42 AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NO. 3 09, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



f rigerant air conditioning is usually 

 uneconomical and impractical, due 

 to the high initial investment and 

 operating costs. 



During the summer it sometimes 

 is difficult to regulate the quantity 

 of fur in the nest box to keep the 

 litter comfortable. A cooling bas- 

 ket (fig. 19) then will provide re- 

 lief for the young. It is useful 

 from the time the young are 

 kindled until their eyes are opened 

 and tliey are able to care for them- 

 selves. Make this basket 15 inches 

 long, 6 inches wide, and 6 inches 

 deep. Use Vs-i^'i*^'^ mesh hardware 

 cloth 15 by 18 inches; two boards 

 % by 6 by 6 inches; two laths % 

 by 11/2 by 15 inches; and 2i^-inch 

 screwhooks. Tack the hardware 

 cloth to three edges of the two 

 square boards. To keep the basket 

 from bending, nail the laths length- 

 wise, in front and back of the 

 basket outside the wire. Nail the 

 top edges of the laths flush with 

 the tops of the end boards. At the 

 back, insert two screwhooks in the 



end boards about 2 inches from 

 the top, so you can hang up the 

 basket. When the temperature is 

 high enough to make the young 

 restless, place them in the basket. 

 Hang up the basket inside the 

 hutch near the top and leave it 

 for the day. In the evening, if it 

 is cooler, return the litter to the 

 nest box. Where high tempera- 

 tures continue throughout the 

 night, place the young in the nest 

 box for a short time in the evening 

 for nursing. Replace them in the 

 basket for the night and allow 

 them to nurse again in the morn- 

 ing. 



Do not hang the basket in direct 

 sunlight. 



Cold. — Mature rabbits, if kept 

 out of drafts, suffer little from 

 low temperatures. However, pre- 

 cautions should be taken to protect 

 rabbits from direct exposure to rain, 

 sleet, snow, and winds. If they 

 are enclosed in a building, care 

 must be taken to provide adequate 

 ventilation and to prevent the 



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Figure 19. — A cooling basket hung in the hutch to provide comfort for the young 



during hot weather. 



