Newby with questions about moving doe and kits at 6 weeks.

[mcrvdeb]

I currently have a doe with 9 6-week-old kits in a large grow out pen. I was wanting to begin weaning by moving mom back to her original cage, along with the 2 smallest kits only, leaving the other 7 in the grow out pen. Our overnight temps have been ranging from -5 F to 15F for the past 2 weeks and all adults and kits are doing great, so far.

Should I leave the doe in with the whole litter a little longer due to cold temps or is now ok to make the move? Night temperatures are going to be in this range over the next 2 weeks, with daytime temps ranging from 30F to 50F. All the kits are eating pellets and hay and are quite active all day and night. None of the kits seem to be bugging mom to be fed, they snuggle up but no attempt to feed that I have seen.

If I do move the doe with the 2 kits, can I put the kits back in the grow out pen with the rest of the litter in a week or so? Or should I just leave all the kits together and just move mom. I just rebred the doe a few days ago and want to give her some alone time before the next litter due.

 

[Alaska Satin]

I currently have a doe with 9 6-week-old kits in a large grow out pen. I was wanting to begin weaning by moving mom back to her original cage, along with the 2 smallest kits only, leaving the other 7 in the grow out pen. Our overnight temps have been ranging from -5 F to 15F for the past 2 weeks and all adults and kits are doing great, so far.

Should I leave the doe in with the whole litter a little longer due to cold temps or is now ok to make the move? Night temperatures are going to be in this range over the next 2 weeks, with daytime temps ranging from 30F to 50F. All the kits are eating pellets and hay and are quite active all day and night. None of the kits seem to be bugging mom to be fed, they snuggle up but no attempt to feed that I have seen.

If I do move the doe with the 2 kits, can I put the kits back in the grow out pen with the rest of the litter in a week or so? Or should I just leave all the kits together and just move mom. I just rebred the doe a few days ago and want to give her some alone time before the next litter due.

The temperatures really shouldn't be a problem for healthy 6-week-old bunnies. But if it was me, I'd leave them all together for another couple of weeks anyway, especially if they are meat rabbits. We've seen a notable difference in growth rates between bunnies weaned at 6 weeks versus 8 weeks (or more).

We've also found that giving the doe about two weeks alone before her next litter seems to do her just fine, so leaving her another couple of weeks should be okay for her, too.

If you do separate the doe with two kits, I would advise against re-introducing them to the rest of the litter a week later. Once they've been apart that long, very likely you'll see some behavioral upset due to re-establishment of the dominance hierarchy in the litter, which doesn't do anything good for growth rates. That's one of the reasons it's a good idea to leave the bunnies and move the doe - any change, including new individuals or a new environment, often spurs conflict among the bunnies.

In any case, your plan of moving the doe rather than the bunnies, whenever that is, is a good one.

 

[mcrvdeb]

Yes, they are meat rabbits, Tamuk Composites. I can certainly leave the doe and kits together for another 2 weeks. I had thought maybe separating the two smallest kits would give them a boost, but overall growth rate for the whole litter should probably be my goal at this point. Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[Alaska Satin]

Yes, they are meat rabbits, Tamuk Composites. I can certainly leave the doe and kits together for another 2 weeks. I had thought maybe separating the two smallest kits would give them a boost, but overall growth rate for the whole litter should probably be my goal at this point. Thank you for your thoughts!

Something you might think about in terms of boosting the smallest bunnies is adding more food and water sources, e.g. additional water bottles and feeders at different places around the cage.

Although there is a genetic component to size and growth, it's also related to the dominance hierarchy in a group of rabbits, which is usually maintained in part by resource guarding. This refers to the fact that the dominant rabbits reinforce their dominant positions by keeping lower-ranking rabbits from food and water some of the time. You may not see this happening, but very often if you give a smaller, lower-raking rabbit its own cage, it experiences a big jump in size and condition. In this case, since weaning has its own issues, providing two or more food and water sources might help the smaller ones get a better shot.

 

[mcrvdeb]

Something you might think about in terms of boosting the smallest bunnies is adding more food and water sources, e.g. additional water bottles and feeders at different places around the cage.

Although there is a genetic component to size and growth, it's also related to the dominance hierarchy in a group of rabbits, which is usually maintained in part by resource guarding. This refers to the fact that the dominant rabbits reinforce their dominant positions by keeping lower-ranking rabbits from food and water some of the time. You may not see this happening, but very often if you give a smaller, lower-raking rabbit its own cage, it experiences a big jump in size and condition. In this case, since weaning has its own issues, providing two or more food and water sources might help the smaller ones get a better shot.

I haven't noticed any dominant behaviors up to this point, but I could absolutely see that happening. I will add extra feed dish to the grow out pens, already have 2 water bowls in place. The two smallest kits have been the runts since birth. I was afraid they would struggle at feeding time with doe, but they both always seemed to have fat tummies when I checked. Now, at 6 weeks, they are always in the feed tray but not growing as fast as their litter mates.