Which to keep?

[lereg15]

I am new to rabbits, and was wondering the details on the kits that you all keep instead of cull or sell. What should I be looking for in them, that tells me that it would be something that I would want to keep? I am starting to raise NZW's now for meat and selling too, in case some of you may not know. Is there something with the size, or is there something else I should be looking for? Right now I am just wanting some meat for the freezer, but it may end up being more than that eventually, so I need to know what to look for. Thank you all in advance!!

 

[Dood]

It has varied over the years

My current main priority is fast growth rate so I keep the biggest does in the litter.

When I first started I wanted fertility as I had a couple does that were very hard to get pregnant and only had litters of less than 6

Then I switched to a hay, grain and forage diet so getting meaty on this was my priority, then I had an outbreak of hepatic coccidia and so my goal was resistance to this disease and I've replaced all but 2 of my does with better stock and I haven't had a spotty liver in months

I'll wait to see how that goes as I start feeding weeds again and if I need to tweak the disease resistance genetics or if I can try tractors and stay focused on good growth on forage

 

[Rainey]

I remember last year when we just started and were asking these questions there was a good thread in the meat forum that showed how to evaluate a rabbit's build. We chose the does to keep for breeding from the better of the 2 does we started with, then chose the ones that were largest at the time the litter was due for freezer camp and looked at build and disposition. We kept 3 that we're breeding this year and we'll keep records of litter weight at 3 weeks to get a handle on milk production. Also we consider ease of breeding and mothering behavior. And should have said first, overall health--no matter what your goal is in raising rabbits. Also should say that we're raising meat mutts, started with SF buck and NZW does. Others raising with different goals would have different criteria.

There's a lot of helpful information buried on this site if you have time to search for it. Good luck with your rabbits.

 

[lereg15]

I remember last year when we just started and were asking these questions there was a good thread in the meat forum that showed how to evaluate a rabbit's build. We chose the does to keep for breeding from the better of the 2 does we started with, then chose the ones that were largest at the time the litter was due for freezer camp and looked at build and disposition. We kept 3 that we're breeding this year and we'll keep records of litter weight at 3 weeks to get a handle on milk production. Also we consider ease of breeding and mothering behavior. And should have said first, overall health--no matter what your goal is in raising rabbits. Also should say that we're raising meat mutts, started with SF buck and NZW does. Others raising with different goals would have different criteria.

There's a lot of helpful information buried on this site if you have time to search for it. Good luck with your rabbits.

So the largest isn't exactly the best then? I plan on keeping records on the breedings and behaviors, but still not quite sure what I should be looking for in the kits that I'd want to save.
I'll try to search the site whenever I have some extra time! Thanks!!

 

[Marinea]

I keep records on doe temperament, eating habits, illnesses, litter sizes, kit weights, etc. How do those records help me decide which kits to keep? I want to keep future breeding does from good tempered does with large litters that have good growth rates. I want to keep bucks that father good sized healthy litters. The records help me remember which rabbit did what when it comes down to which gets replaced and which will be kept.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

When raising a meat herd, I think that you should start with keeping "typey" rabbits. The standards reflect the ideal meat producing rabbit, so whether you are raising mutts or purebreds, the same guidelines apply.

This is an excellent resource for evaluating type:

http://hillriserabbitry.blogspot.com/20 ... l?spref=fb

Once you have the foundation of good body type in your herd, you can then start working on other attributes such as fur quality, color, litter sizes, mothering ability, etc.