Recordkeeping

[Frecs]

Okay, I have a recordkeeping-herd-improvement question. (I've been reading my '96 edition of Rabbit Production I just received.) I raise Silver Foxes and want to improve the "meat herd qualities" of my herd. The book recommends recording kit weight at 21-days (as a measurement of the doe's milk production) and at 56-days (market weight). Since I know that kits grow slower on natural feeding, I figured I would also weight at 84-days. From the 56/84 day weights I can select to keep the largest kits (as long as they also have no breed DQs) to work toward a better producing meat herd. Do any of you keep such records? Do you also track other measurements? if so, what and why?

 

[JessiL]

I weigh at weaning (which I tend to do around 5 weeks age) and at 8 weeks, and whenever I am trying to assess a litter for potential buyers, curiosity, etc. I also weigh each rabbit immediately before and after slaughter (post-dressing). The slaughter-related weights go into an Excel file with info on breed, sex, parentage, number of littermates (oddly enough, rabbits from litters of 2-4 tend to be heavier at a younger age from those in litters of 8-12), age at slaughter, and how the rabbit was raised (I have some who spend all their lives in cages, some born in cages but transferred to pasture at weaning, and some on pasture from the get-go). We've only gone through two full cycles of litters so far (have the third ready to go in a week or so), but I hope this will help me figure out who are the keepers. So far I've only held on to one replacement doe as most of my breeders are "pretty good," and I didn't even consider making that sort of decision until after a few litters from a breeding doe.

Oh, and to track individuals over the short term, I just mark temporary numbers in their ears with a Sharpie. Some rabbits will wear it off quickly, but most hang on to it for a week.

 

[bobqdevon]

I have a kindling sheet where I weigh them each friday and record their weights. Then I put the information into kintraks animal breeder. But I always keep the paper copy out with them where I can easily access it.

 

[Frecs]

I have a kindling sheet where I weigh them each friday and record their weights. Then I put the information into kintraks animal breeder. But I always keep the paper copy out with them where I can easily access it.

What type of scale do you use to weigh the kits? I have a fish scale for weighing adults but that would not be very accurate for a kit....

 

[bobqdevon]

I have a kindling sheet where I weigh them each friday and record their weights. Then I put the information into kintraks animal breeder. But I always keep the paper copy out with them where I can easily access it.

What type of scale do you use to weigh the kits? I have a fish scale for weighing adults but that would not be very accurate for a kit....

I got a digital kitchen scale from walmart. It has a removable steel bowl that I can throw in the dishwasher. I just looked online and can't find it on their website. It's not a bowl that sits on top of the scale, it actually fits inside the scale, so the movement of the little buns won't throw the bowl off of a platform.

 

[skysthelimit]

I weight at 5 weeks, at 8 weeks, at 12 weeks, and then at the intervals t which they are supposed to be at jr weight, intermediate weight, and senior weights.

 

[lereg15]

I have a kindling sheet where I weigh them each friday and record their weights. Then I put the information into kintraks animal breeder. But I always keep the paper copy out with them where I can easily access it.

What type of scale do you use to weigh the kits? I have a fish scale for weighing adults but that would not be very accurate for a kit....

I got a digital kitchen scale from walmart. It has a removable steel bowl that I can throw in the dishwasher. I just looked online and can't find it on their website. It's not a bowl that sits on top of the scale, it actually fits inside the scale, so the movement of the little buns won't throw the bowl off of a platform.

Is this what you were talking about? http://www.walmart.com/ip/American-Weig ... e/17294573 , somewhat? I would probably need a bigger one for my NZW's though.