His rabbits getting bigger

Press, 28 November 1980, Page 16

His rabbits getting bigger

EtrHer . !n • the year it was ■ reported 1 ' on these page> that the long standing Christchurch rabbit breeder and enthusiast Mr R. N. Bromley, of Harewood,. was... seeking to breed a mammoth rabbit for meat production. He says that he is after a super Giant New Zealand White weighing about 9 kg or 20 !b at maturity compared with an average for the breed f .f about 4 kg to 5.5 kg (9 to 12 lb), Mr Bromley says that he is getting closer with every generation. Progress has been encouraging. The Duchess Deborah qualified for Mr Bromley’s rating as a super Giant White, which he is at present prepared to give to s any rabbit reaching the 5.5 kg (12 lb) mark when fully grown at 14 to 18 months. She actually attained 7 kg or 15A lb at maturity but unhappily had to be destroyed in

August' after she broke her back. A son of Deborah by a farm buck, however, locks like keeping up the tradition. Last week at six and . half months the Lord of Harewood weighed 4.3 kg or 91 lb. If he attains the 5.5 kg or 12 lb mark when fullv grown he will be elevated to the title of Duke of Harewood. At the same age Mr Bromley has a doe. Lady Marion, which-weighs 43 kg or just under 94 lb. As welt as breeding animals with wider forequarters and good hindquarters, he is also seeking animals with small ears and small heads. He is hopeful of cutting down on the size of ears to about half of their ordinary size, as he says that the ears are prone to attack by ear mites, which necessitates treatment. The reduction of the size of ears and heads is also part of the process of re-

during wastage in an essentially meat animal. He says incidentally that it could be an advantage for these rabbits to have poor hearing. This would avoid a doe, for instance, becoming frightened and Spins into the box and ng half her litter. Mr Bromley describes Lady Marion as the of animal that they are looking for being almost rectangular in body shape and with a small head and ears. To breed them big. Mr Bromley says, it is a case of selective breeding and then keeping them eating as much as possible and giving ■ them moderate exercise. He says that their menu probably includes about 75 per cent of green materials and the list of greens they will eat is almost limitless. "I suggest to rabbit keepers tltat they feed their animals on any

green stuff at all that is at their disposal.” He says that farmers can profitably employ rabbi is to eat material that would otherwise be wasted. Hedge clippings, thistles, dandelions and chick weed are some, items that he lists in addition to the vegetable garden greens. and overseas he says that dried stinging nettle is also fed to them — when green it is poisonous. As long as he knows that plants are not poisonous Mr Bromley tries them on his rabbits and he says that tho results can be quite rewarding. But as well as these materials he also keeps a container of feed pellets in his cages all the time as well as water. Because of their eating habits Mr Bromley sees the rabbit having an important place in the economy i of market gardens, and as well as

feeding on green wastes also returning something in the way of liquid and solid effluents. But to reduce the hand work required he thinks tint special cages need to be designed for this situation. For his large rabbits Mr Bromley says that cage shape is also important, and to this end he says that a long cage about 2 nj or 6 ft by 0.6 m or 2 ft is more satisfactory than one measuring a little

over a metre (4 ft) by a metre (3 ft), and he says that the cage should have a container for pellets at one end and a water supply at the other. Looking at the domestic rabbit scene in the country, Mr Bromley believes ’ tint It has been marred by the economic situation bn the one hand and also by the fact that the Government has allowed too many breeds to be imported. Referring to the fact

hat there still does not seem to be much New Zealand rabbit meat on the market, he suggests that it could best be sold in portions or sections in superior plastic bags, sui- *i tablv coloured and la* belled so as to be attractive, especially when they , are stored in freezers in supermarkets next to expertly packed chickens. In the field of marketing he believes that there is still a great deal to be learned. •.