# How do you know when to separate kits from mom?



## mama24 (Jun 7, 2012)

My rabbits kits are 3 weeks old and I'm wondering about the next step.  They are CA/NZ crosses, btw, not sure if breed matters. I have read that they should be separated between 4 and 6 weeks of age. When do you do it and why?


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## secuono (Jun 7, 2012)

If I am not rebreeding, I don't separate them until they are plain too big. Recent litter didn't move out until they were near 10wks. 
If I'm wanting to sell the kits right at 8wks and breed back, then doe is bred around 4-6wks and kits are removed around 5-7wks. Mom usually won't let them at 5-6wks anyway, so I don't worry about it. 

My does don't mind their own babies living with them if there's enough room, but I try to move them all out 1wk before she is due again. Moms tend to lounge around hogging the whole cage at that point.


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## mama24 (Jun 7, 2012)

Thank you! Great info!


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## manybirds (Jun 7, 2012)

i go 8 weeks for 4 class breeds and 10 weeks for 6 class breeds (which owuld be bigger breeds such as flemish giant, giant chinchilla etc). 6 weeks is just to young for me


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## CYGChickies (Jun 7, 2012)

We wean at six weeks the earliest but if the kits don't have new homes to go to yet--or are butcher rabbits--then they stay with mom for as long as 10 weeks. After ten weeks the ones we are keeping are separated by gender and the butcher rabbits move to a grow out pen until they're 12 weeks roughly. One exception is if our French Angora has a big litter; we move those kits before 10 weeks because they get so big so fast. 

CYG


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## mama24 (Jun 7, 2012)




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