Identifying the gender of a rabbit can sometimes be quite challenging, especially before they reach sexual maturity. Here are a few pictures I took today of the 4 week old kits to show the difference between a buck and a doe. Position and the amount of gentle pressure applied can help make it a little bit easier to see, so if everything looks the same one way, it might be helpful to try another.
Doe:
Doe from a different angle:
Buck from a different angle:
It may be hard to tell, but the doe's genitals look more like a "taco" shape (as I was told by a breeder when I was learning). In contrast, the buckling has a shape more like a "doughnut." I know, I know, you will never be able to look at tacos and doughnuts the same way again- sorry about that! :)
Here is a picture side by side:
I know it can be hard to see on some monitors, so I added markings just in case:
One more:
My husband glanced at my monitor and I immediately heard, "What are you looking at?!" LOL.
It usually gets easier to tell the gender on a rabbit as it gets older and there is no mistaking the scrotum/testicles that appear on healthy adult bucks. Back when I used to sell my extras, I would always go over this process with the buyer so they knew what to look for if and when they wanted to add to their herd. I hope this helps and best of luck to anyone enjoying Winter/Spring 2015 litters!
Ahh!! Hoo hoo pics! I love it! When my goats get close to kidding you will see lots and lots of hoo hoo and udder pics. Some people just don't understand......LOL! I like the taco and donut example. I always say slit and hole which probably sounds worse..............The Youngun actually had me guessing on our 10 day old babies yesterday! I said give me a few more days for pete's sake!
ReplyDeleteHaha, thanks! Looking forward to your hoo hoo and udder pics so I am not the only weirdo posting this stuff! :P
DeleteThank you!! I have looked at several different sites with photos for showing gender of rabbits. So often they are showing photos of adult rabbits and well that's pretty obvious! It's these younger ones I have trouble with. I think your photos and post here are better than most I have seen. Thanks much! Do you find it best to wait until 4 weeks to be accurate?
ReplyDeleteThank you! I usually look at gender around 10-14 days when I am making sure everyone's eyes are open normally, checking teeth, etc. and then I check again when I am evaluating them periodically every week or two to make sure no one does a switch-a-roo on me. One thing to watch out for is a split penis because the shape can be confusing and they will need to be culled from the herd as the trait can be passed on. My friend in NC did a blog post about it that had great examples:
Deletehttp://keepsrabbitry.blogspot.com/2008/08/problems-in-herd-split-penis.html
Hope this helps!
I posted a couple photos on RT under random & sexing kits. Love to hear your opinion... thank you!
ReplyDelete