RABBIT FARMING

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21656, 14 December 1935, Page 12

RABBIT FARMING

CARE OF STOCK DURING HOLIDAYS (By REX.) At this time of the year rabbit breeders, like everyone else, begin to feel that a break in the daily routine would be very welcome. Any business, however, which is connected with livestock cannot be closed down for a week or fortnight without attention, and therefore, .before taking holidays, the rabbit keeper must make arrangements for his stock to be cared for in his absence. For the man who keeps a few rabbits as an extra sideline it is usually a fairly simple matter to find a neighbour who will keep an eye on these animals and come in night and morning to feed them, but for those with whom rabbit farming is a whole-time business and who keep a large number of stock, the holiday problem is rather a big one. When two or more are working together, or on a farm where labour is employed, holiday arrangements can, of course, easily be made, but the man who is working entirely on his own is faced with the necessity of finding a reliable locum tenens before he takes a few days off. Although every rabbit breeder may not be so fortunate as to leave his stock in charge of his next-door neighbours, it should easily be possible to find somebody living, within easy distance who will undertake to feed and water the stock twice daily and clean the hutches once a week in return for some little payment. There are several important points to be considered when leaving and handing over responsibility to another person. First, to go away with an easy mind, the rabbit breeder must be able to feel that he can trust his deputy to do conscientiously what he has undertaken to do. Second, very minute and careful directions must be given about times of feeding, and the nature and amount of food to be given. Sufficient food should be bought, before going away, to last well over the period of absence. In fact, it is a good plan to be on the safe side, and if you are going away for a week, for instance, to leave a supply of food to last a fortnight, and so on. This will not only avoid any possibility of supplies running short, but will assure that there is enough to carry on with on your return. Before going away, let your deputy go round with you while you feed once or twice, so that he may have a practical demonstration as to how everything should be done. Be careful also to show him where everything is kept—not only food, but sawdust, hutch-cleaning tools, and disinfectant, and do not forget to tell him how to dispose of the refuse after hutch cleaning. Point out also the importance of sheltering hutches from the sun should the weather be hot, and of protecting them from the rain in wet weather. See that all hutch fastenings are secure, all small repairs brought up to date—in short, do all nossible to ensure that everything will run smoothly while you are away. Finally, the rabbit farmer must not forget to explain what to do in case of illness cr injury, what remedies to apply, and how to apply them. The average person, for Instance, has no idea as to the best method of dosing a rabbit—by wrapping it in a sack to keep it from struggling and introducing the dose into the side of its mouth with a medicine dropper. Demonstrations of this way of dosing and of the best ways of attending sore eyes, ears, and so on, will help the deputy m dealing with chance casualties and illnesses. ‘Lifting of Babbits

There is no domestic animal that dislikes to be lifted and handled mope than a rabbit. Of course, there are exceptions. Now and then we find a rabbit which seems almost to like being picked up. A very heavy rabbit, because of its awkward shape, is really not an easy thing to handle. The most common way of lifting rabbits by persons who are new in the business is by the ears alone, lifting them clear from the ground and carrying them some distance by the ears. By grasping the ears with one hand and placing the other hand under the rump, the rabbit may be held. This may prove a safe way or it may rjpt. Some fanciers, who have fear of soiling or ruffling the coat of an exhibition specimen, make a practice of lifting the rabbit by the ears. Rabbits have plenty of loose skin just behind the shoulder blades, by which they caff be lifted without discomfort or injury to the rabbit, and in lifting a heavy rabbit the use of the other hand beneath the rump will make it a safer and better way of handling. This method of lifting by the skin on the back is the only way by which rabbits that are nervous and wild may be handled safely. In the case of animals difficult to handle, if the ears are held down by the same hand which is grasping the skin, better control is obtained. Rabbits, unless allowed to become very wild, do not usually object to being handled in this way. On the other hand, a rabbit lifted by the ears can kick and scratch one’s arms badly if it is determined to release itself. Continual handling by the ears will often cause the ears to become bare of fur. In any case, this is a cruel way of handling rabbits. A good deal of trouble is avoided in the late life of rabbits if when young they are regularly handled from the time they leave the nest. If they are allowed to grow up untouched, rabbits of some of the breeds are very likely to kick and bite when matured. Rabbits at their best are rather awkward to handle, so it is important for breeders to use patience and skill in the methods of handling.