Slaughtered a 12 week old this morning and am wondering if this is too much fat on the carcass? It seemed like a lot to me. It was a female and my grow outs get free choice 18% pellets and timothy/alfalfa cubes (a recent change as I ran out of hay bales). My adults get 1/2 cup of 16% pellets + BOSS mixed about 3:1. I’m considering if I should feed everyone the adults ration instead of the 18%. Thoughts?
Carcass fat, too much? PHOTOS
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jaxmarblebuns
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That is a lot of fat for a rabbit, especially one that young.
what size are the cages?
how many are in each cage?
what is the brand of pellets?
was that the only one that looked like that, or did all of them look similar?
what size are the cages?
how many are in each cage?
what is the brand of pellets?
was that the only one that looked like that, or did all of them look similar?
She was by herself in a 24” x 36” hutch. The pellets available to me are Hi-Pro brand. I did one male from another hutch after her and he was pretty fatty but not quite as bad. I’m going to be doing more over the next few days, a few each morning before it’s too hot.
that is why I never free feed my growouts. I find they do just fine on measured feed and grow just as quickly as when I used to free feed. I don't much care for that much fat on rabbits.
What percentage feed do you give the grow outs? What is your system of measurement for when the kits are with mom vs weaned?
I’ve been reading a lot of the older posts, ladysown, you’ve had quite some customers! Your posts are well written and informative.
Thanks. I've been breeding buns a long time and have done lots of reading.
I read an article about four years ago that someone did some research on meat rabbits.
Feed them what their mom's regular portion should be from week 5-12. So if mom, at 17% protein eats 3/4 cup pellet, that's what the kits should get (or maybe up to a cup if they are demanding it). They get that until they hit four to five months (depending on growth rate) then you feed 2/3 cup until they are at breeding weight.
He was able to prove over successive generations that rabbits feed less BEFORE breeding learned to utilize the food they were given more efficiently. This seems to have born out in my own herd. I slightly underfeed my meat rabbits until ready to breed. This keeps them from getting fat and means I breed them (new zealand mixes) at six months. I bred fairly heavily (in the eyes of some).
So my meat does when not on kits nursing get 3/4 cup 17% protein feed.
When one week from kindle they often reduce their feed intake to about 1/2 cup VOLUNTARILY.
Once they kindle they get 1 cup daily for three days.
Then they demand more so I double that until the kits are out of the box.
For me that is just past two weeks when I tip the box.
I put 3/4 cup into what I call a creep feeder (a small bowl on the cage floor to encourage kits to eat).
That lasts for about a week.
Once I see the kits regularly eating I put three cups in the does feeder and each day successively less in the creep feeder until kits are all using the does feeder. Takes about a week.
I add 1/2 cup per baby bunny week three to week four or five depending on the litter at this point to what mom's normal ration would be. I'll add the bowl in if I see them crowding the feeder as it just takes the edge of need off this usually at week four
I generally wean half the litter at week six. Usually removing the boys and the biggest girls (if needed).
Those weaned kits eat 1/2 cup each for the first three days as they adjust to being moved with added hay/fresh greens. after three days I give them normal dry doe ration UNLESS they demand more. Most of the time they do not and if offered more generally don't eat it.
As I'm trying to reduce the size of my meat rabbits it's been a bit of a learning curve to see how much they truly need. Right now it is sitting at 2/3 cup and some still get fat..... GAH, i'll get there though...
I read an article about four years ago that someone did some research on meat rabbits.
Feed them what their mom's regular portion should be from week 5-12. So if mom, at 17% protein eats 3/4 cup pellet, that's what the kits should get (or maybe up to a cup if they are demanding it). They get that until they hit four to five months (depending on growth rate) then you feed 2/3 cup until they are at breeding weight.
He was able to prove over successive generations that rabbits feed less BEFORE breeding learned to utilize the food they were given more efficiently. This seems to have born out in my own herd. I slightly underfeed my meat rabbits until ready to breed. This keeps them from getting fat and means I breed them (new zealand mixes) at six months. I bred fairly heavily (in the eyes of some).
So my meat does when not on kits nursing get 3/4 cup 17% protein feed.
When one week from kindle they often reduce their feed intake to about 1/2 cup VOLUNTARILY.
Once they kindle they get 1 cup daily for three days.
Then they demand more so I double that until the kits are out of the box.
For me that is just past two weeks when I tip the box.
I put 3/4 cup into what I call a creep feeder (a small bowl on the cage floor to encourage kits to eat).
That lasts for about a week.
Once I see the kits regularly eating I put three cups in the does feeder and each day successively less in the creep feeder until kits are all using the does feeder. Takes about a week.
I add 1/2 cup per baby bunny week three to week four or five depending on the litter at this point to what mom's normal ration would be. I'll add the bowl in if I see them crowding the feeder as it just takes the edge of need off this usually at week four
I generally wean half the litter at week six. Usually removing the boys and the biggest girls (if needed).
Those weaned kits eat 1/2 cup each for the first three days as they adjust to being moved with added hay/fresh greens. after three days I give them normal dry doe ration UNLESS they demand more. Most of the time they do not and if offered more generally don't eat it.
As I'm trying to reduce the size of my meat rabbits it's been a bit of a learning curve to see how much they truly need. Right now it is sitting at 2/3 cup and some still get fat..... GAH, i'll get there though...
just adding... at 18% you should be able to get away with feeding them less than 3/4 cup. (at least for your dry does). Do you feed anything more than pellets?
I'm going to try to render fat next time I butcher. See linked post.
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/how-long-do-pellets-last.34595/page-2#post-340006
https://rabbittalk.com/threads/how-long-do-pellets-last.34595/page-2#post-340006
Do you only feed 17% protein and just vary the amount?Thanks. I've been breeding buns a long time and have done lots of reading.
I read an article about four years ago that someone did some research on meat rabbits.
Feed them what their mom's regular portion should be from week 5-12. So if mom, at 17% protein eats 3/4 cup pellet, that's what the kits should get (or maybe up to a cup if they are demanding it). They get that until they hit four to five months (depending on growth rate) then you feed 2/3 cup until they are at breeding weight.
He was able to prove over successive generations that rabbits feed less BEFORE breeding learned to utilize the food they were given more efficiently. This seems to have born out in my own herd. I slightly underfeed my meat rabbits until ready to breed. This keeps them from getting fat and means I breed them (new zealand mixes) at six months. I bred fairly heavily (in the eyes of some).
So my meat does when not on kits nursing get 3/4 cup 17% protein feed.
When one week from kindle they often reduce their feed intake to about 1/2 cup VOLUNTARILY.
Once they kindle they get 1 cup daily for three days.
Then they demand more so I double that until the kits are out of the box.
For me that is just past two weeks when I tip the box.
I put 3/4 cup into what I call a creep feeder (a small bowl on the cage floor to encourage kits to eat).
That lasts for about a week.
Once I see the kits regularly eating I put three cups in the does feeder and each day successively less in the creep feeder until kits are all using the does feeder. Takes about a week.
I add 1/2 cup per baby bunny week three to week four or five depending on the litter at this point to what mom's normal ration would be. I'll add the bowl in if I see them crowding the feeder as it just takes the edge of need off this usually at week four
I generally wean half the litter at week six. Usually removing the boys and the biggest girls (if needed).
Those weaned kits eat 1/2 cup each for the first three days as they adjust to being moved with added hay/fresh greens. after three days I give them normal dry doe ration UNLESS they demand more. Most of the time they do not and if offered more generally don't eat it.
As I'm trying to reduce the size of my meat rabbits it's been a bit of a learning curve to see how much they truly need. Right now it is sitting at 2/3 cup and some still get fat..... GAH, i'll get there though...
Thank you so much for taking the time to write that all out!
Bucks and dry does get 1/2 cup of 16% pellets + BOSS mixed 3:1. Everyone has done well on that ration. Once the kits are starting to get hoppy and explore I switch to the 18% and have been free feeding, but I’m not going to after slaughtering that one this morning. I was giving them quite a lot of fresh cut grass recently and noticed a drastic reduction in pellet consumption which was awesome, until I had two litters in a row that all but one kit each died from a mystery illness. I’m trying to figure out if it was a pathogen from the grass or a potential genetic issue with the buck I used on them. I really like giving them fresh cut and they really like it too, so I’ll have to weigh my options there.
Bucks and dry does get 1/2 cup of 16% pellets + BOSS mixed 3:1. Everyone has done well on that ration. Once the kits are starting to get hoppy and explore I switch to the 18% and have been free feeding, but I’m not going to after slaughtering that one this morning. I was giving them quite a lot of fresh cut grass recently and noticed a drastic reduction in pellet consumption which was awesome, until I had two litters in a row that all but one kit each died from a mystery illness. I’m trying to figure out if it was a pathogen from the grass or a potential genetic issue with the buck I used on them. I really like giving them fresh cut and they really like it too, so I’ll have to weigh my options there.
MnCanary
Well-known member
3/4 cup by volume, I assume? Do you know the weight? 3/4 cup of different rabbit pellet brands can have a different number of calories.
Did you start them on the fresh cut slowly? Because if they're not used to it it can kill kits
I have a one cup scoop measure and I just fill it 3/4 of the way
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Yes I only feed 17% all of my rabbits get that and some take more some take less depends on the rabbit I've learned to feed by the rabbit not by a standard weights and measure. What I mean by that is I have a mixed breed mutt Buck who only eats 2/3 a cup of pellets and sometimes that's even a push. His sister on the other hand will eat everything I give her. And I have a Little Dutch buck who would happily eat a cup of feed every single day.... And not gain weight. He is a super super busy boy. He's disappointed that I limit him to half a cup cuz he really doesn't need it.
I was grabbing small handfuls when the grass finally got long enough and dolling that out to everyone, then moved up to scything an area and giving everyone quite a bit.
Can too much fresh grass for mama doe kill the kits? My kits were not out of the box when they started dying and I wasn’t putting any in the box for them.
They all seem pretty mad at me since I’ve stopped bringing fresh cut….lol
if they died in the nestbox (how old were they?) then the issue isn't the grass.
If you started them all off slowly they'll be fine.
Was momma feeding them?
Any mould in the box from dust particles/hay/fine bedding?
If you started them all off slowly they'll be fine.
Was momma feeding them?
Any mould in the box from dust particles/hay/fine bedding?
It was probably mucoid enteropathy that killed the kits, from the research I’ve done and local rabbit raisers I’ve spoken with. A woman I spoke with today said giving the kits raspberry/blackberry leaves can cure them if you catch it early enough. Both does were proven, no trouble on their other litters. The kits died from about 2-4 weeks old.
