Best age for weening

[a7736100]

I like some feedback as to advantages and disadvantages. Weening at 3 or 4 weeks would be easier on the doe but does it slow the kits' growth? Does weening at 3 months result in earlier breeding?

[ladysown]

weaning at three weeks???? THAT would be rushing it.
I know several breeders who wean at 4 weeks, I prefer no earlier than 5.

I find the kits learn from mom the longer they are with her, and sometimes they end up teaching her too. (aka rabbits I bought that wouldn't touch apple branches or oats but their kits love them and have momma to do so as well).

[SFM in KY]

Originally Posted by a7736100

I like some feedback as to advantages and disadvantages. Weening at 3 or 4 weeks would be easier on the doe but does it slow the kits' growth? Does weening at 3 months result in earlier breeding?

The earliest I've ever weaned is 4 weeks and that was because the doe was losing a lot of weight. Kits were eating well, of course, and I watched them more carefully but I don't remember if they were slower to gain than those weaned at six weeks.

Normally I do wean at six weeks and I don't actually like weaning earlier than 5 weeks unless it's necessary for some reason.

If I want to shorten up the interval between litters, I will breed the doe back before the kits are weaned ... if I'm weaning at six weeks, I will breed when the kits are 4 weeks old. Wean at six. Doe has two weeks to gain back any lost weight/condition before she kindles again.

I don't want mid-winter litters or late summer litters, so I do this to get the number of litters I want from the does in the spring/early summer and in the fall.

[Beingthatgirlme]

Weaning at 3 weeks is way too early, your babies will most likely not make it. The lucky ones, might.

I bred my doe back when her litter is 4 weeks old, and I wean her current litter at 6 weeks. So she's off a litter 2 weeks before she kindles another. Sometimes with smaller litters I'll wait until the 6 week breed back and a 8 week weaning.

You don't wanna leave her "open" for too long, or she will become fat and will either not carry another litter, or she'll have trouble having one. Also, remember to keep alfalfa or orchard grass in with the babies once you wean them!

Hope this helps.

[Backfourty,MI.]

I do exactly the same as SFM in Ky, wean at 6 weeks but breed my doe's back at 4 weeks. I finish breeding by end of summer so last butchering is ususally done no later than October. No winter babies here either.

[laughaha]

I wean at 8 weeks
But I have really big cages and my flemmy mom's don't seem to ever get tired of the popples.

[Silver Marten]

3 weeks does seem really early. I wean all of mine a 8 weeks.

Emily

[AllEarsRabbitry]

I wean at 6 weeks. Kits are seperated by sex until they are 12 weeks old (unless I have pets that I sell, but they still stay 2 more weeks).

[Ceres Hil]

I tend to wean at 5-7 weeks depending on cages, orders etc. I breed back at 35-42 days depending on litter and if I need another doe as a potential foster. As a protocol, I do not like to just breed one doe, rather I like to have two or three bred within a 2-3 day window---thus, if I have a poor mom, small litter or birth issue, I can foster and breed back if appropriate.

[stranger]

i take most away at 6 weeks and leave the runt or 2 with her for another week od so.

[MaggieJ]

I let the doe decide. I've had does that wean their kits just after 4 weeks and I've had does that are still letting them nurse a bit at 8 weeks. On the whole, I prefer the does that nurse longer... I think it gives the kits a better start and a nice long slow transition to solids. In any case, I like to leave the kits with the doe until at least eight weeks -- unless the doe shows clearly that she wants nothing to do with them.... and that is uncommon.

But 3 weeks is much, much too early.

[jadejackal]

I have been weaning at six weeks. Take most of them away to another cage and leave a few smaller ones a couple extra days as needed.
I rebreed the mother at four weeks so she has two weeks with out the kits (if she does not look bad).
It has been working pretty well for me so far. I have not lost any kits.
I feed pellets and always have water for them. When the kits are weaned I have a larger cage I move around the yard so they eat some grass too.
At three weeks I put a big feeder in the cage close to the floor. By then the kits are usually eating out of the does feeder anyway.

[SaratogaNZW]

my schedule is adjustable a few days, by how active the kits are, but its almost always:
3 weeks: remove nest box, or repack with timothy hay in cold weather. They start nibbling and it might as well be higher quality than the standard nest box filler of yellow straw and newspaper.
4 weeks: pull Momma from the cage for a few hours at first, then all day. Gets her away from being used as a trampoline, and leaves the kits to fend for themselves on the feed and hay.
5 weeks: seperate the 4-5 largest kits out, 2 days later seperate the rest.

One more way I judge it is when the momma and kits empty the pellet feeder and hay feeder in 24 hours, its time to get them out of there. (4 1/2-5 weeks)

I did see a pretty cool idea last summer, that was 2 cages side by side with a small passage. The passage is opened as soon as the kits leave the box, they roam about, then they are put in the other cage and the passage closed at 4 weeks. they still see momma, are very close to her, but she is able to rest again, and have the feeder all to herself.

[SFM in KY]

I don't have side by side cages, but I do put doe and litter into the "growout" cage when the kits are between 3 and 4 weeks. This way, when I wean, I move the doe back into a single-rabbit cage and leave the kits in the bigger cage. I see less weaning stress that way I think.