you use. As long as she gets bred before about a year old, you could wait a year or more to breed her again and she'd be fine.

 

[coneil]

That's what I was thinking I might have to do. I do have a buck reserved from a breeder in the state my parents live( Wisconsin).. but he hasn't even been born yet. So she will be a year old before he will be old enough to breed. Waiting to here from another breeder in Wisconsin who I thought might have a couple bucks old enough to go to new homes by the end of May. But she unfortunately hasn't gotten back to me yet. I saw and advertisement from someone that breeds dutch rabbits in the Harlequin colors. Even though she knows its not a recognized color. I liked the look of her rabbits. So If I cant get an old enough Japanese Harlequin Buck, then I might try the dutch with Harlequin colors to breed to her the first time. So that she can have a litter before the first year. Even though the first litter will just be pets.