982 Rabbit Breeding for Small Holders, [march, 



UTILITY RABBIT BREEDING FOR 

 SMALL HOLDERS. 



P. E. Wilson. 



The breeding of domestic rabbits for the purposes of food 

 and for export is more or less common with the Belgian 

 peasantry, and in the Province of West Flanders rabbits are 

 raised in such quantities that thousands of dressed carcasses 

 are shipped weekly in the season to the London market. 

 The imports of rabbits from Belgium in 1910 amounted to 

 47,800 cwt. 



The existence of this trade suggests that small holders in 

 some districts might find the supply of table rabbits a rela- 

 tively lucrative industry if undertaken on a small scale in 

 conjunction with poultry keeping and vegetable growing. 



At present a limited demand for tame rabbits exists 

 in London, and they are sold at Leadenhall and at the 

 Smithfield poultry market. The best markets are found in 

 the North, at Sheffield, Manchester, &c, and especially in 

 towns in mining districts. 



Suitable Breeds. — There are, for all practical purposes, 

 only two suitable breeds of rabbit, and these are the Flemish 

 Giant and the Belgian Hare Rabbit. Ordinary cross-bred 

 or mongrel hutch rabbits may be set aside at once as 

 useless for commercial purposes, as they are not large or 

 heavy enough to produce young rabbits of good size that 

 will mature quickly and form choice meaty carcasses. An 

 exception may, however, be made in the case of the cottager, 

 who may with profit keep a few of these cross-breds to supply 

 his own household. Fed on the scraps from the house and 

 garden, with an occasional feed of meal and oats, the 

 young rabbits will be ready for killing in four or five 

 months. In such a case, the cost for food is insignificant, 

 and small cross-bred does are useful enough, but early 

 maturity must be the aim of the small holder who breeds 

 for market, and for this purpose ordinary cross-bred rabbits 

 are useless. 



The Flemish Giant Rabbit. — This is the largest breed of 

 rabbit existing, and specimens bred true to type may weigh 



