New rabbits... size and when to breed

[brittanyf]

So, I really excited to start breeding. We now have 3 Tamuk composite sisters (16 weeks). At least sold that way. We got a 7 month old male new zealand and a 13 week female new zealand. We've been gathering them since the end of July.

I finally got a scale and I'm quite disappointed and wondering if I made a mistake. I'm hoping culling for harvest size and breeding up will help. Worried I'll need to find new stock. Out of the sisters, the largest is 6 lbs. The other 2 are 5. The new zealand female is 4 lbs and the boy is 7 lbs. Any thoughts/suggestions/encouragement?

And one more question for those in NC. We are in the triad. Right between durham and greensboro. If breeding can begin in November by age is that an ok month here or should I wait until spring? What months do you consider safe?

 

[olhippityhop]

I've got three New Zealand/Champagne d'argent sisters right now that are 15 weeks. I weighed the first one I could grab to compare to your 16 week olds. She was a little over 6lbs. I think that's fairly normal weight. 4lbs at 13 weeks seems on the low side. Are you feeding pellets? Did you weigh them when you brought them home? it would be interesting to see the growth since you've had them.

 

[brittanyf]

I've got three New Zealand/Champagne d'argent sisters right now that are 15 weeks. I weighed the first one I could grab to compare to your 16 week olds. She was a little over 6lbs. I think that's fairly normal weight. 4lbs at 13 weeks seems on the low side. Are you feeding pellets? Did you weigh them when you brought them home? it would be interesting to see the growth since you've had them.

No. I just got a scale. Irritated with myself lol. I think 2 of them were about her size I think. Thank you for comparing.

 

[Alaska Satin]

So, I really excited to start breeding. We now have 3 Tamuk composite sisters (16 weeks). At least sold that way. We got a 7 month old male new zealand and a 13 week female new zealand. We've been gathering them since the end of July.

I finally got a scale and I'm quite disappointed and wondering if I made a mistake. I'm hoping culling for harvest size and breeding up will help. Worried I'll need to find new stock. Out of the sisters, the largest is 6 lbs. The other 2 are 5. The new zealand female is 4 lbs and the boy is 7 lbs. Any thoughts/suggestions/encouragement?

And one more question for those in NC. We are in the triad. Right between durham and greensboro. If breeding can begin in November by age is that an ok month here or should I wait until spring? What months do you consider safe?

6 lbs at 16wks is okay, 5lbs is on the light side. And I agree with @olhippityhop that 4lb at 13 wks is a bit light for a NZ; typical NZ butcher weights are 4.5 - 5.5lbs at 8-10wks.

The 7mo NZ buck, at 7lbs, is very lightweight; by that time he should be nearing senior weight, which for a NZ buck is 9-11lbs.

While that may not have been my first choice for a herd buck, time will tell if he performs well for you; I wouldn't throw in the towel just yet. Different genetic lines can perform quite differently. Some rabbits start out fast with good growth rates till they're half-grown, then slow down and may or may not ever make senior weight. But if you're producing meat, that can be a wonderful pattern, since your fryers will reach harvest size quickly, but smaller breeding adults may eat less than bigger rabbits.

I have been working on my Satins' growth rates since 2008; most of my does give me bunnies that at 10 weeks are within 4-5oz of each other, from the smallest to the largest in the litter. But I started raising Champagne D'Argents about two years ago, and I'm finding that there is sometimes a pound or more difference between the weights of the smallest and largest in a litter, and this is the same both for litters from my large buck and from my smaller buck. So, your currently-smallish NZ buck may very well give you a range of sizes and growth rates. In that case your plan of "culling for harvest size and breeding up" could be a great plan.

 

[Mckatie]

I'm feeding pellets 18%... I kept them on the same local feed that the breeder raised her rabbits on. They were doing alright but not as well as a broken black I had sold to another breeder. I compared the siblings and mine were noticeable lighter than hers.... rew 666 BB 6.08 I changed pellets to her brand (pro grow) 18% 10 days later 8/29 rew 7.51 BB 6.94
They just turned 4 months old.

2nd cage buck 7.71 - 8.04

Does rew1 7.99- 8.37
rew2 6.81 -7.17
Mouse 7.49 - 7.93 @ 5 months 1 week old

I'm not feeding anything else right now except random veggies.... Not that genetics does not play a part, but maybe it was their feed.