Determining Rabbit Age

[Meadowlark22]

Hey all!

I’ve been a bit conflicted over how to determine my rabbits’ ages. I see some folks count weeks, others months. At the moment, I’m trying to determine when I am able to use a certain litter for breeding (should any kits pass the cull checklist).

I have two litters of New Zealand REW litters born 4/14/22 on a Thursday. Exactly 24 weeks (~6 months) later, the date is 9/29. This would put them (in months) at 5 1/2 months old. By month, they shouldn’t be breeding until 10/14 at the earliest. Either way, I wouldn’t start breeding until they made senior weight.

How do you determine your rabbits’ ages? Does it matter the age as long as they hit senior weight?

 

[ladysown]

Honestly, when it comes to meat rabbits of up to NZ size, any time after 5 months is fair game to me. By then they should be at 80% of their adult weight. I find they raise out their kits just fine.

Mind you, I don't just willy-nilly breed them, I wait for them to go from baby/young rabbit attitude to "I'm grown up attitude". For some bunnies that 4-5 months, for others it's closer to 8. Sometimes they show that through hormonal based attitudinal moments (chasing a hand, grunting at me, lunging at a door) and sometimes it's just a change in personality.