shazza
Well-known member
and would it affect the size of its kits?
i've had a big learning curve with my rabbits since getting them last spring and while i've learned a lot, it feels like i keep having problems. if nothing else i guess i at least know what to do when everything goes wrong, lol.
my latest problem comes in the form of my two standard rex rabbits, a doe and a buck. they were purchased at the same time at around 8 weeks old and are now 7 or 8 months old. they were purchased to be show prospects but the buck turned out to too light for a castor so he's out of that ring and i'll get him a nice dark coloured girlfriend later. the doe is a rew and she is good type, but i'm worried that neither of them will ever hit senior weight. the buck is about 6.5 lbs and the doe is a little over 7lbs and that's it. at 8 months old.
when i first purchased them i was feeding a feed that i chose as it was soy-free, but turned out to have a very low protein - 14%. i didn't realize this feed was formulated for adult PET rabbits, not breeding or meat rabbits. when i switched to a 16% commercial feed in july or so, i saw a great increase in their size, but lately they seem to not be growing much more and they're still too small for rexes. i've had to cut back on the buck's feed because he started getting fat instead of bigger. i can deal with not being able to show these exact rabbits, but if i bred them do you think their kits would grow to the right size with proper feed even if their parents stayed small? the doe is ready to breed now and i don't want to wait too long but i want her to get as big as possible first...
i've already culled out a supposedly standard rex doe that never got bigger than a mini rex (and aggressive,) and i really would like to be able to keep these. they have great bodies and the doe has a good coat that i would love to pass on.
i've had a big learning curve with my rabbits since getting them last spring and while i've learned a lot, it feels like i keep having problems. if nothing else i guess i at least know what to do when everything goes wrong, lol.
my latest problem comes in the form of my two standard rex rabbits, a doe and a buck. they were purchased at the same time at around 8 weeks old and are now 7 or 8 months old. they were purchased to be show prospects but the buck turned out to too light for a castor so he's out of that ring and i'll get him a nice dark coloured girlfriend later. the doe is a rew and she is good type, but i'm worried that neither of them will ever hit senior weight. the buck is about 6.5 lbs and the doe is a little over 7lbs and that's it. at 8 months old.
when i first purchased them i was feeding a feed that i chose as it was soy-free, but turned out to have a very low protein - 14%. i didn't realize this feed was formulated for adult PET rabbits, not breeding or meat rabbits. when i switched to a 16% commercial feed in july or so, i saw a great increase in their size, but lately they seem to not be growing much more and they're still too small for rexes. i've had to cut back on the buck's feed because he started getting fat instead of bigger. i can deal with not being able to show these exact rabbits, but if i bred them do you think their kits would grow to the right size with proper feed even if their parents stayed small? the doe is ready to breed now and i don't want to wait too long but i want her to get as big as possible first...
i've already culled out a supposedly standard rex doe that never got bigger than a mini rex (and aggressive,) and i really would like to be able to keep these. they have great bodies and the doe has a good coat that i would love to pass on.