For show purposes, the adult weight of a New Zealand buck is 9 to 11 pounds; for a doe, 10 to 12. (so yes, @pintail_drake2004 has rabbits that are slightly oversized for their breed).
The New Zealand is one of what are known as "6-class" breeds; in addition to "junior" and "senior," there is also an "intermediate" class. A rabbit is considered a "junior" until it is 6 months old, in the smaller breeds, it is considered a "senior" after that. In a lot of the larger breeds, "intermediate" classes are for rabbits between 6 and 8 months of age. It is generally recognized that the larger breeds take a little bit longer to achieve full adult size, and the weight ranges of the 6-class reflect that. So a junior (between 3 and 6 months) is to weigh between 4 1/2 and 9 pounds, and an intermediate is to weigh less than 10 pounds.
Frustratingly, a lot of breeders have found that show rabbits aren't the best producers; litter size, growth rate, milk production, etc, aren't things that get you points on a show table. A lot of strictly production herds have rabbits that wouldn't go anywhere at a show, because what happens in the nest box and afterward are more important to the breeder than perfect shape and coat texture. So, in a way, it's a case of "you get what you breed for;" most (especially show) breeders find a workable compromise between the two.
You probably did the doe no real harm by breeding her at 6 months; while she may not have been fully mature, it's not an unusual age for a breeder to start (and, truth to tell, starting a doe late gives her the chance to get too fat, which has a lot of problems associated with it, too). To have raised a litter of 7 right out of the gate is pretty good, all things considered; it'll be interesting to see how they do this time.
The New Zealand is one of what are known as "6-class" breeds; in addition to "junior" and "senior," there is also an "intermediate" class. A rabbit is considered a "junior" until it is 6 months old, in the smaller breeds, it is considered a "senior" after that. In a lot of the larger breeds, "intermediate" classes are for rabbits between 6 and 8 months of age. It is generally recognized that the larger breeds take a little bit longer to achieve full adult size, and the weight ranges of the 6-class reflect that. So a junior (between 3 and 6 months) is to weigh between 4 1/2 and 9 pounds, and an intermediate is to weigh less than 10 pounds.
Frustratingly, a lot of breeders have found that show rabbits aren't the best producers; litter size, growth rate, milk production, etc, aren't things that get you points on a show table. A lot of strictly production herds have rabbits that wouldn't go anywhere at a show, because what happens in the nest box and afterward are more important to the breeder than perfect shape and coat texture. So, in a way, it's a case of "you get what you breed for;" most (especially show) breeders find a workable compromise between the two.
You probably did the doe no real harm by breeding her at 6 months; while she may not have been fully mature, it's not an unusual age for a breeder to start (and, truth to tell, starting a doe late gives her the chance to get too fat, which has a lot of problems associated with it, too). To have raised a litter of 7 right out of the gate is pretty good, all things considered; it'll be interesting to see how they do this time.
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