Early Weaning

ahahahni1 · #1 10/11/07, 06:10 PM

I am confused about the this. The books I have don't go into detail about weaning. Just say you can wean as early as 5 wks and some commercial operations do as early as 4wks. The two litters I have had I just let mother decide when to wean. I was wondering how to wean if you need them weaned totally by 5 or 6 wks. I have some people wanting to buy them for their stock shows for Jan and with the dates they are needing them just wondering how that works or if it even can.

MaggieJ · #2 10/11/07, 06:22 PM

I've started weaning at four weeks once or twice. I used to have a doe that kindled about a dozen kits. By four weeks, some were huge and some were still small and skinny. They were all eating some solid food, so I started by removing the biggest 2 or 3 to a grow-out cage. A few days later, I removed a couple more... and so on until only the two runts were still with momma.

I think gradual weaning is a good thing... easier on the doe and it lets you select the more mature kits for earliest weaning and leave the weaker ones with momma a while longer.

SquashNut · #3 10/11/07, 06:37 PM

I've started leaving runts and potential replacemet stock with the doe longer. weaning the mid sized ones first. Not sure if that makes any sense.
Last litter I weaned cause the doe was eating too much and I was afraid the kids wern't getting enough to eat. She had turned into a reall pig.

MaggieJ · #4 10/11/07, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SquashNut

I've started leaving runts and potential replacemet stock with the doe longer. weaning the mid sized ones first. Not sure if that makes any sense.
Last litter I weaned cause the doe was eating too much and I was afraid the kids wern't getting enough to eat. She had turned into a reall pig.

It makes perfect sense to me, SquashNut. Give the best to the future breeders and the weakest to bring them up to weight... the middle ones do just fine for the freezer anyway.

I have a piggy doe... but since she does not seem to be putting on weight, I just increased the amount I was feeding.

menollyrj · #5 10/11/07, 08:51 PM

We watch for them to begin eating solid food and drinking from the water bottle in the cage w/momma. Once we see them eating solid food for about a week, we start removing them from the cage. Some we take out right at 4 weeks, but only if we see them eating first.

-Joy

Beaniemom · #6 10/11/07, 10:50 PM

If the Momma Bun looks good, I breed back at 6 weeks, so at 8 weeks she'll be just about done with milk production. I also wean in 1's and 2's. Makes it easier on Mom. I have some divided hutches I really like. I pop in the divider when I when, and they can still see Mom, just not nurse.

You could try breeding back at 4 weeks and weaning at 6, I think they need those extra 4 weeks thought to get them a good start, plus they have Moms antibodies during that time too.

Dawn

ahahahni1 · #7 10/12/07, 12:55 PM

So to wean early IF they are eating and drinking already take out the biggest ones first and so on? So weaning technically is taking them out from their mom to their own cage and going "cold turkey" on no more mamas milk? May sound like dumb question but my other two I left in with mom until 7 or 8 wks old.

Beaniemom · #8 10/12/07, 01:19 PM

Yep, thats it! If you don't need the space you can leave them with mom til like 12 weeks, but I'd think that would start to get crowded!

I usually start weaning with a pair, since I don't like to have that first kit be alone! Then whomever I grab next, I leave the runts for last.

Dawn

Meg Z · #9 10/12/07, 02:15 PM

I don't start weaning until eight weeks, but I'm raising angoras, not commercial rabbits, so I'm not so concerned with how many litters I get from mom in a given year. Plus, my 'mom cages' are 30 inches by 5 feet, so they have more room.

Sometimes young ones are left in until 12 weeks, depending on temperament, sex, and growth rate. It's rare that they stay that long, though.

Meg

ahahahni1 · #10 10/12/07, 03:58 PM

Reason I ask is I am breeding for a few shows come Jan. Their tag in dates rage in dates in Dec but the earliest is Dec 2nd! They would be 4 wks old then so really considering not supplying for that show since the early tag in date. More a conscience thing and trying to find out how healthy or unhealthy it is for the kits.

Beaniemom · #11 10/12/07, 04:41 PM

I'd say 8-12 weeks you could sell them. At 8 weeks its really hard to tell (for me anyways) how they'll look when older. My Silver Fox kits at 8 weeks don't even have their silvering yet. It was much easier for me to pick out the "good" ones when they were about 16 weeks or so.