COMMERCIAL RABBIT RAISING 



27 



Feeding Dry Does^ Herd Bucks, 

 and Juniors 



You can maintain mature dry 

 does and herd bucks not in service 

 on hay alone if you freely feed a 

 Hue stemmed, leafy, green-colored, 

 legume hay. If you feed coarse 

 legume hays or carbonaceous hays, 

 feed each 8-pound animal 2 ounces 

 (I/3 cup) of a grain-protein mix- 

 ture or an all-grain pellet several 

 times each week. For rabbits of 

 other weights, adjust the quantity. 

 For example, feed 3 ounces to a 

 12-pound animal. 



Feed herd bucks in service the 

 same quantity of concentrates and 

 give them free access to choice 

 hay; or provide them with 4 to 6 

 ounces of a complete pellet daily. 

 RegiUate the amount to keep them 

 in good condition and to assure 

 that they do not become too fat. 



For developing junior does and 

 bucks, regulate the concentrate 

 portion of the diet so that the 

 animals will grow and be in good 

 condition when they are ready for 

 breeding. With the medium- 

 weight breeds (9 to 12 pounds at 

 maturity), hold the grain-protein 

 mixture or the all-grain pellet on 

 a daily level of 2 to 4 ounces and 

 allow free access to a good-quality 

 hay. As the rabbits develop, they 

 will eat more hay to get the addi- 

 tional nutrients required for 

 growth. "When using a complete 

 pellet, -4 to 6 ounces daily should 

 be sufficient. Take precautions to 

 prevent juniors from becoming too 

 fat when they are fed concentrates 

 or a complete pellet. 



An alfalfa pellet, consisting of 

 99 percent No. 2 leafy, or better 

 grade, alfalfa meal (15 to 16 per- 

 cent protein) and 1 percent salt, 

 may be full fed to developing 

 junior does and bucks as the only 

 feed from weaning until they are 

 to be placed in the breeding herd. 



In the event that alfalfa pellets 

 are unavailable through local mills, 

 a coarse crumble or turkey-grind 

 crumble, composed entirely of al- 

 falfa, may serve as a satisfactory 

 feed for developing stock. If a 

 crumble is used it might be ad- 

 visable to place a small salt block 

 or spool in the hutch, though there 

 is evidence from trials at the U.S. 

 Rabbit Experiment Station that 

 the animals may do without the 

 extra salt for the few months be- 

 fore they are placed in the breed- 

 ing herd. 



Note: Nutritive value of diets, 

 and daily feed requirements of in- 

 dividual rabbits, vary. Observe 

 the condition of your individual 

 rabbits and increase or decrease 

 quantities of feed to obtain de- 

 sired physical condition. 



Feeding Pregnant and Nursing 

 Does 



To feed a doe properly, it is nec- 

 essary to know definitely whether 

 she has conceived. Palpating (feel- 

 ing for the developing young in 

 the uteri) at 12 to 14 days follow- 

 ing breeding is a quick and accu- 

 rate method of determining preg- 

 nancy (see p. 35). 



After mating, you may maintain 

 junior and mature does in breed- 

 ing condition on good-quality hay 

 or hay pellets until you have de- 

 termined that they are pregnant. 

 If your herd is receiving only com- 

 plete pellets, restrict the amount 

 that bred does receive daily to that 

 quantity which will keep them in 

 the desired physical condition un- 

 til pregnancy is determined. Full- 

 feeding complete pellets to a bred 

 doe will cause her to put on too 

 much flesh if she fails to conceive. 

 If a doe fails to conceive as deter- 

 min'3d by palpation, breed her 

 again and feed only hay, or re- 

 stricted amounts of complete pel- 



