The Nonpartisan Leader Newspaper, December 8, 1919, Page 5

‘not advanced far enough yet to give a stable - centers. > business gradually. There are three varie- - land Red 'and the Flemlsh _three " breeds, but' also the’ ~ bright, reddish tan' on the _ dish buff " “of eight to ten pounds. - lreedm' ' Rabblts for the. Food Marketfiz’ f Anlmals Valuable for Their Meat—Furs of Some Varieties Are Saleable— = * A Few “Dos” and “Don’ ts? for the Prospectlve Breeder flock of chickens. Generally 1 they do some rustlmg for them- - selves and-are fed on scraps: or grain that otherwise: would £0 to waste Often the revenue “that comes from sale of eggs and chickens goes to the farm- er’s wife for spending ‘money. (It is also coming more and more to be the usual thing for the farm boy: and girl to expect to have .some 'enterprise of their own. In some cases: the . farm boy or girl has a-pig to fatten. Or it may be an acre -of corn that is set asxde for the boy or girl’s own handling. Nearly every state and county fair throughout the West this last-year has indicated another new venture in which many boys and gn‘ls are interest-. - ing themselves. ' This is rabhit raising. EARLY every farmyard -has a ,breeds, but when full grown is the largest “well- bred stock averaging 14 to 15 pounds, while some specimens have been shown as heavy as 20 pounds. The Giant .comes elther in' light gray, black or .- steel gray. * In building a rabitry to house the stock, 1mpor— i tant points to be kept in mind are ventxlatlon, adry The rabbit, like the chicken, ‘can be fed largely: > upon by-products of the farm that otherwise would. go~to waste. Its meat is like that of the chicken. Rabbits increase faster than chickens and also grow. faster. In addition to their meat value the hides ' are often valuable, especially of the pure $ breeds, such as' New Zealand "Reds and Flemish Giants. However, it would’not be well for the one who intends breeding to count too much upon mak--. ing money from' pelts, as rabbit breedmg has market. ' Some fur buyers will purchase rabbit pelts while others will not handle them or, ‘will pay such 'small prices that the : business is not worth while.. - . Any one intending to go into rabblt raising on ‘a large scale . 150 should be sure that jhere is a good - local “market for rabbit meat. In the large cities rabbit meat sells regularly ‘at . 26 and 80 cents ‘a’ pound,. with larger prices in some’ eastern But the supply. has:been so. much smaller than that of chicken and poultry that the business has not yet been fully esta.bhshed ; The beginner in rabbit raising would do -much better to start with a trio of animals —one buck and two does—and build up. a ‘ties that are most prominent in the United States at the present time.. These are the Belgian hare, the New Zea- Giant. | The Belgian hare is. most -commonly known. It is the quickest ‘maturing ~of the) - lightest, reaching seven or eight pounds at a yeaxr old. ' The standard .color is a back, shoulders, neck and o sides, a creamy red - belly ‘and four red feet.” The stand- ard purebred” Belgian has black hairs, known as ‘“tick- ing,” distributed through the back and side. Tf buying Bel= gians to: start breeding;. care ‘should ' be used not to buy rabbits with a gray finge, as “hese are not §0 readily mar-- ketable as: ‘the red Belgians. - NEW ZEALAND RED . NEW; HEAVY VARIETY The New Zealand Redisa compa.ratrvely new variety in-. ' this country. They are a red- color and "are .-somewhat heayier than the Belglans, reaching a weight | “They.. . iake good friers at 10 to 11 ‘eeks old. Wherever 2 good- ; about- two inches -deep with straw or three times a week in summer. floor and tight walls. The rabbits should be housed on a high, dry spot that will not become damp : The breeding hutch: should” contain 10 or more square feet of floor space, with a wire door hinged .on the front the full size of the opening and‘a box in one._ end of the hutch in which the female will make ‘her nest. This box should have a hole suf- ficiently large to admit'the mother, but two or three inches «from the -floor 'so that the young rabbits will not fall out while they are small and helpless. The buck should have the same kind of a hutch ex- - cept that it is not necessary to build a nesting box. Feed and water dishes should be rather shallow and are best when made‘of heavy crockery, so that - “the rabblts will not kick them around and waste the feed. In winter it is best to cover the fioor of the hutch and other litter. ' The huteh -should be cleaned weekly in winter and two ‘Either poultry netting or matched lumber, should’ . be used for a floor, fo prevent the rabbits from dig- ging out, £ An jnexpensive hutch can be: made from a clean oil or vinegar barrel, placed on its side on supporis . that will raise it a short distance from the ground. - Poultry netting can be extended. from the barrel so as to form a short run. Does and; bucks should be kept separated except at breeding time, as they are apt to fight and i mJure < each other. PLENTY OF WATER NEEDED FOR DOE AFTER LITTERING A litter is due about 30 days after breeding. At this time the does should be supplied with plenty of water,‘aé. they have an unusual thirst, and if this. is unsatisfied they are liable to kill' their young. Within a few days after littering the doe should be removed from'the nest and any dead rabbits re- moved. - At the age of about three weeks the young rabbits will start moving around and should have extra feed. The young rabbits will eat crushed. oats, carrots or any other green food, but should have, in addition, a good supply of clover or alfalfa hay. The young does and bucks should be separat- ed by the time they are four months old. The best feed for rabbits is a mixture of *green and dry foods. Hay is one necessity: The best grains are oats and barley. Turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips and dandelions are all good if fed in moderate quantities. It is al= ; ways better to slightly underfeed rather than to overfeed. It is best to market rabbits at.about four months old. ' They should be: killed by a sharp blow on tHe back . of the head with a round stick. > 'The jugular vein in the neck should: then be opened and the rabbit hung up by its hind legs and allow- ed to bleed thoroughly. Four - months --old rabbits ~ can be fried, roasted, stewed ox, broiled just as”chicken or., other poultry would be pre- . pared. If an older rabbit is to-be fried or broiled it should first be boiled to make it : more tender. N The most common' ailment of rabbits is called snuffles. It starts with a cold and sneezes. If neglected the rabbit will’ refuse. to eat and may die. of standard remedies, . “but a warm, dry hutch and plenty of bedding _are the best preven- - tatives. Too: much wet and green food for young rabbits “will' make . them pot-belhed The ' . remedy is’ to . give ~ ‘more. dry food. * Sometlmes lack of salt wfll cause pot belly. = tion issues the following warnings: - Don’t handle rabbits by the ears. Don’t let rabbits get wet. T4 Don’t place your hutches in: the dn'ect :rays of the sun. ; Don’t: breed: young does too early, seven t0'10 months is right. Don’t ‘house-bred does together. . Don’t forget:-to water your rabbits. of age: ; : -~ Don’t feed wet or musty hay - Don’t feed too much green stuff use mod- . eration. 2 Don’t change from green to dry or dry to ‘ green feed too. suddenly. G There are a number—— & The Minnesota Rabbit Breeders associa- .