Breeding like rabbits...

In keeping with my theme of farm related idioms, lets talk about the old saying, "breed like rabbits."

A few years ago I brought home a Netherland Dwarf rabbit from an animal auction on a whim.  I've always liked rabbits, and kept them as pets on and off over the years.  He was a sweet little guy, but he seemed lonely, so I took in a neutered 3 legged rabbit to be his pal. They lived together happily.  Then my daughter suggested we bring home a female California rabbit, and raise some rabbits for meat.We brought a doe home, and all was well until the California learned to dig, and dug out of her roomy hutch. Then she sprung the Netherland from his hutch, and got pregnant too young. We were able to catch her and she had no problem raising a litter. All was well.  Fast forward to last fall when she got pregnant, and also got out of her hutch again, and had a litter under the pony shed.  Suddenly we had rabbits running amok all over the property. They appeared to be very happy.

Those rabbits bred and had litters, at an astonishing rate.  All winter I've been setting up humane traps and catching bunnies when I can, and putting them in hutches.  As of yesterday I had only two rascally rabbits loose. One, quite wild, and one that would hang out near the hutches and let me get very close to it.

I baited the trap with some especially yummy treats yesterday,and felt sure I'd catch this guy.  He clearly wanted to be with the other rabbits, and would sit on top of the trap so he could peer in at his pals.  I was pretty sure this one was a boy, and that the very wild one was a female. If I could catch the boy, the wild one could stay wild, with no loose males to impregnate her.  I would release another female to keep her company, and the vicious cycle of breeding rabbits would be interrupted.  I was pretty pleased with myself.

We ran some errands yesterday, and came home in the afternoon to see... rabbits.  Everywhere.  In the driveway, in the hen yard, hanging by the hutches, dancing in the front yard.  The ground had thawed, the high winds and rains of the weekend storm had softened the ground, and moved the hutch just enough that an enterprising bunny dug a hole.

So we are back at square one.  It's spring, and love is in the air, and I suspect that the rabbits are not immune.  I'll have to get creative to solve the problem, or wave a white flag and give up and let the lagomorphs take over.