Litter size - what is average

[REDMIST]

I have always thought 7 to 9 kits were acceptable. I have been reading a lot of people saying they get 10+ kits to a litter. What are your thoughts on a average litter size for meat breads? I have SF and NZW and average 7 to 9 kits and keep all. I have a cali that has 6 and lost 3 already, she is being culled. Also if I keep a doe from a smaller sized litter, genetically is she going to produce smaller litters? If the Cali doe I am going to cull keeps her 3 babies and one of them is a doe, will this doe produce smaller litter sizes also?

 

[Rainey]

When we started in 2014 we had 2 NZW does and a SF buck. One had 8 kits each time we bred her and never lost one. Would have kept her but she was a serious biter so was culled. The other had 7 the first litter and then 6 but lost one and one had a splayed back leg so she was culled. We kept daughters from the biter and culled one of those after she lost all of her first litter and only kept 4 of 11 her second. The other 2 have had litters of 7 to 13 kits and only lost a couple runts from the biggest litters. So we're breeding them again this season along with 2 does from their last year's litters.
When i first got on RT I thought we weren't doing very well when I read about all these really big litters. But I think it might have been grumpy who said that a doe that had 7 to 9 consistently and kept all or most would be a keeper for him. When I plan breeding, I'm anticipating 8 survivors/litter. That just works for me in terms of grow-out space and not worrying about whether the doe will have enough milk.
As for who to keep, I wouldn't want daughters from the Cali doe, not because of the litter size, but because she doesn't seem to have enough milk even for that fairly small litter. I don't understand breeding very well though--very new to it. The 3 does we bred last year were full sisters from a good mother (except for the biting) and one was a very poor mother and the other 2 good. I just keep on choosing the best kits I have from the best mothers and eating the rest and hope to see improvement and eventually consistency. And I try to keep in mind what is "good enough". I look at the photos of rabbits with perfect meat conformation or litters in exciting colors and could feel discouraged about my rabbits in comparison. But they really are good enough for me--they taste delicious and I enjoy seeing the variations in the kits even though the colors and markings aren't dramatic.
Just my opinion and from my limited experience.

 

[Zass]

I found it to be very normal for silver fox to have smaller litter sizes. Answers were fairly consistent when I asked others on Facebook too, with only a few claiming theirs had the larger 10+ litters. 7 kits was close to average.

Smaller litters tend to grow a bit faster IF the doe has a good milk supply. The very best does can get 10+ kits to weight in a reasonable amount of time. How many kits you like to manage is entirely up to you.

Genetics probably will not even be a factor in one generation of stock selection. The same way one doe might be great and her sister junk...It is possible that any does daughters can outperform her.

Most of us try not to save future brood stock from under preforming animals with a more long term view though, because if we consistently kept stock from poor mothers, after several generations we might have managed to select for a line of genetically poor mothers..

Saving stock only from the very best we have is a way of constantly pushing for better in each generation.

 

[REDMIST]

I agree with not keeping underperforming lines. I just wanted to reassure my self

 

[imajpm]

I think, and anyone correct me if I am wrong but that litter size may be hereditary. I have three sorts of rabbits here.

Satin show lines : Average litter size is 5-6 I hear show breeders do not like large litters.
Commercial NZW: Average litter size 8-9 The breeder here told me he was breeding for litter sizes of 8 and he pretty much nailed it.
Various Angora: Average litter size is 10, biggest was 13.

If a doe is older though, and possibly fat then her litters will be smaller so the average does not always reflect this. So if that were a young fit doe and produced multiple small litters I would probably not keep a daughter unless I were lacking in rabbits...somehow lol.

 

[Zass]

My harlequins produce a lot of kits.
I'm attempting to raise them for show, and their points are in their highly variable markings, so,
getting show quality kits is like rolling dice.
For me, more kits = more chances at rolling high. :lol:

 

[grumpy]

1). All decisions are based on a rabbitry that has a stable, quiet environment.
Harassment by strange animals, or humans cause nervousness which in turn effects
productivity, behavior, mothering abilities, milking abilities, and general house
keeping.

2}. Litter size is paramount for top production. HOWEVER, survivability is far
more important. A doe that historically has 11-15 kits, but raises only 4-7 is of
little value. A top-quality doe has 7-9 and will raise all kits is the one to keep
and the one to save her daughters for replacements. Her sons will make good
herd bucks carrying the same traits as she. (One doe that I well remember had
9 litters... 73 kits born, with 72 raised to market weight.)

3). Milking qualities and quantities are a direct link to the doe and her genetic
abilities to pass on positives for upcoming generations. This trait is identified
by litter weight at 21 days of age. (8 kits being the average).

4). Mothering abilities are calmness around the nest. No jumping in and out.
No foot stomping. Keeping the nest clean by not using it as a toilet. (Make
sure you're not covering up her normal toilet area with the nest box.)

5). Housekeeping: excellent nest builder... adequate fur pulled... this
could be joined with #4.

6). Production longevity. Older does that have met the above criteria, their
offspring should be used for replacement stock. While their litter numbers
may have declined, their genetic package is still intact. PLUS, they make
excellent foster mothers. Some of my does are going into their 5th season
and still producing viable numbers of kits.

I breed for 5 to 6 litters per year in my rabbitry... 42-50 does in production.
with 6-8 breeding-age bucks. I have 2 Cal bucks, the rest are NZW's with
two of those bucks being NZW TAMUK's bought directly from the college facility.
(I'm likin' these fellas. They're adding slight improvements to the herd.)

Grumpy

 

[REDMIST]

Thank you all. The Cali is going along with whatever she raises. The NZ I have with all 8 kits is a good mom. Kits are a little small at 8 weeks. I am weighing this weekend. I guess between 3 to 4 lbs each. She is on the small side bit is a good mom. I have some room for improvement but really hard to find good meat rabbits in this area without paying 50 bucks

 

[mike17l]

1). All decisions are based on a rabbitry that has a stable, quiet environment.
Harassment by strange animals, or humans cause nervousness which in turn effects
productivity, behavior, mothering abilities, milking abilities, and general house
keeping.

2}. Litter size is paramount for top production. HOWEVER, survivability is far
more important. A doe that historically has 11-15 kits, but raises only 4-7 is of
little value. A top-quality doe has 7-9 and will raise all kits is the one to keep
and the one to save her daughters for replacements. Her sons will make good
herd bucks carrying the same traits as she. (One doe that I well remember had
9 litters... 73 kits born, with 72 raised to market weight.)

3). Milking qualities and quantities are a direct link to the doe and her genetic
abilities to pass on positives for upcoming generations. This trait is identified
by litter weight at 21 days of age. (8 kits being the average).

4). Mothering abilities are calmness around the nest. No jumping in and out.
No foot stomping. Keeping the nest clean by not using it as a toilet. (Make
sure you're not covering up her normal toilet area with the nest box.)

5). Housekeeping: excellent nest builder... adequate fur pulled... this
could be joined with #4.

6). Production longevity. Older does that have met the above criteria, their
offspring should be used for replacement stock. While their litter numbers
may have declined, their genetic package is still intact. PLUS, they make
excellent foster mothers. Some of my does are going into their 5th season
and still producing viable numbers of kits.

I breed for 5 to 6 litters per year in my rabbitry... 42-50 does in production.
with 6-8 breeding-age bucks. I have 2 Cal bucks, the rest are NZW's with
two of those bucks being NZW TAMUK's bought directly from the college facility.
(I'm likin' these fellas. They're adding slight improvements to the herd.)

Grumpy

Agree with all. I raise only the composite animals from TAMUK. They are great!! One doe in particular (a magpie) had 3 her first litter, 5 her second litter, 8 live and two dead her third. Looks like she is going to be a good one. So a warning to the OP, don't judge based on a doe's first or second litter, give them a little time to mature. That being said, I like one of the does produced in the first litter of 3, no reason to not keep her, the genetics are there.