Bad Habit":zwbq9rb8 said:
^^^ I was told that they should be fed 1oz/lb of body weight, all rabbits. I've been following that guideline basically since I started breeding... Is there a formula I should be following, or is it just guesswork until I find the point where they start losing weight?
I don't honestly know if a 12 pound doe can consume 12 ounces of feed
each and every day. While growing......they need full feed to develop. At 4
months I cut back on their feed to 4 ounces per day...................period.
They'll continue to grow and will mature without being overweight.
katiebear":zwbq9rb8 said:
My question also... Ive seen the videos of your rabbits Grumpy,they sure look healthy. I have been trying to cut back the pellets but my DH seems to think they are STARVING!.. LOL.
But seriously my buns are about the same weight as yours.I don't feed fodder but they have free access grass hay, and a fruit or veg treat every day, just a small treat like a half romaine lettuce leaf or an eighth of a banana or apple. Sometimes a half slice dried whole wheat bread, maybe once a week on that because I know it's not good for them. But like you said they are expert pan-handlers...
Oh and they are mutts...New Zealand,Giant Chin, Flemish. so 12-14 lbs or so. They are still young only around 10-12 mo.
Then I have my young does at 6 months just bread two of them they were way more willing than the two older ones.Guess we will have to see on that outcome with the heat here and all. I "test fired" my bucks for a few days before the does were ready so we will see.......
I handle 42 working does....7 to 8 mature bucks.....10-14 replacement does
and bucks......150-250 youngsters from 1 day old....to finished market fryers
8.5-9.5 weeks old.
I feed only 3 items.....Pellets.....Brome Hay.....Barley fodder. Unfortunately,
I don't have the extra time to gather other food-stuffs. Plus, those may or
may not affect the flavor of the fryers going to market on a bi-weekly basis.
Every task is geared towards one goal......fryers headed to market in above
average condition and all between 5.5 and 6.0 pounds. I prefer the smaller
weights because of economics and personal opinion. However, my personal
opinion takes a distant third, fourth, or fifth when it comes to meeting the
demands of chefs in restaurants around the Midwest. Those individuals are
the driving force in my business. I've got one chef whose criteria requires
all processed fryers delivered must weigh 3 pounds...4 ounces. Not an
ounce over..........not an ounce under. AND he wants 6 to 10 every other Friday.
If a young, 5-month old doe is in good flesh and receptive.....she gets bred.
You'll find these does often become the matriarchs of the herd over the years.
In the past, I kept does open until they were 8-9 months old, and then tried
to breed them. Those does "NEVER" could compete with the young does
started at 5-6 months old. Plus, I've noticed the young does have less
tendency to kindle on the wire as would their older sisters. WEIRD...but true.
Rabbits are "beggars" of the worst degree!!! Walk into my rabbitry in the
late afternoon and you'll hear what sounds like a breakout in a prison with
all of the inmates rattling their cell-doors. Yet, to prove my point, once the
food is dropped into their feeders, they'll ATTACK the feed...........for about
2 minutes. Then they'll lay quietly beside the feeder with over half their feed
remaining to be eaten. They LIE!! quite well.
In truth, most observers find my stock a "Little Thin". Which, in all honesty,
they are. But....for good reason. Fat Rabbits....don't Breed well. Once Fat
they're nearly impossible to get back into cycle. My does could carry more
weight but would create more production problems. I DON'T feed heavy prior
to kindling....I wait....let the doe kindle and slowly increase their feed over
a period of 4-5 days until they're on full feed and the youngsters are old
enough to consume the milk the doe produces.
I've got some very heavy milkers that I must carefully watch to make sure
their milk production doesn't overwhelm the litter and the doe begins to
have problems with mastitis. (Start weighing your litters @21 days old)
That weight will give you an excellent reference as to your does milk production
BTW: I've got some Am-Chins I'll start using here in a few months. They're
an excellent meat rabbit and the hybrid vigor can do nothing but help with
meat production. My Cal bucks crossed onto my NZW does give me an
outstanding fryer that finishes quick and produces a very compact, dense,
carcass. The Flemish, unfortunately, have too much bone to meat ratio
to be a viable market fryer.
Grumpy.
