Good weight?

[WildWolf]

So, at 7 weeks and 1 day old, my Silver Fox kits weigh:
(the doe I'm keeping)- 2.64lbs
(buck)- 2.5lbs
(doe)- 2.49lbs
(buck)- 2.46lbs
(buck)- 2.33lbs

They are gaining .5lbs a week, I think. They grew up on a completely pellet-free natural diet. Is that a good weight? I know that since they are fed naturally, they will grow slower. What do most pellet-fed SF (or other meat breed) weigh at 7 weeks?

Isn't a good goal to have meat/fur rabbits that weigh 4.5-5lbs at 9 weeks? I think the doe I'm keeping will weigh 4.5-5lbs at 11 or 12 weeks.

 

[skysthelimit]

Ideally, we'd like to get as close to 5lbs and 8 weeks as possible. I've only had that happen once or twice. I was looking for my book, and can't find it anywhere. On 16% feed, I believe I was 4.5-5 around 10 weeks. Most of the people I talk to are at the same. Seems to me you are doing well. Do you have any mulberry trees? Stuff is like super food.

 

[Dood]

I just started feeding my American Chinchillas and AmChin crosses naturally last year and they are about 3 to 3.5 pounds at 8 weeks (on an 18% pellet most were getting to 5 pounds by 8 weeks)

I have kept back several of the biggest from last year and their kits are gaining the best and I'd say that in just 1 generation I've gotten an 1/3 pound increase - if that keeps up then by the 6 generation I should be getting them to 5 pounds by 8 weeks on a natural diet

Frequent replacement of older stock is the key and of my original 5 rabbits I've only got 1 left (mostly for sentimental reasons as she is my best producer and is the foundation doe to all of my current stock)

One of the kits was a Mini Lop cross who grew like a weed on the natural diet and was 4 pounds at 8 weeks :shock: he is now old enough to sire litters and I hope he passes this trait onto his kits, i'll know in 3 months

 

[skysthelimit]

Remember too that SF are supposed to thrive on forage, so it's possible to get really good weights even in the first gen.

 

[Zass]

Remember too that SF are supposed to thrive on forage, so it's possible to get really good weights even in the first gen.

The SF I had really did seem to require less feed. Their litter sizes and nursing ability were smaller than I expected from rabbits that size though.
I guess it's a tradeoff.
It probably also matters if they came from forage lines or from lines that were culled for adaptation to pelleted feed.

I'm getting 4.5-5 lbs from my mutts by 9 weeks on 16% and supplementation with forage, oats, boss and hay.

 

[WildWolf]

Thanks everyone!! OK, then I'm doing well. Those kits are the first generation of kits to be raised on a natural diet from birth. Skysthelimit, I will feed them more mullberry! Right now, they get it abotu once a week, but I'll try to collect some every day. Dood, hopefully mine get 1/3 pound increase each generation!! That's actually my biggest goal right now is to keep the biggest of the litter and breed her back to my biggest rabbit (a buck) until I get a rabbit who reached 5lbs at 8 weeks and produces litters who do the same.

 

[skysthelimit]

Their litter sizes and nursing ability were smaller than I expected from rabbits that size though.
I guess it's a tradeoff.

I noticed that too. My SF litters are smaller than both the Rex and Angoras, though the FA/SF cross litter was 9. Hybrid vigor I assume. The resulting FA crosses are bigger than the SF of the same age, nursed from the Rex.