# When to wean when does are expecting agian



## Zorander (Nov 24, 2013)

Hi! I have a couple questions about weaning. I'll tell you about the rabbits then ask my questions. I'm new to raising rabbits. This will be my second litter. I got my does in the begining of Sept. They came bred.

I have 2, 1.5 year old Giant Chinchilla does. They gave birth to a total of 19 kits 7 weeks ago. The kits are doing great. The moms and the kits are all free range during the day in my backyard(completely rabbit proof). At night they all go into a giant hutch. The kits have been eating alfalfa pellets, grass hay and a varitety of greens and friuts. (started out slow with the veggies and fruits and they've been thriving) The does are due in twelve days for their second litter with me. I've built a giant kennel for the grow out pen for the kits for when they are weaned.  The moms and the kits enjoy each other immensly, maybe due to the large space they all share. Also, once the does have kindled I will give them a couple days in the hutch then I will let them out during the day and put them with their new kits at night.  

Question #1 As long as the does are accepting can the older kits still be with the does full time until day 28 of the does pregnancy when the nest box goes in? 
Question #2 Once the does have kindled and had a few days rest in their hutch will they be able to be out during the day with the older kits? At that point the older kits will be  8.5 weeks


----------



## Zorander (Nov 24, 2013)

Oh, here's a few pics of my buns


----------



## Zorander (Nov 24, 2013)




----------



## Andrei (Nov 24, 2013)

1. 5 days before she is due.
2. Yes, but they will be more protective of the young ones.
I would separate then in few days to give the does some personnal time.


----------



## VickieB (Nov 24, 2013)

A week after I separated my first littler from their mother I went out to weigh them. Because I didn't want to have to put them back into their cage until after all the buns were weighed I thought I could put them in with their mother, one by one, until they had all been weighed, at which point I would put them all back in their own cage. While weighing the second kit I heard a commotion in the mother's cage. She was chasing her kit. The look in her eyes wasn't very comforting, and the fear in his eyes told me he wasn't feeling the love... I think if she had caught up with him before I was able to pull him out he would have never made it. 

If you put them back together, my advice is to stick close to make sure no one gets hurt.


----------



## Zorander (Nov 25, 2013)

Thanks for the replies! I think I will start having the does be put in their hutch without the kits starting tonight and see how everyone does.
Last time they kindled was the first time they had kindled togather in the same hutch. They did wonderful. This time they are even digging a hole together lol. Once day 28 hits I keep them in their hutch until a couple days after they kindle. 1. Make sure they kindle in the hutch and 2.To give them a little rest. Last time when I finally let them out of the hutch aftewr a few days rest they were so exstatic but they would run up the ramp to their hutch occasionally to check on the kits.


----------



## Zorander (Nov 25, 2013)

VickieB said:


> If you put them back together, my advice is to stick close to make sure no one gets hurt.


Do you mean in a pen together at night or just out in the yard together? Once they have kindled they will not be with with their kits at night anymore but I was hoping to have them all out in my huge yard together all day like they have been.  If it comes down to it I will split my yard in half but I'm hoping they can live harmoniously until the kits are sexually mature or big enough to butcher, whichever comes first.


----------



## VickieB (Nov 26, 2013)

In my short experience of raising does I've seen how a mom could try to attack a kit that was no longer staying in her cage once they were put together again. I'm not saying that WILL happen, but that it COULD happen. Personally, it would take a lot to make me try that after the experience I've had with them.


----------



## Citylife (Dec 5, 2013)

I always wean the kits around 6 weeks of age when their mother is  1 1/2 weeks pregnant.  I leave one or two kits with her depending on litter size for a couple days to dry the off easy.  I like my does to be dried off for about 2 weeks before they kindle again.  It seems to help them be more productive.


----------



## Zorander (Dec 13, 2013)

I thought I would update, thanks for all your great replies!! 
I put the does in their hutch on day 28 and kept them in there 2 days after they had kindled.  Then put them back in my backyard with supervision with their older kits during d u r in day and in I nye hutch at night to nurse . They were perfectly fine. I think the reason being as they get a ton of exercise and have a huge amount of space and they are a resist laid back bunnies. Since then I have processed all of the older kits  except for 2, which will be my next generation breeders.  
When the weather turned nasty (-30°) I brought both does, all their newly born kits and their 2 older kits inside and put them into a large kiddy pool with an ex pen around it in my dining room, they did fantastic. I think I'm really lucky with my two breeder does, they have absolutely amazing temperaments!!!


----------



## Zorander (Dec 13, 2013)

Here's a picture of everyone in my dining room over the frigid weather.


----------



## Hens and Roos (Dec 14, 2013)

interesting information, thanks for sharing.  Our does once weaned want nothing to do with the kits. We raise Californian rabbits and 1 doe is very protective of her nest box for the 1st week or so after kindling. We have not tried breeding does back while they are caring of current kits.  If you wean current kits at 6 weeks and does are 1.5 weeks pregnant with next litter- you are rebreeding when the current kits are around 4.5 weeks old correct?  What extra conditioning/feed are you providing the does to keep them in good condition?

This past year we struggled with our buck doing his job, we just had a doe kindle a litter of 7(only 3 kits remain; 4 probably died around a week of age- so not sure what happened there) from using this particular buck- we were figuring she wasn't expecting since he didn't finish the job.


----------



## Catalaya's Rabbitry (Dec 14, 2013)

http://catalayarabbitry.weebly.com/1/post/2013/12/how-to-breed-for-rabbit-shows.html

Here's an article on when to rebreed and when to wean based on number of litters you want per year.


----------



## Catalaya's Rabbitry (Dec 14, 2013)

http://catalayarabbitry.weebly.com/1/post/2013/12/how-to-breed-for-rabbit-shows.html

This is a good article on rebreeding, weaning, and number of litters per year.


----------



## Hens and Roos (Dec 14, 2013)

thanks for posting the link, it is a handy reference to have!


----------



## Zorander (Dec 16, 2013)

Hens and Roos said:


> you are rebreeding when the current kits are around 4.5 weeks old correct?  What extra conditioning/feed are you providing the does to keep them in good condition?



For my does, I wait until their bodies look like they did pre pregnancy. 
They are free range in my backyard daily so they build up good muscle tone and get to eat a natural foraging diet.  I give them a ton of greens daily and I put a big handful or two of calf manna  in their bowl of pellets for them and their older kits.


----------



## Zorander (Dec 16, 2013)

I'm sitting out in my yard petting the rabbits and I just realized I never actually weaned the kits.  They still had access to their moms during the day and early evening but they eventually just stopped being interested in nursing and were way more into foraging and eating the greens I brought out a few times a day.


----------



## Hens and Roos (Dec 16, 2013)

must be nice weather by you, we have big snow flakes falling here! No sitting out in the yard!  Thanks for the information, I will have to look into the calf manna(have only seen 50 lbs bags by us so far)


----------



## Zorander (Dec 17, 2013)

Hens and Roos said:


> must be nice weather by you, we have big snow flakes falling here! No sitting out in the yard!  Thanks for the information, I will have to look into the calf manna(have only seen 50 lbs bags by us so far)


Our weather has turned nice.  It went from averaging mid 40's 2 weeks ago, last week it got down -30° then up to 60° yesterday. Weird weather. ..for the calf manna I got a small bag, maybe 5#.


----------

