When acquiring breeding stock, you will want to avoid buying rabbits before they are 8 weeks old, which is typically when they should be weaned. Rabbits that are weaned early often develop enteritis, a digestive disease, and sometimes die. Despite an increased risk of enteritis kits that are destined for the freezer, often called “grow outs” are sometimes weaned early.
When you’re buying breeding stock you want them to have stayed with the mother for the full 8 weeks so they get the best start in life. It’s also hard to properly assess a kit’s conformation if they are younger than 8 weeks, which is something you’ll want to do when buying breeding stock and we will talk about in a few minutes. If you’re buying a rabbit over six months old you’ll also want to ask about their breeding history. Six months is the ideal age to start breeding for most breeds used for meat. Rabbits a year or older, especially does, that have never been bred are a gamble. Adult rabbits get fat easily, potentially preventing them from breeding.
Average litter size and weight at weaning
Large litters, more than 8 kits, are usually smaller at 8 weeks but catch up quickly if well fed. The number of kits born, the number that survive to weaning and their weight tell you how good of a mother they had. Starting out with breeding stock from lines with good mothering skills is really important. It doesn’t matter how big the rabbits are or how meaty they are if they die in the nest. It’s not unusual for a doe to reject some of her first litters. Often this is because of human error but a doe that raised her first litter is superior because she is productive that much sooner than a doe who needs multiple litters to figure things out.
It’s also good to ask about their breeding program. A quick cycle where does produce one litter after another with little rest will often result in progressively smaller litters. This shouldn’t necessarily count against a doe unless you plan to also do a quick cycle breeding program.
Breed, pedigree
Even with mix breeds knowing the breeds is helpful. For instance, mixes including dwarf breeds are best avoided because they often have very small litters with frequent stillbirths. On the other hand, Flemish Giants get large quickly but have a poor meat to bone ratio. In the case of purebreds you can research the breed to learn if it was developed for meat production. If you learn who the breeder was you can find out if they select their line for meat type.
Housing
Rabbits kept in wire cages develop sore hocks more often. This has to do with the fact that most cages have flooring that is not right for rabbits, alas that is a topic for another day on my blog.
Theoretically rabbits kept in wire cages are exposed to fewer diseases and parasites since their droppings fall out of the cage. Solid bottomed cages unless they are cleaned with a religious procedure provide a place for potential disease to breed and can cause urine scald. Know if the breeder tells you they use solid bottomed cages that you will need to pay especially close attention to the cleanliness of the rabbitry. If the breeder says they use tractors, ask if they put their breeders and kits they sell live in tractors. Pasturing rabbits is awesome but it increases the risk of a rabbit contracting coccidiosis. Pasturing rabbits does not mean that they will get coccidiosis, but if it’s in the area then the rabbits have a chance of getting it from the soil. So ask if the rabbits you’ll be looking at buying have been on pasture and ask if coccidiosis has shown up in their rabbitry.
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