I have 6 week old bunnies ready to go. Is this a safe age to deliver to the new home? Any ideas for a successful transfer? I
Time to sell
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RabbitsOfTheCreek
Netherland Dwarf Breeder & Well-known Member
Six weeks is pretty early to sell
I sell at 6 weeks regularly... with ZERO issues.
BUT you need to be mindful of the rules where you live. many, but not all, of the states have rules for not selling animals younger than 8 weeks unless selling as a group.
BUT you need to be mindful of the rules where you live. many, but not all, of the states have rules for not selling animals younger than 8 weeks unless selling as a group.
ok he may be able to wait a week but I think he wanted to give it to his wife for Easter. Thanks for the tips.
Rabbit Mill Farms
Member
In my state the min is 8 weeks. Even if that wasn't the case though I routinely lose 3-7 week olds to coccid so I never sell at less than 8 weeks. If coccid isn't a problem in your area and the state law allows it...then the earlier the better!
no coccid here. I live in a blue communist state ran by a fat commie so I don't follow their laws.
yes. it's hard for me to sell my babies but if I don't they will be in the freezer which is harder for me. I have to stick to the plan ha.
I'm counting on them being less cute when they get bigger.
People told me you will be glad they are gone at 10-12 weeks and I had to agree. They eat ALOT. I just went into the state of mind that this is butcher day and I'm doing it. I was all alone, which helped. Well, me and God. Mind over matter.I'm counting on them being less cute when they get bigger.
Yeah, when it's time, you just have to do it. DH won't watch the killing part when I butcher poultry, but he's okay once the blood is gone. I'm sure I'll be okay with the rabbits. It's not gonna help tho, that they're a lot sweeter and cuter than chickens.
Do you use an electric plucker? I just got one, haven't used yet.
Might be a federal law for illegal sales of less than eight weeks? In any case, we generally sell them when they're eight weeks or older. They're a little sturdier by then and having bunnies die off after being sold would get us a bad rep if it happened.
Usually the young buns will go off to their new homes with some of the food that they've been eating along with instructions on feeding and the hope that they'd call if they had problems.
Usually the young buns will go off to their new homes with some of the food that they've been eating along with instructions on feeding and the hope that they'd call if they had problems.
Feds are a joke. Most likely the way things are looking I will be keeping all my bunnies.
Ablebreeze
Active member
The laws on animal sale ages are set by the states. I know in FL the law says rabbits sold for PETS must be 8 weeks. Rabbits sold for FARMING don't have restrictions on age.
odd laws. no surprise here. Have a great day in Florida. It's 40 here but I'll take it!!
Therese
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Good morning! The law in New Hampshire is that the rabbits have to be at least 4 weeks old when sold. If the mother has weaned them (which she will have if she is bred around the day the kits are born) the kits may be fine to move along at 4 weeks. However, my experience is that they have a much higher rate of survival from parasites and intestinal issues if you wait on breeding the mother until the kits are (at least) 5 weeks old and wait on removing the kits until at least 8 weeks. That way they have a nice, gradual weaning--able to eat solid food AND nurse for a while. Also, they "learn how to be rabbits" during the 8 weeks with their mother and siblings. Nice, fat, healthy, socially balanced kits result!
I don't know about the "know how to rabbit" part of leaving them with mom till 8 weeks. Kits that I've raised up from wee babies without the momma know "how to rabbit" just fine without momma needing to teach them. When to wean will depend a lot on your herd and management styles. I find that rabbits are fairly adaptable.
Yes, I got a "cheap" off-brand one on Amazon several years ago. It works fine on CX and Red Rangers. On heritage birds, it's better on hens than mature roosters (which I process for the doggies). The description says it's good for turkeys, too. Don't believe them; they lie.
kusanar314
Well-known member
I think that may be more of a colony raising thing than individual cages thing. Like cats, kittens that are seperated from their mother and siblings "early" (typical time to sell kittens) tend to have weird behavior like playing too rough and not interacting with other cats normally. When raised with mama they tend to learn "how to cat" better. But that's not something a caged rabbit needs to know anyway.
KelleyBee
Well-known member
I agree. I checked those rules for PA. It turns out that in PA, one is allowed to sell younger than 8 weeks to another breeder, but not to someone as a pet. Unfortunately, "breeder" is not defined. I had to look in to that a few weeks ago to accommodate a customer's schedule who needed to make the trip to my place a week earlier than 8 for one of the kits. I felt very comfortable allowing her to take it because she was already a breeder of silver foxes, and so had a lot of experience caring for rabbits. A newbie I would have felt a little less comfortable. But I wean my kits at 4 weeks (like mom would do in the wild), so they are pretty darn strong and independent by 6 weeks, on.
