Show RABBITS JOR FOR MEAT elaborate lists of foods recommended om for animals CRUSHED OATS ARE FAVORED cornmeal Corn meat barley and other grains may do bo given by way of change green feeds are arc highly important in winter prepared by the united states department ot of agriculture the rabbit thrives well on B n diversity sity of vegetable foods many on the care of this animal pres prescribe erlb elaborate lists of foods tu to be followed week lit in and out the fact Is tit tant tit it a few staple foods are arc sufficient clent but no animal is more adaptable to sudden changes of diet so that one cnn feed what Is available or cheap the iden idea being to produce weight with via tho least possible outlay of money grain and hay tito alio best grain for rabbits Is oats either cither whole or crushed crus lied though corn infill barley or other grain muy may often be fed by way of change the crushed oats tire are best when freshly fres lily broken and a land hand null mill for preparing them Is a valuable adjunct to a ilay hay Is a necessary part of the rabbits diet and if possible that of the very best quality should bo be used it shou should tabo bo entirely free from mold boldness ness anti the cd Is always preferable if one has small grounds where suitable grass grows the mowing may be done at short intervals and the liny bay thoroughly cured in such small quantities that no sweating takes place however if sweet tiny hay Is not available the sweated may be fell fed to the rabbits injury unless tt it be moldy green foods rabbits require some green foods for winter cabbages kale spinach and rapo rape leaves tire are recommended turnips beets find and mangels tire are often fed and have been recommended by many rabbit breeders bleeders bre eders but they do not keep so well as the foods just named female flemish giant turnips unless kept in the ground by midwinter and tire then of little use beets and ni mangels angels keep better I 1 and the latter are the main dependence pen dence of some english rabbI trIes but on oil the whole cabbages tire aio more moio economical us as well us as diore fac tory in every way they are usually available nil lable until green stun stuff grows lit in the spring whatever green food Is put away for winter use irest be stored where frost cannot touch it as freez mg aig unfits it for rabbits parsnips Par snips left in the ground all winter make no nn ex sellent early spring rabbit food after the tha frost leaves the ground in which they grow reeding feeding rabbits should be fed twice da dally ily ordinary stock Is fed morning and evening but suckling stickling does should also have a noon meal local or be given more than they will cat at the other mealy tire tho general rule Is to feed only on ly its as much grain or arcen acen stuff stud as tho the animals emals will consume consiline hay Is put into tio the hutch to bo be available at any bitne ft a part of it being loft left as litter tho the exact amount of grain or green fir far each rabbit at a meal local cannot ile bo stated as the appetite varies greatly at different times observations of tile the quantity left over when the anti loiles quit feeding iiii soon enable tile I 1 feeder to adjust the meals to tile the needs needa of the rabbits overfeeding Over feeding la Is n much more common mistake than underfeed till lii rabbits under three or four months old should be limited in ili the amount of green foot food if allowed too much they are apt to become potbellied pot bellied when ft a young rabbit Is seen to grow big about its belly the use of green food should be discontinued and the anhill il given plenty of exercise under 8 lucli u ell treatment it will soon recover lut but it tilt the green food 18 continued the disease usually omally in convulsions nud nod old rabbits are not subject to this trouble breeding Dree dino tt it Is not desirable to vair pair rabbits until they are ara tit nt least six months old although they may bo be arvd bred earlier sonio some breeders bleeders bre eders do not mate animals under ten months of age Ile althy maturo rabbits produce larger iiii stronger litters than younger stock do methods of mating different breeders bleeders bre eders adopt different methods of oc mating some leave tile tho buck in the hutch of the doe for but a few minutes and others leave him overnight the older does should be muted lit in february but it la Is well to defer muting mating it a young doe doa until march she then lins lias young in april when there Is abundant green food to induce a n good how flow of milk this lacteal development once well established slie she Is likely always to give abundance of illik for tier her young if pairing begins in february each doo doe may be expected to produce four litters a year the young youlif coming coining ut intervals of about twelve weeks with a longer rest in midwinter preparing for the young tho the gestation period of tho the rabbit Is about thirty days when the doe to in nearly ready read v to bear youna nir her hutch butch be thoroughly cleaned and infected disinfected dis after which a good supply of soft hay bay or straw ont oat straw Is best s should hould be placed in the body of the hutch to enable tier her to arrange tier her nest it if tho the hutch Is without a nesting compartment compart ment a box should bo be placed in a n corner it should bo be 18 to 20 indies inches long ions about a foot deep or 1 10 0 i indies nc lie s wide vl d e n and ail a lid ild make 11 ak e a biolo 1 iol 0 in 1 n one e end largo large enough for the doe to pass through ga i ensley and turn tile tho box upside down n tito tho doe will arrange tier her nest a day or two before the young tiro are born at t this ills time extra attention should bo be giver given I 1 to tier her foot food she should have milk and warin water regularly and a pun pan of clean water should bo be kept cousin constantly fitly in III the hutch while a doo doe Is heavy with young and for a few days after their birth extreme care should bo be taken to see that silo she Is not frightened by cuts cats or logs dogs or even by strange visitors in tho the avoid touching tile nest or handling tho the young unless it is absolutely necessary diet while nursing during tile first week or two after having young tho the doe inny ins ho fed almost entirely on warm rr ir d broad bread tills this Is recommended fo aie to bulk of ofa the morning and evening meals with a small supply of green food green food may bo be given also la in the middle of the lay day and the dally daily proportion gradually increased boiled mush made of comment Is also till an excellent food for suckling does docs but most other pasty or watery foods should be avoided as likely to derange the bowels milk and indeed any soft food should lie be fed lit in it separate earthenware dish especially in aarni weather when it sours quickly the dish should be washed anu ana scalded often weaning JanIng Vi tito tho young may be weaned when a month old but it la Is better to leavo leave them with the doe two or three weeks longer remove two each day until till all aro are transferred to another hutch which may ho be large enough to accommodate any number dumber they do well together until they are three or four months old when their development will compel separation of the sexes after this tiny any number of does may occupy the same hutch butch but unless thoroughly accustomed to each other will fight ailments of rabbits if properly cared for rabbits are remarkably free from diseases dis caws tile the more common ailments results from surroundings lack of carai car in ili fe feeding edingt nod improper ventilation the hutches should be cleaned frequently nod fresh sawdust or other title fine litter used to take up liquids sc that the hutches do not become foul such ailments ns as mange scurf surfeit and the disease of the eyes known as tire due usually to foul hutches cold and the like result lit from improper ventilation sudden oil drafts of oc cold air in ili overheated buildings and similar sh rillar causes th disorders of tile the digestive organs come coma from froin feeding young rabbits too freals freal of wet and juicy green foods or from too radically changing their diet most diseases are preventable and it if the cause Is understood remedies will suggest ge t themselves the most serious disease known among hutch rabbits in america la 13 it Is caused by internal parasites 11 and nd when present in the rah rab butry kills many young rabbits ax caution aution c la Is needed to prevent its introduction and new stock obtained should for a time be kept isolated front from tile tho regular hutches Keep keeping Ilig tile tho hutches in stocks stacks olds lu in spreading tho infection absolute clem cleanliness illness nifty may do much to prevent the disease whenever a number of the young rabbits under good care develop a potbellied appearance particularly where it Is accompanied by symptoms or of cold find and snuffles there Is reason to sus suspect livet alint old nod and apparently healthy aill may be afflicted with chronic and are expelling from their bodies isolation of the affected hutch and its occupants together with la Is tile the first step to be taken while 1 the alie exact nature of 0 the trouble la Is holds being determined literature about rabbits if serious diseases dl eases affect ills his stock tile amateur will find it advantageous 4 to ob taina standard treatise on tho the management of rabbits this will contain detailed instruction for the treatment of the more common ailments As tile the business of rearing rabbits Is ca carried rr to 1 I on much more extensively in england than lit in america the best hand bouk are published Dubli shea abrona n 1 r 0 ad they may lo be obtained through any bookseller |