230 



THE AGEICULTUKAL NEWS. 



July 16, 1904. 



RABBIT KEEPING IN THE WEST INDIES. 



Mr. Jdhii Barclay, the Secretary of the .Jamaica 

 Agricultural Society, ha,s forwarded notes on rabbit 

 keeping, specially written for the AfjriruJf. and News. 

 Mr. Barclay deals with the general principles of rabbit 

 keeping, including housing, feeding, breeding, etc. 



In the first instalment useful information is given 

 as to the breeds best suited to the West Indies, etc.:— 



I know of no holiby that can be matle sfi ]iractically 

 useful as the rearing of poultry and rabliits. lioth iinultry 

 and rabbits can, at the sauie time, provide as nuich \exation 

 as anything I know of, if losses are the general rule. It 

 is to jirevent occurrences of this sort, as far as possible, by 

 furnishing information from actual practice in tlie raising of 

 rabbits, that these notes are written. 



HOW R.4BBITS ARE USUALLY KEPT IN .lAMAK'A. 



In Jamaica, rabbits are kept by every other small 

 settler in some parishes, both for the sake of their manure 

 and for their table value ; most owners of estates, too, keep 

 a few both as pets and for the table. There is no market 

 for them yet, however, in the same way as there is for 

 poultry, pork, and mutton, although a very limited trade 

 does occur in Kingston during the tourist season. 



There is, unfortunately, no method, and little knowledge, 

 among most small settlers as to how these animals should be 

 kept, and their practices are often abominable. The rabbits 

 are usually kept in hutches set on posts, about 4 feet from 

 the ground, to prevent dogs jumping up. There is a hutch 

 of one apartment, not often water tight, with a little open 

 platform in front. Here bucks, does and young are often 

 kept together in the one apartment. This is unnatural and 

 cruel. The bucks torment the does, often the latter torment 

 each other. The does have no privacy when they have 

 young. The results are that the young ones are often 

 killed as they are born, either by the doe herself or by other 

 does, if she is not their suiierior in strength ; perhaps one or 

 two young ones manage to escape harm and grow up. 

 Kunning with bucks, the young does are bred before they are 

 fully grown, and so deteiioration goes on. Fortunately, 

 the agricultural propaganda persistently ke^it up through 

 Jamaica, and which deals with live stock as much as with 

 cultivation, has at least inculcated a knowledge of the 

 importance of fresh blood, so much so, for instance, that 

 one breeder of predigree jiigs reported to me that the 

 prejudice against inbreeding was being carried to extremes. 

 I considered this satisfactory. Thus settlers are now more 

 freijuently changing and exchanging their bucks. The 

 additional evil of the promiscuous breeding of bucks and 

 does of the same family is, therefore, not so common as it 

 wa.s, although still too common. 



In the wild state there is plenty of room, plenty of 

 freedom, and the animals have abundance of exercise in 

 securing their food. Moreover, the does can retire, each to 

 her own particular l)urrow, and be in seclusion when they 

 bear their young. The young rabbits have room to grow 

 and esca[ie the attacks of larger rabbits. 



The kind of rabbits kept among small settlers is thus 

 generally very small, and [loordooking ; yet there is arising 

 a desire for better stock, and inquiries foi- Kelgian hares, 

 pure, three-<juarter or half-bred, to improve connnon rabbits, 

 are becoming more freijuent. Among larger planters in 



.Jamaica, Belgian hares, pure or nearly so, are comiiaratively 

 common, and the demand for fresh blood of that variety, 

 though not so wide'spread as it might be, considering the 

 number who keep rabbits, is regular, if limited. 



The common rabbits are of all colours, — white, grey and 

 white, black and white; but the uniform grey of the Belgian 

 hare is becoming more and more common. There are 

 a great many ditl'ercnt breeds of domestic rabbits throughout 

 the rabbit-breeding world, but we are best suited here with 

 the thin-coated, active breeds. The striving after size in 

 aidmals for hot countries i.s, I think, not best served by the 

 introduction of large, heavy-coated animals. These all the 

 more ijuickly deteriorate, and the progeny from a large breed 

 on a smaller one is, just as often as not, small and weakly, 

 or, if big, sluggish in nature. The best method of improving 

 a breed, increasing it in size and hardiness, is by care, 

 attention and knowledge in breeding, feeding and liousing, 

 more especially in allowing animals to inature before breeding, 

 and in breeding no near relations together. 



IJREEDS FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



The breeds kept most in the United Kingdom are — 

 the common wild ralibit (which is usually grey, though 

 in some parts black is frequently seen), the Silver Grey, 

 Belgian flare, Flemish Giant, Angora, Dutch, T^op Ear, 

 Himalayan, and Patagonian. 



Of these the following have been kejit in Jamaica : — 

 Belgian Hare, Silver Grey, Flemish Giant, Lop Ear, and the 

 Angora. But no heavy-coated breed should be kei>t in 

 warm climates. Gf those mentioned the choice for the West 

 Indies is the Belgian hare. This is really not a hare, and is 

 no relation at all ot the hare of the field. It is simply an 

 improved rabbit. 



The Belgian hare is comparatively common in Jamaica 

 and thrives easily with such ordinary attention as every 

 domestic animal should receive. It is large, not thick-set, 

 but rather slim, and active, of a dark-grey colour, deei)ening 

 sometimes to a rich brown on the back. I have had does 

 weighing 10 lb., but find such not so succe.ssful as breeders 

 as those weighing from 7 to 8 lb. Bucks I have had to 

 12 lb., but such size and weight do not fit them for breed- 

 ing successfully. Bucks from 8 to 10 lb. are as heavy as is 

 desirable. Of course, for animals fattened for table, the more 

 weight the better, but very fat animals must not be kept 

 over long. A favourite Iireed for crossing with Belgian 

 hares among breeders in the United Kingdom is the 

 Flemish f Jiant rabbit. These animals grow to a large size, 

 but are very slow and chunsy. The does are not good mothers, 

 as they are so heavy-footed that they are apt to tranqile on 

 their young. Thus the custom is to use the Flenush Giant buck 

 with the Belgian hare does, and this cross results in a fine 

 table animal, putting on weight iiuicklj', and easy to fatten. 

 The young ones of this cross, pushed on with a little grain 

 and milk, after weaning, can be used at three months old, 

 when the flesh is white and tender — very good for an 

 invalid and convalescent diet, being more delicate than 

 chicken. The Flemish Giant is of a deep iron-grey colour, 

 though rather heavily coated, and the fur is loose and not 

 thick. 



A year or two ago a iielgian hare craze or fad broke 

 out in the United States and great sums were jiaid for show 

 specimens. It is best, therefore, to import from the United 

 Kingdom where more sensible notions i>revail in regard to the 

 proper place and value of the Belgian hare. The sum of 10s. is 

 enough to pay there for very good, selected s|iecimens for 

 breeding. In .Jamaica, young ones can be had for 4.*. 

 and upwards for fair specimens, and 10s. eaeli for a good 

 well-L'rown buck or doe should secure well-bred stock. 



