Another litter expected too soon

[Pastor Dave]

I appreciate the tips. I never had any problems with my litters weaning at 4 weeks back when we raised them in the 80's and 90's. I left for college in '93 and my mom kept at it on a little smaller scale until '97. Back then, we didn't have Internet or sites like this to learn from. My uncle taught us that had raised them through the 60's to early 90's. Or we learned in 4-H and at the co-op or feed store. Word of mouth and a phone call to a contact made at a show or fair. It is nice to have a site like this with so many knowledgeable folks.

I started back up again in August, 2015. I wean at 5 weeks, and rebreed my does a few days after that to give her a little more time off. The bunnies and does literally get 10 more days than the ways we did it back in the day. My does are so used to this schedule that they act ready to be done with the litter at 3-1/2 or 4 weeks. I haven't had any problems with my meat pens getting to 5lbs. by 10 weeks and then I butcher. My does all seem healthy, but I have had one case of mastitis in the last year and a half. It occurred when her milk came in however, and not because the litter had been removed. I had to foster her litter. I keep penicillin on hand, and she got her treatment, waited a month after treatment and bred her. No problems since.

I haven't bred for show rabbits. I do have a pedigreed pair of NZW though. I realize there are really two different philosophies between show breeding and meat breeding. Show breeders like to keep a litter with the doe 8 weeks and allow the bunnies to become great specimens and show quality. When I keep one back to become a breeder, they are as show quality by 10 weeks as ones weaned at 8 weeks. They have remained healthy too. It has been very rare that I have a problem with a bunny weaned at 5 weeks. My goal us to get them to weight by 10 weeks and if they stay with mom too long, they just don't make weight like I need them to.

I find nothing wrong with the method of leaving them in longer for the purpose of show or selling. I appreciate your advice. Thanks, Dave

 

[DutchBunny03]

You are way more experienced than I am, so you probably know more. I personally haven't had any problems, since i leave them with the dam so long(I don't need to meet any production schedules, so I'm in no hurry), but know people who have had problems, and it's not pretty. Sometimes, you can lose an entire litter if they are removed too early, but that happens most in cases when they are removed almost as soon as they leave the nestbox. Leaving a few days in between is a great practice. Overlapping works, or so I've heard, but i don't want to stress my does. My goal isn't meat or quantity of rabbits, its quality of rabbits(+ the fact that i have very little space). Different goals need different methods, and this is a great example of that.
Breeding for show can be frustrating in breeds such as English Spot, Dutch, Harlequin, and other breeds with complex color patterns but not so bad with breeds such as NZs. When you have a good rabbit, and chances are yours are great, showing is a lot of fun. Probably the best aspect of showing is talking and exchanging information with other breeders. Rabbit swaps are also great. Winning isn't everything.

 

[Tale of Tails Rabbitry]

...just do not give them any greens until they are at least 5 months old.

I have read that advice many times but "do not give any greens" is a bit of an overstatement, I think. I start giving mine some greens as soon as they are interested, usually around 5 weeks...I just do not give them much about three to five leaves in total to each choosing from: cilantro, dandelion leaves, violet leaves, strawberry leaves, spring mixes, and clover (all organic). Never had a problem yet.

Perhaps it is better to say that they should not be given greens as the mainstay of their diet until the are older or that greens can be given as treats.