Hey there. Thanks for watching and glad you liked it. I am jealous of your latest video where you said "I just sit them out in the sun"....in SW MO it was 48 degrees today and 25 mile an hour winds. :(
I find it's a better idea to move the doe to a new cage and leave her kits behind. I've noticed that it stresses them less. With good bloodlines, you ideally wouldn't need a growout cage because they'd reach fryer weight by weaning time.
Good points. I haven't had a problem moving the kits instead of the mother but your point is very valid. And I also agree about the good bloodlines comment. thanks for your input.
what brand hayracks do you use? I just ordered bass company ones but idk they are taking like forever to arrive what are your thoughts on some good ones to order? Thanks
Depending on how old they are it should be fine to keep them together or separate them. if they are over 12 weeks old I would separate the males and the females.
very informative video,Chris. question- my baby rabbits are 3-4 weeks old now. this is the does third litter. shes runs from the babies and tries to kick them when they attempt to nurse.is this normal? the babies aren't even leaving the nest box.not sure what to do here
It is very normal. She is starting the weening process. Chances are that they are leaving the nest box but are returning to it frequently so you don't see it. As long as they are fat and active they are getting fed. I hope that helps.
snowflake started doing this as well she only lets them eat at certain times and pushes them away .... the rest of the day and only allows them a morning feed and and evening feed they have started sampling her food but not sure about it yet.....
They start themselves on pellets. They just start eating what the mother eats at around 2 weeks old. They pretty much wean themselves as well. You can move them to their own cage at 6 weeks old and then butcher at 8. I hope that clears it up.
Ok that makes me feel better, I weighed my 4, 7 week olds today and they are 4 and a half pounds to 5 pounds. These are my first grow outs and they are ALWAYS out of food! Was wondering if I needed to feed them more often, but it seems they are growing fine. Thanks for your reply.
I had a double pregnancy my husband thought she wasn’t pregnant her first litter will be 6 weeks Friday should I ween them or keep them with her and the 2 week old litter until 8 weeks?
Depending on what you plan to do with the rabbits you should check local and state laws. In line with what you said, our local code does not allow the sale of any rabbits under the age of 6 months because they would not have been weaned yet.
they nurse for 6 weeks, not 6 months. heck, by 6 months they're ready to start breeding. I'd like to see them try to enforce that law. I know if I got in trouble for selling a 6 to 8 week old litter of kits, I'd fight it and have an expert witness from Michigan State University tell them their law banning the sale of juvenile rabbits is an unreasonable restriction.
Do you free feed pellets and hay while they’re in with mom? I currently have my doe in with her kits about 5 wks old and hay and pellets are available all the time...... is that ok?
My babies will be 6 weeks old on Saturday. Is there any significant difference to weening the babies at 6 weeks as opposed to 8 weeks? Will they grow any faster after they are weened and eating feed as opposed to staying with mama? Basically, what are the pros and cons of weening at 6/8 weeks? Thank you for all your help.
The biggest issue of weaning early is the risk of weaning enteritis. This can cause dangerous diarrhea and can be caused by switching the diet before to soon. 6 weeks is the bare minimum age for weaning but they should be fine to start weaning at that age. it shouldn't affect the growth rate at all.
im not sure how old my NZ/american blue babies are but from videos on youtube they seem to be six weeks. i seperated them from momma because she kept nipping and humping them. is that a sign they are are ready to be seperated or should i put them back with the mom. they are eating feed and fruits veggies a lot. thank you
I am sure that I already replied to this but not seeing. It sounds like you did the right thing. Mom was probably weaning them on her own so time to separate them. Watch their stool for a few days, if no diarrhea develops you should be good. Hope that helps.
I don't bother cleaning them out unless they get really nasty for some reason. That rarely happens. Most of the time I just leave them in there untouched until its time to remove it. I hope that helps.
it depends on your definition of a long period of time and how old they are. You should have no issues with rabbits under 3 months of age that have been separated for 3 or 4 days. Even up to a few weeks is probably going to go fairly smoothly. If the rabbits are older than 3 or 4 months they start maturing sexually and tend to get territorial. Hope that helps.
Grandpa, how old the rabbits till i give them water to drink? I am really worried of them being dehydrated. they are two weeks of age now jumping out of their nest.
If you have water for the mother they will start drinking it as well. Generally about 2 weeks old and jumping out of the nest is about the time they start drinking water and sampling food.
Q,2 she got breed once she gave birth so I am expecting her to give birth at the end of the month, is she going to take care of her first babies though she going to have new ones?
k i have some 3 week olds im having pre sold at the sla auction will be ready in 3 weeks then right, they just opened their eyes. and a few have been sampling the hay and pellets but still nursing........ they were born march 23rd......
You need to put it in about 3 or 4 days before she is due to deliver. So about day 25 should be fine. Alternately you can just through a handful of straw in her cage every day and when she starts picking it up and walking around with it hanging out both sides of her mouth you know she is wanting to nest and put it in there. I usually just put it in on day 25 and call it good. I hope that helps.
hello steve from tampa set 100 eggs candled them after 14 days got 74 and now got some eggs shaking and 5 eggs hole poke holes tomorrow is day 18 still waiting for gqf 1502 but this is almost as good ahh heck its good who am i kidding
Wait 3 days from the day the first egg hatched. I don't know exactly when the first egg hatched but use that as the starting point. and if you still have eggs that haven't hatched when you open it up to move the birds, add some more water and close it back up. Sometimes you will get a few more late hatchers. I hope that helps.
I dont cage my rabbit then she gave birth inside the hole she dug couples of week back, and it is about 8 days I dont even meet the new borns yet 'cause they have not come out, Q shuold I find a way to get them out of the hole and keep them in the cage with their mom like for more safety or is it ok to let them grow up inside the hole?
They should be ok to grow in the nest that she built. At this point I am not sure it makes sense to dig them out and move them. They should start coming out of the nest in the next week. as far as your other question goes, If she does give birth in 30 days from the first bunch being born she may have a hard time feeding all of them. There is no way to know for sure though so you will just have to wait and see.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 83 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "พันฤทธิ์ vs ซุปเปอร์บอล วันของโอม MBK"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1b4pkKHa_Fk/mqdefault.jpg)
Great information! Thanks for sharing.
Hey there. Thanks for watching and glad you liked it. I am jealous of your latest video where you said "I just sit them out in the sun"....in SW MO it was 48 degrees today and 25 mile an hour winds. :(
LOL!!! Oh man... That's awful! I wish it warms up soon for you my friend.
That is February (and early March) in Southwest Missouri. It will warm up soon though. :)
I find it's a better idea to move the doe to a new cage and leave her kits behind. I've noticed that it stresses them less. With good bloodlines, you ideally wouldn't need a growout cage because they'd reach fryer weight by weaning time.
Good points. I haven't had a problem moving the kits instead of the mother but your point is very valid. And I also agree about the good bloodlines comment. thanks for your input.
what brand hayracks do you use? I just ordered bass company ones but idk they are taking like forever to arrive what are your thoughts on some good ones to order? Thanks
God bless you too.
was the buck the california rex breed to the silver fox doe? good looking kittens
it was a california buck but the doe was a New Zealand/Flemish Giant cross. I don't have her any more.
Hey man great vids! If I have multiple litters that are the same age, should I keep them in separate cages after weening?
Depending on how old they are it should be fine to keep them together or separate them. if they are over 12 weeks old I would separate the males and the females.
hi my german angora female just gave birth to 7 baby bunnys all still alive and very healthy:)
very informative video,Chris. question- my baby rabbits are 3-4 weeks old now. this is the does third litter. shes runs from the babies and tries to kick them when they attempt to nurse.is this normal? the babies aren't even leaving the nest box.not sure what to do here
It is very normal. She is starting the weening process. Chances are that they are leaving the nest box but are returning to it frequently so you don't see it. As long as they are fat and active they are getting fed. I hope that helps.
snowflake started doing this as well she only lets them eat at certain times and pushes them away .... the rest of the day and only allows them a morning feed and and evening feed
they have started sampling her food but not sure about it yet.....
after they are weaned how long for the doe's fur to grow back ?
To be clear... Weaned at 6 weeks and butchered 2 weeks later at 8 weeks? When do you start them on pellets?
They start themselves on pellets. They just start eating what the mother eats at around 2 weeks old. They pretty much wean themselves as well. You can move them to their own cage at 6 weeks old and then butcher at 8. I hope that clears it up.
ya mine are 2 and a half weeks and will be three weeks at time of sale then picked up by the buyers when weaned ....... in 3 more weeks then .....
Those babies are 6 weeks old? A lot bigger than mine! Do you know how much yours weigh at this age?
most of my rabbits hit 3 pounds by 6 weeks. These may honestly be 7 weeks...i kind of lost track of age but know that they are at least 6 weeks old.
Ok that makes me feel better, I weighed my 4, 7 week olds today and they are 4 and a half pounds to 5 pounds. These are my first grow outs and they are ALWAYS out of food! Was wondering if I needed to feed them more often, but it seems they are growing fine. Thanks for your reply.
Sounds like you have them right on track. I generally butcher at about 5 pounds and am happy if they can get there by 8 weeks old.
I had a double pregnancy my husband thought she wasn’t pregnant her first litter will be 6 weeks Friday should I ween them or keep them with her and the 2 week old litter until 8 weeks?
I would wean off the existing litter at 6 weeks old. that is a lot for one rabbit to try and keep up with. Good luck.
Depending on what you plan to do with the rabbits you should check local and state laws. In line with what you said, our local code does not allow the sale of any rabbits under the age of 6 months because they would not have been weaned yet.
good point. I don't really sell rabbits so didn't think about including that. I might do an update on that at some point. Thanks
Stone Hill Ridge rabbits don't nurse litters that long. Whoever wrote that law is a moron.
Wasn't passing judgement - just stating facts
they nurse for 6 weeks, not 6 months. heck, by 6 months they're ready to start breeding. I'd like to see them try to enforce that law. I know if I got in trouble for selling a 6 to 8 week old litter of kits, I'd fight it and have an expert witness from Michigan State University tell them their law banning the sale of juvenile rabbits is an unreasonable restriction.
Sorry missed that part - the code is "must be over 6 weeks". Ugh!
Do you free feed pellets and hay while they’re in with mom? I currently have my doe in with her kits about 5 wks old and hay and pellets are available all the time...... is that ok?
Yes. I keep the feeder and hay rack full while the mother has babies and they just start eating whenever they want to.
My babies will be 6 weeks old on Saturday. Is there any significant difference to weening the babies at 6 weeks as opposed to 8 weeks? Will they grow any faster after they are weened and eating feed as opposed to staying with mama? Basically, what are the pros and cons of weening at 6/8 weeks? Thank you for all your help.
The biggest issue of weaning early is the risk of weaning enteritis. This can cause dangerous diarrhea and can be caused by switching the diet before to soon. 6 weeks is the bare minimum age for weaning but they should be fine to start weaning at that age. it shouldn't affect the growth rate at all.
thank you.
im not sure how old my NZ/american blue babies are but from videos on youtube they seem to be six weeks. i seperated them from momma because she kept nipping and humping them. is that a sign they are are ready to be seperated or should i put them back with the mom.
they are eating feed and fruits veggies a lot. thank you
I am sure that I already replied to this but not seeing. It sounds like you did the right thing. Mom was probably weaning them on her own so time to separate them. Watch their stool for a few days, if no diarrhea develops you should be good. Hope that helps.
Slightly Rednecked yeah no diarrhea. thank you
No problem. Glad to help.
thank you Chris!
Thanks for watching. Glad you liked it.
have a question when it comes to the nesting boxes. do you ever clean them out or do you just leave them be
I don't bother cleaning them out unless they get really nasty for some reason. That rarely happens. Most of the time I just leave them in there untouched until its time to remove it. I hope that helps.
i clean if wet and replace with paper pet bedding my new zealand doe snowflake loves that stuff dont know why but she does ......
All rabbits are mostly weaned by 4-5 weeks.
if you separate them in different cages for a long period of time and put them back together aren't they going to bully each other?
it depends on your definition of a long period of time and how old they are. You should have no issues with rabbits under 3 months of age that have been separated for 3 or 4 days. Even up to a few weeks is probably going to go fairly smoothly. If the rabbits are older than 3 or 4 months they start maturing sexually and tend to get territorial. Hope that helps.
Oh thanks
No problem. Glad to help.
how long will the mother continue to nurse them if you don't separate mother and kits?
Generally they are finished nursing when the young are about 8 to 10 weeks of age. It can vary a little but that is pretty average. I hope that helps.
This is very helpful thanks a lot grandpa :)
Thanks, I am glad you liked it. :)
Grandpa, how old the rabbits till i give them water to drink? I am really worried of them being dehydrated. they are two weeks of age now jumping out of their nest.
If you have water for the mother they will start drinking it as well. Generally about 2 weeks old and jumping out of the nest is about the time they start drinking water and sampling food.
Thanks a lot grandpa ur really a great help! Godbless! :D
No problem. Glad I could help
Q,2 she got breed once she gave birth so I am expecting her to give birth at the end of the month, is she going to take care of her first babies though she going to have new ones?
Is there a reason to have the doors open inward instead of out to grab them better?
I have them open in so when the rabbits push against them they don't pop open or bend and leave an opening. Just my preference really.
@@Slightlyrednecked thank you! And thanks for sharing all the good info. Preciate it.
great advice can u do a video on selling rabbit manure
I might do that. Thanks for watching and glad you liked the video.
k i have some 3 week olds im having pre sold at the sla auction will be ready in 3 weeks then right, they just opened their eyes. and a few have been sampling the hay and pellets but still nursing........ they were born march 23rd......
they should be. Make sure to wean them off a few days before hand and watch out for bloat and things like that.
whats bloat mean jw....
when during my does pregnancy do I put in a nesting box
You need to put it in about 3 or 4 days before she is due to deliver. So about day 25 should be fine. Alternately you can just through a handful of straw in her cage every day and when she starts picking it up and walking around with it hanging out both sides of her mouth you know she is wanting to nest and put it in there. I usually just put it in on day 25 and call it good. I hope that helps.
hello steve from tampa set 100 eggs candled them after 14 days got 74 and now got some eggs shaking and 5 eggs hole poke holes tomorrow is day 18 still waiting for gqf 1502 but this is almost as good ahh heck its good who am i kidding
Sounds like it is going pretty well.
ok got up this morning day 18 and had 16 of 74 should i let it go till saturday morning ??????
Wait 3 days from the day the first egg hatched. I don't know exactly when the first egg hatched but use that as the starting point. and if you still have eggs that haven't hatched when you open it up to move the birds, add some more water and close it back up. Sometimes you will get a few more late hatchers. I hope that helps.
I dont cage my rabbit then she gave birth inside the hole she dug couples of week back, and it is about 8 days I dont even meet the new borns yet 'cause they have not come out, Q shuold I find a way to get them out of the hole and keep them in the cage with their mom like for more safety or is it ok to let them grow up inside the hole?
They should be ok to grow in the nest that she built. At this point I am not sure it makes sense to dig them out and move them. They should start coming out of the nest in the next week. as far as your other question goes, If she does give birth in 30 days from the first bunch being born she may have a hard time feeding all of them. There is no way to know for sure though so you will just have to wait and see.
you work at a call center?
Yes I do.
Just a friendly note - because I love your channel - WEANING not weening...Feel free to delete this as soon as you've seen it. ;-)
I let the momy ween them... I don't remove kits until they start acting like teenagers... Lol mommy will be thank full by then lol
That is pretty much how I do it too.