When to stop unlimited feed for 8 month old buck

[Snickers]

Our buck (Sam, New Zealand Red) is now almost 8 months old. Since we had gotten him as a baby we have offered him unlimited feed. He weighs almost 9 lbs now. Is it time to limit his daily pellet feed? If so, what is the typical amount for a NZ buck? Any limits on hay?

 

[SuburbanHomesteader]

If he's 9 pounds, I'd say cut back his feed to about a cup a day. I admit to not being exact - I actually use an old tuna fish can. But it holds about a cup.

Unlimited hay and plenty of water and he should be a happy camper.

Good luck.

 

[Dood]

Pictures of him in a show pose from the side and from the top down please

 

[akane]

I would have done so 2 months ago. More important for a doe though. I would start cutting pellets at about 4-5months for a doe. If they pack in too much fat before breeding they have trouble getting pregnant.

 

[Snickers]

here are a few pictures of him from yesterday [album]3229[/album][album]3228[/album]... took me a while to get them to upload.... seem to have issues uploading pictures to the website for some reason... he weighs 8.4 lbs right now.... started to put him on a "diet" of 4 oz of feed (half in the am, half in the pm) plus free hay plus a few treats here and there....

 

[OneAcreFarm]

We free feed until 12wks, then they go on a rationed amount. You should feed by weight of feed, not volume of feed. Rule of thumb is 1/2 to 1oz per lb of weight of the rabbit. Weigh your feed to determine how much to feed.

 

[Dood]

He looks to be in good shape and not overweight, actually in the pictures it looks like he might be a tad on the lean side :shrug:

If he is maintaining this condition being free-fed I would worry 1 cup a day is not enough and you may need to increase the amount

Some rabbits just have faster metabolisms and need more feed to keep a good weight - but this is not a desirable trait in meat rabbits :x you want to get the most muscle with the least amount of food to reduce costs