RABBIT FARMING

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21732, 14 March 1936, Page 13

RABBIT FARMING

IMPORTANT FEEDING SCHEME <By RBX.) A. . point upon which success or depend* to a great extent is the management of the rabbits. It a«es not matter how good the rabbits JSt be- if they are not given due SrTand attention -they will toot do S»t fa required of them in the way j of profit making. This does not mean that the rabbits must be coddled, but iTis essential that all the necessary Jiuues must be carried out punctually -ind efficiently, and the whole under-' taking treated in a commonsense and businesslike manner. Ihave already suggested good and ccinamfcal ways of feeding rabbits but the best feeding scheme will lose 2Seh of its value if "is put into Stice in a careless pd haphazard 55J Regularity Is of the highest imS&nce in the feeding of rabbits, and STSt the best results they must be f*d according to the clock. Two feeds B; Zm be the rule, and the times «# these feeds should be settled and Srictly adhered to. About 9 a.m. and JW in winter and. 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. in summer are good feeding times, but if necessary the feed in the evening Sn be given after dark in winter The main point is that the food should S given at the same time every day. Waste it food is a very common form Z bad n.B»agement among small rabMt keepers, and I believe carelessness 3 thiskind often arise 3 from misfken ideas of getting the feeds over ffthe least possible time. Time is not Sved, for spilled food means clearing up later. Moreover a small Xntitv of bran mash or oats dropped jScttb will mount up to pounds to a year. Waste of hay is also cornSon, and I have seen enough of this £ teed a dozen rabbits swept up from Sefloi after a careless attendant S| been round. Food may also be wasted by careless storage, as bran SSs which are allowed to get damp Jnd contaminated by vermin areiu»Si All concentrated food should bfkept in tins or boxes with ti*ht fittinglids, which will be proof against SSI ind mice, and any risk of dampSi. All hay or other materials used Sfits pice must be stored off the Sound and covered in, and any greenSSdwhteh has to be kept for a day Srw before being used is best spread or wire nettini[frame, «a that the air can circulate freeiy through it and all risk of heating may in the rabbitry is cleanlmess. Hutches must be given a through clean out at regular intertinsiahtly and a source of disease, Dut witoto rabbits there is serious r*k cfpelts being stained by the soiled SteV Rocmy hutches well *»* aawdust or peat may be vleft for a Staiaht in the winter as a general SJffit a weekly cleaning will prob■Wv be necessary in summer. Breeoina hutches, where does are running with a litter, will need a more frequent cleaning, but this is a matter which may be left to the discretion of thecareful breeder. A small hoe en a handle one foot long makes an oxcdient cleaning tool. Before putting clean litter sprinkle, or better still, soray it with some good disinfectant, febbits should be removed from the ££*» md placed in boxes or baskets while the cleaning process is in procolonies and shelters in outdoor colonies must be cleaned PeriodiS 5y f floors being swept and disinfect* being wrinkled around. Alsg. mt shed used for kiUng, skinning. and H&tefmuit be kept sflrupuImAfmm and under SFnml offal be left lying about. * Good management also includes general tJdineii in the rabbitry itself. All hutch cleaning tools, spare food *mt? food containers should have their allotted place bo that they can ttiily be found.