Preparations for Weaning Kits

1 What to Prepare Before Weaning

Before weaning, prepare the kits’ cages, feeders, water bottles and other supplies and disinfect them strictly, ready for the move. Prepare the post-weaning feed: a few days before weaning, shift kits from milk to feed gradually to avoid indigestion, diarrhea or death from sudden change.

2 Time Weaning Appropriately

Decide weaning time by the kits’ growth — not too late, not too early. Too-early weaning raises death because the digestive system is immature; practice shows the earlier the weaning, the higher the mortality. Normally 40–45 days of age is most suitable.

3 Choose the Right Weaning Method

Base the method on the whole litter’s growth and health. If sizes are uniform and strong, use one-time weaning — separate all kits from the doe at once. If sizes vary, use split weaning: wean the strong kits first and let the weaker ones nurse a few more days before weaning by condition.

4 Reduce Weaning Stress

Moved to a new environment, weaned kits show fear, poor appetite and low energy, even death. The best method is ‘wean but keep in place’ — separate the doe and kits with a partition. Keep feed, environment and management unchanged for one week around weaning.

From birth to weaning, keep kits separate and return them to the doe’s cage only to nurse, then back — individual management. Before 20 days, nurse twice daily; after, once daily with a little feed added.