Raising Rabbits is a Hare-raising Business

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Speaking of feet, that's the area in which domestic rabbits most often have health problems. Open wounds on the pads can be treated with a cotton swab saturated with CamphoPhenique, obtainable from any drugstore. A few applications should clear up the trouble. Soreness can be dealt with in the same way, but you should also put extra straw or a flat board in the pen so that the animal can get its feet off the wire.

Flies bother rabbits in the summer, and can be controlled with the kind of fly strips sold by MOTHER'S General Store. Don't use any spray around your herd! It affects the animals' breathing and may kill them.

Feed your bunnies rabbit pellets, about three ounces a day per animal. Give them plenty of clean water. An optional addition is a handful of hay or a lettuce or cabbage leaf once in a while. Go easy on the greens the critters' systems aren't geared to handle much vegetation in confinement. Since rabbits are nocturnal and usually eat at night, the evening feeding is the most important.

(The feeding of rabbits is a controversial subject Harlan H. D. Attfield-a Peace Corps representative who specializes in low-cost rabbit-raising operations for underdeveloped countries-recommends giving the animals grain in the morning and all the greens they'll eat overnight. See his letter in MOTHER NO. 20 for this and other advice on the care of your herd. A detailed analysis of rabbits' nutritional requirements is included in The Homesteader's Handbook to Raising Small Livestock by Jerome D. Belanger, $8.50 from Rodale Press or from MOTHERS Bookshelf. -MOTHER.)

Each member of your herd should have a roll of rabbit salt, obtainable from a feed dealer for about 104. The supplement should be attached to the cage so the animal can lick it at will. It will last about three months. Without sufficient minerals in their diet, the does may eat their young.

BREEDING

A female is ready to breed at the age of six months. Put her into the buck's pen for service, not vice versa. Don't be surprised if the male falls over for a few seconds after service (this is normal behavior) and don't remove the doe at once. Let the pair mate a few more. times just to be sure (leave them together for maybe 15 minutes).

Record the date of mating on a piece of cardboard mounted on the front of the doe's cage. Note which buck was used, if you have more than one, since the same male shouldn't serve more often than once every four days. (Also, it's advisable to keep track of each animals' performance so you'll know which individuals are the more productive .MOTHER.)

The doe should be provided with a bunny box 25 days after breeding. This nesting container should be about 12 X 18 inches, with four-inch-high sides and a solid bottom. It can be made from crates thrown out by a grocery or supermarket. The doe will line the babies' bed with her own fur (she has plenty), but you can help by giving her a little hay or straw to supplement the job. At a total of 30 to 32 days from conception she will have had, her first litter. (The USDA's Agriculture Information Bulletin No: 358-Selecting and Raising Rabbits-recommends inspecting the litter the day after birth and removing any dead or deformed young. The babies should be left with the mother until they're weaned, at about eight weeks by which time they will have reached fryer size. MOTHER.)

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