8 



EAISING BELGIAN HARES AND OTHER RABBITS. 



Fig. 2. — A convenient rabbit hutch. 



A convenient indoor hutch (fig. 2) is one 6 by 2 by 2 feet, with 

 a movable partition dividing off a third of the space at one end 



for a nest and sleeping 

 chamber. The partition 

 has a smooth hole to 

 permit passage of the 

 animals from one part 

 to the other. The front 

 of the hutch has two 

 doors, one of wire net- 

 ting, the other of wood. 

 The wooden door leads 

 to the sleeping cham- 

 ber and should close 

 tightly. It is best to 

 use metal hinges for the doors. The partition may slide in a 

 groove between the doors or may be put in and taken out through 

 one of the door open- 

 ings. 



Outdoor hutches 

 should have sloping 

 roofs and overhang- 

 ing eaves to protect 

 them from rain. The 

 screened door should 

 have a sliding cover 

 of wood or be fitted 

 with a removable cloth 

 cover. Small holes 

 bored near the top of 

 the hutch will afford all 

 necessary ventilation. 



Movable hutches (fig. 3) have some advantages. They may be 

 carried outdoors in fine weather and taken back under shelter at 

 night or during storms. Long, narrow cleats projecting at both ends 



of the hutch are all 

 that are needed to 

 convert the ordinary 

 hutch into a movable 

 one. Two forms of 

 outdoor hutch some- 



FiG. 3. — Movable outdoor hutch. 



Fig. 4. — A simple movable outdoor hutch. 



times used are shown in figures 4 and 5. That in figure 4 has no 

 floor except a wire screen, permitting the rabbits to eat grass or 

 other herbage that projects through the netting. 



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