7 Reasons to Cull Meat Rabbits

When raising meat rabbits you want the best genetics for your breeding programs. Finding those genetics can be hard and a lot of decisions will have to be made as to which bunnies get to stay and which ones have to be culled. Here is a list of 7 reasons to consider if you are raising meat rabbits.

1.Age. As they get older it is harder for them to keep their weight up. This is especially true in does during the stress of pregnancy and kindling. Does may end up having problems kindling and taking care of their babies the older they get. Bucks tend to start losing weight when they get too old. The age range for breeding is 4-5 months old up to around 3 years old depending on their growth and conditioning. Bucks can normally be used longer then does, but again that depends on their overall health.

2.Sterile. If they can never get bred then they can't stay as a breeder. We usually give a doe three chances. Each rabbit grows a little differently and one doe might not mature as soon as a different doe. We would also make sure that we are using a reliable buck to breed first time does and not a new buck that may not be mature enough.

3.Blindness or "moon eye". This condition can be very painful for a rabbit and is a genetic disorder passed down from one or both of the parents. It is most common in pure bred rabbits and may affect one or both eyes. This condition begins to have affects as a rabbit reaches maturity. A blue/white colored film with cover the eye and the rabbit will begin to loose the ability to see.

4.Growth. This is a big factor in meat rabbits. You want the rabbits that grow the biggest the fastest so that genetic will be passed along to their babies. A good growth weight for meat rabbits is 5 pounds by 12 weeks.

5.Quantity. Depending on the breed a rabbit should have 6-10 kits in each litter. If they regularly have less than 5 then it may not be worth keeping them. For a first-time mother it is not uncommon for them to only have one baby. As they mature more, each litter will get a little bigger until they've reached a steady number. There are other first-time mothers that jump right in with a full litter of 8 or 9.

6. Health. If they have consistent health problems.

7. Attitude. Rabbits can be very nasty sometimes and unfriendly rabbits are hard to deal with. The type of breed has a lot to do with a rabbit's temperament and can be a deciding factor for choosing a specific breed.

A very general rule that we follow is 3 strikes and their out. We give our rabbits 3 chances before we cull them, because it may just be a one time thing due to the situation or stress. Keep it within reason, if they have to go they have to go. The most important thing is to know your rabbits. Then you can better decide what is best for your breeding program.

What is your number one reason to cull meat rabbits? Let us know in the comments. We would love to chat and learn from each other. If you are just getting into meat rabbits hopefully you can use this list to ask some good questions from your local rabbit breeders so you can start out with good genetics.