12 



RAISING BELGIAN HARES AND OTHER RABBITS. 



PREPAIIING FOR THE YOUNG. 



The gestation period of the rabbit is about 30 days. When the doe 

 is nearly ready to bear young, her hutch should be thoroughly cleaned 

 and disinfected, after which a good supply of soft hay or straw (oat 

 straw is best) should be placed in the body of the hutch to enable the 

 doe to arrange her nest. If the hutch is without a nesting compart- 

 ment, a box should be placed in a corner. It should be 18 to 20 inches 

 long, about a foot deep, 8 or 10 inches wide, and without a lid. Make 

 a hole in one end large enough for the doe to pass through easily, and 

 turn the box upside down. The doe will arrange her nest a day or 

 two before the young are born. At this time extra attention should 

 be given to her food. She should have milk and warm water regu- 

 larly, and a pan of clean water should be kept constantly in the 

 hutch. While a doe is heavy with young and for a few days after 

 their birth, extreme care should be taken to see that she is not fright- 

 ened by cats or dogs or even by strange visitors in the rabbitry. 

 Avoid touching the nest or handling the young, unless it is absolutely 

 necessary. 



DIET WHILE NURSING. 



During the first week or two after having young the doe may be 

 fed almost entirely on warm milk and bread. This is recommended 

 for the bulk of the morning and evening meals, with a small supply 

 of green food. Green food may be given also in the middle of i!he 

 day, and the daily proportion gradually increased. Boiled mush 

 made of corn meal is also an excellent food for suckling does, but 

 most other pasty or watery foods should be avoided as likely to 

 derange the bowels. Milk, and indeed any soft food, should be fed 

 in a separate earthenware dish, especially in warm weather, when it 

 sours quickly. The dish should be often washed and scalded. 



NUMBER OF YOUNG. 



The number of young produced by the Belgian hare varies greatly. 

 Litters of 10 or 12 occur, but these are too large for a doe to raise. 

 An average of 6 or 7 is all that should be saved. It is of advantage 

 to have several does breed at about the same time, for the number 

 of young may then be adjusted by transferring from those that 

 have too many to those having few. The young begin to leave the 

 nest when about 3 weeks old. At this time the nesting box or com- 

 partment should be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected and then fur- 

 nished with fresh straw or hay. 



WEANING. 



The young may be weaned when a month old, but it is better to 

 leave them with the doe two or three weeks longer. Kemove two 



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