Rabbit Weaning

Young rabbits should not leave the nest until they are aboutthree weeks of age. At this time they will begin to cat some ofthe doe's food. If she is not feeding them well they tend toleave the nest earlier than this, which will give an indicationto the breeder that all is not well with his does or his manage-ment or feeding. Every endeavour should be made to providethe young rabbits with fresh and high quality food as soon asthey leave the nest to continue the high plane of nutritionwhich they have been having when suckling.

The hutch will of course have been cleaned out periodicallyfrom a few days after the doe kindled, and it is most importantthat for the first few weeks the youngsters should have cleanand dry bedding.

The milk supply of the doe will to all intents and purposesbe finished between the 6th and 7th week after kindling, butit is unwise to wean the youngsters from the doe until the 8thweek. Some breeders wean at 6 weeks, particularly in thesummer, but this practice is not usually entirely satisfactory.Some breeders go to the other extreme and leave the young withthe doe for a long period, leaving them virtually unweaned forup to 12 weeks. It is however, except for particular reasons,unwise to leave young with the doe longer titan as most 9weeks, for even at this age site may resent their presence.There is no advantage to be gained by removing the youngtwo at a time. It is sometimes suggested that this will help todry up the doe's milk, but by the time any young are ready forweaning, the doe's milk supply will have almost if not entirelyceased. Indeed such a practice will not enable the weaningto be clone by removing the doe rather than the young. It isoften found that if the young are left in the breeding hutchand the doe removed, probably direct to the buck for remating,and then to a fresh hutch, the young will not suffer any slightcheck which they might do on changing to new surroundings.Occasionally a doe may be found to attack her progeny orto attempt to mate with them when they are five or six weeksold. The remedy is to mate the doe forthwith, when she willalmost invariably become stocked. The trouble will thencease, although the young should be weaned ten days or solater