What do you do with your retired breeders?

[Miss M]

I want a NZBlue... why do you have to be in Canada? :weep:

 

[Honorine]

On some breeds I run my generations fairly tight, meaning that I breed, keep from the litter and let the parent go. So many of my rabbits are still young and viable, and sometimes are a rare breed. Those I sell to help out someone esle's program. Then I have some breeds where I keep my breeders for a long time, like my Florida Whites. Often they retire here, having a home till they die. Mini Rex same thing, have a 5 year old who is all that and an order of fries, she still produces a litter here and there, she'll be a lifer. I also have an ancient Harlequin, a Thrianta, an old Black Silver with slow kidney failure, and a number of other rabbits that are lifers. I don't like butchering older rabbits, particularly if I've had them for years, put them down yes, eat them no. I do sometimes send older rabbits to auction, if I do not have an attachment to them. I feel its kinder sometimes to just put them down. I would be happy to donate them to someone who was going to eat them, if I could find such a person. I just read what I wrote, I sound like a sissy!!

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I want a NZBlue... why do you have to be in Canada? :weep:

sorry ancake:

 

[skysthelimit]

I don't like butchering older rabbits, particularly if I've had them for years, put them down yes, eat them no. I do sometimes send older rabbits to auction, if I do not have an attachment to them. I feel its kinder sometimes to just put them down. I would be happy to donate them to someone who was going to eat them, if I could find such a person. I just read what I wrote, I sound like a sissy!!

Not a sissy at all, I don't eat any of my rabbits yet, I play hard core wilderness girl but I still haven't gone there. I do understand wasting money; so I had 9 buck kits/juniors, and someone placed a meat order, so I just grabbed the two I decided weren't show quality and that was that. As I butchered my first rabbits for human consumption, they sure looked like good meat to me . With less than twenty cages, I fear there will be no lifers for me, perhaps except for the hollands. I'm even thinking of culling kits sooner than 16 weeks.

 

[LindseysWoolies]

With my Angoras thank goodness the retired breeders can become "woolers" at the home of a spinner. I would not be comfortable placing an angora into most pet homes but would if the person had owned them in the past or really stuck out as someone who could take good care of them. I really do not want my rabbits to end up as matted neglected messes.

 

[The Thicket]

This is such a good question, and I have really enjoyed everyone's answers. Like what was already said, it all depends on the individual rabbit. The good thing about smaller breeds is you still have a pretty decent pet market even as they get older if they have a good temperament. To some point you really can't give a rabbit away for free as most will jump on the sale and not really think about it as "what do I have to lose?". Most of my retired breeders won't be too old to breed, they'd just have already produced enough nice quality offspring for me to keep for myself and I'd be ready to let them go either to help another breeder or as a pet. If someone wants to butcher them theirself, go for it. But I'm not up for that just yet myself. I breed primarily for show, so my method for retired breeders could be very different that someone who breeds for meat.

 

[skysthelimit]

She usually has 7-8 kits with 6-7 that live to weaning. She produces a lot of long shoulder and prominent guard hair kits. I could keep her just for meat, but I could move in a rex doe that has better quality show kits instead.<br /><br />__________ Thu May 03, 2012 2:16 pm __________<br /><br />She usually has 7-8 kits with 6-7 that live to weaning. She produces a lot of long shoulder and prominent guard hair kits. I could keep her just for meat, but I could move in a rex doe that has better quality show kits instead.