Bunnylady
Herd Master
Pastor Dave is raising meat rabbits, so he takes his babies from their mother's cage at 4 to 6 weeks and puts them into another pen where they grow up to slaughter weight (at which point they are referred to as "fryers.")
PREGNANT BUNNY
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Animal Person
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Ohhh. Haha. Thanks. I do not wean them until 8 weeks correct? @Bunnylady
Pastor Dave
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Sorry to not get you answered. I am preparing to officiate two funerals on Monday, 8th.
I am taking a break, and visiting BYH. A big stress relief!
Bunnylady is exactly right. I use a different feeding regime for my fryers than what the doe would be allowed to eat. Some folks like to wait as long as possible to wean and separate the kits from Mom. It has certain advantages and disadvantages. My does prefer to be rid of their litter by the 4-6 weeks. It is probably determined into their behavior by repeated practice. If the doe tolerates the bunnies, 8 weeks should be ok. By the time they get to 11 or 12 weeks, they should be separated by sex. Hope that answers and helps some.
I am taking a break, and visiting BYH. A big stress relief!
Bunnylady is exactly right. I use a different feeding regime for my fryers than what the doe would be allowed to eat. Some folks like to wait as long as possible to wean and separate the kits from Mom. It has certain advantages and disadvantages. My does prefer to be rid of their litter by the 4-6 weeks. It is probably determined into their behavior by repeated practice. If the doe tolerates the bunnies, 8 weeks should be ok. By the time they get to 11 or 12 weeks, they should be separated by sex. Hope that answers and helps some.
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Thank you very much @pastorDave My bunnies are 3 weeks old now. Are they old enough to go outside? My doe normally gets to go outside every day, but due to the babies she has not gotten to. She is just itching to get out of the cage
Pastor Dave
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In the wild the mother stays away from the nest to protect the young from predators, so they do not need her except a couple times a day.
She could go out.
They are probably pretty close to being weaned, but could go out as well even if not yet.
She could go out.
They are probably pretty close to being weaned, but could go out as well even if not yet.
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Ok but I read that bunnies are weaned at 6-8 weeks
Ridgetop
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I always did what Pastor Dave does - I would transfer the 7 week old litter into another cage next to the mom's cage and feed them separately. We raised meat rabbits and I was on an intensive breeding program. My does would be bred again when the litter was 5-6 weeks old (before removing the kits), and she would kindle again when they were about 8 weeks old. My does were on an intensive supplemented diet to keep them healthy. If one showed signs of being thin coming off a litter, I would hold her over for an extra 2 weeks to build her up again. The litter would be fed differently from the brood does since they didn't need the extra nutrients a pregnant and lactating doe did.
The doe only feeds the kits at night and you may never see her in the next box during the day. Years ago, before we raised rabbits, a friend had a bunny and bred her so her kids could "enjoy the experience". Since she never saw the mom pay any attention to the kits she assumed they were abandoned and raised them on a doll bottle!!! She was feeding them every 2 hours day and night! I have to laugh about it now because if she had only gotten a book from the library about rabbits she would have saved herself a lot of effort and sleep! LOL
The doe only feeds the kits at night and you may never see her in the next box during the day. Years ago, before we raised rabbits, a friend had a bunny and bred her so her kids could "enjoy the experience". Since she never saw the mom pay any attention to the kits she assumed they were abandoned and raised them on a doll bottle!!! She was feeding them every 2 hours day and night! I have to laugh about it now because if she had only gotten a book from the library about rabbits she would have saved herself a lot of effort and sleep! LOL
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Thank you very much. Do the bunnies have to be next to their mother when they are being weaned? Also I am planing on breading her again a week after I wean them at 7 weeks. Today the bunnies are going to go outside for the first time.
I did not feed my doe anything special, should I have put her on a diet?
Ridgetop
Herd Master
No, by 8 weeks they don't really care. I did it because I set my barn up that way since I was removing the kits earlier than normal and the mother was going to kindle right away again. I didn't want a lot of change for her, and less stress keeps the litter gaining consistently. In the wild they would be on their own at 4 weeks since the mother would have rebred right after they were born and had another litter. You don't have to put her on a special diet, I did since I was doing production breeding for 6 litters in a year. If you are going to breed your doe when her litter is 8 weeks old she will be having 4 litters a year and any good commercial pellet will sustain that. I don't know what breed you have or the normal size litter. We raised New Zealand Whites and the litter size ranged from 8 to 12 with 95% survivability. I selected for this trait. I would also foster extra kits over to mom's with smaller litters in order to have maximum survivability and production.
If your doe starts to lose weight, you can go to an 18% protein instead of the standard 16%, and also add some oats, sunflower seeds, etc. I used a special blend I made up and adjusted over the years that included some calf manna for the doe before the kits were eating pellets. I don't feed calf manna to kits since it is too high protein and they can develop enteritis (scours). You have to be careful not to use too rich a diet with rabbits because it can cause enteritis which is a killer. If you ever have a rabbit that scours (the runs) feed pine wood shavings (UNTREATED) or straw (not hay) for the roughage. Doing this can sometimes clear up the enteritis before it kills your rabbit.
A lot depends on what breed of rabbit you are raising, and the size of the litter. What breed do you have?
If your doe starts to lose weight, you can go to an 18% protein instead of the standard 16%, and also add some oats, sunflower seeds, etc. I used a special blend I made up and adjusted over the years that included some calf manna for the doe before the kits were eating pellets. I don't feed calf manna to kits since it is too high protein and they can develop enteritis (scours). You have to be careful not to use too rich a diet with rabbits because it can cause enteritis which is a killer. If you ever have a rabbit that scours (the runs) feed pine wood shavings (UNTREATED) or straw (not hay) for the roughage. Doing this can sometimes clear up the enteritis before it kills your rabbit.
A lot depends on what breed of rabbit you are raising, and the size of the litter. What breed do you have?
Pastor Dave
Herd Master
Sorry to get back to you late @Animal Person , but @Ridgetop has answered you exactly as I would.
In the wild, the kits are weaned when they leave the nest and eat and drink on their own. They probably become part of a community, and the doe is ready to kindle again as they leave the nest and are weaned all at once.
SOme commercial establishments will rebreed the doe very soon after she kindles and push the previous kits into a fryer pen so the doe can kindle the next litter. They only can use the doe abt 18mos to 2 years this way. Mine get a similar break as Ridgetop said, being rebred a week or two after weaning.
If you leave the kits with the doe for 6-8 weeks, you will need a pretty good sized cage for the doe, you will notice the kits are probably getting to a size you might want them to be in their own pen, and the doe will probably thank you too.
In the wild, the kits are weaned when they leave the nest and eat and drink on their own. They probably become part of a community, and the doe is ready to kindle again as they leave the nest and are weaned all at once.
SOme commercial establishments will rebreed the doe very soon after she kindles and push the previous kits into a fryer pen so the doe can kindle the next litter. They only can use the doe abt 18mos to 2 years this way. Mine get a similar break as Ridgetop said, being rebred a week or two after weaning.
If you leave the kits with the doe for 6-8 weeks, you will need a pretty good sized cage for the doe, you will notice the kits are probably getting to a size you might want them to be in their own pen, and the doe will probably thank you too.
