Results from my experiment

[lyndseyrk]

I decided to do an experiment with my first two meat litters this year.

I usually wean at 6 weeks. At 8 weeks, the kits are 5+ lbs.

Decided to try weaning a week early. So, I weaned at 5 weeks. At 8 weeks of age, the largest one is 3 3/4 lbs!!! I've done nothing different other than weaning 1 week early. Before weaning, the weights were roughly the same as those of the past litters.

I've read how commercial producers will wean at 4-5 weeks, so that the doe can be rebred and produce again more quickly. While that may keep the doe more productive (less time feeding a dry doe), if it takes longer to feed out the babies to a desired weight, what's the point???

NEW RULE AROUND HERE: BABIES STAY WITH MOMMA UNTIL AT LEAST 6 WEEKS.

 

[MaggieJ]

Interesting! I've always felt it was best to leave the kits with momma and let her do the weaning, but I've never documented anything... It's more just a feeling that a long, slow weaning is safer for the youngsters. I've never (don't listen, Murphy!) lost a rabbit to weaning enteritis.

It's a very small sample, of course... but perhaps others who have been weaning early will try your method and add to the data. I don't think they will be disappointed.

 

[cereshill]

I generally rebreed at 5/6 weeks and wean the boys at that point. Girls that I want for breeding stock stay another two weeks. The boys are hitting 4.5-5 lbs at 8/9 weeks. This gives the girls more of mothers milk and perhaps a little more space to momma.

thoughts?

 

[Anntann]

I have a thought on this. And I'm going to share it

Around 4 weeks of age, the kits are starting to move from milk to solids. The stomach/body is adjusting away from the proteins in the milk to the different proteins in the solids. and the lower fat content. The process takes a couple of weeks under normal (staying with mamma) conditions. If that's disrupted by the stress of forced weaning, which puts stress on the body and mind of all species, I can see the kit weighing that much less. for one thing, the body wouldn't be processing the feed as efficiently, and the mental stress can stop appetite for a short time.

there. I've shared I can back it up with anecdotal evidence from canine and equine sources. There are probably studies out there somewhere about it in other species.

 

[Shannon Shanks]

Birds too. If I abundance weaned babies (give them lots of different foods to try) but kept giving them 1 feeding a day of handfeeding formula, no problem. But if I made too quick of a transition or cut out that last feeding too soon, then babies would loose weight, stop eating etc.

Shannon

 

[Devon's Mom Lauren]

With rabbits weaning its the change in PH levels. They start out very high around 5 but need to fall to about 2ph. Here is an article on this. http://www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Probiotics/Newborn_rabbits.PDF

 

[Otter]

I see this is an old thread, but...

I am not big on early weaning ANYTHING. Heck, I nursed my DD until she was three. But I have owned some rabbits that were just Done with their babies at around 4 or 5 weeks. One doe I had, if I didn't put her in my huge ground cage (kind of a rabbit tractor, 3' x 6') you had to have the babies out by 5 weeks or she would be chasing them round and round till you feared for their lives.

Now, these were mini Rex, but they grew just as well as their cousins the same age, weaned a little later.
Has anyone else known does to just flat out wean their kits?
Do you think it makes a difference in growth when the doe does the weaning as opposed to the human? I was thinking that maybe there's less stress when the mother does the weaning.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with their rabbits?

 

[ladysown]

i have one holland lop doe who is done, just DONE with nursing kits at 3.5-4 weeks. She's fine with me leaving kits on her, but she just flattens herself down in the cage and the kits give up. She'll even hide her head under the feeder. She's a silly lass but her kits do well.