FUR FARMING SECTION
PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY -
This section is open for discussion of anything pertaining
to fur farming.
Information concerning stock, site, house and pen con
struction, equipment, cost, breeding, mating, feeding, cooking %
recipes, sanitation, prevention of contagious diseases, disinfec
tion. trapping, killing, pelting, marketing, packing, shipping
and other notes are welcomed for publication,—with due credit
to the author.
This section is intended to be the common meeting ground
for fur farmers. Interchange of ideas, helpful information, con
structive suggestions anent these particulars should readily
solve vexatious problems of fur farming. Readers are urged to
take advantage of this section and help The Gateway foster fur
farming throughout Alaska.
—RAISING DOMESTIC RABBITS—
By D Monroe Green, Associate Biologist, Division of Fur Resources,
Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, D. C.
* * * * * * ******
Rabbits have been bred for food
and fur in this country for many
years, and during this time the
meat of both wild and domestic
rabbits has had a place on the
American table and the pelts have
been a staple in the fur trade.
Demand and Supply
In the Western States, especially
in southern California, rabbits are
produced in large numbers; some
breeders keep only 50 or 100 ani
mals, others 1,000 to 5,000 or more.
Almost everybody in the rural dis
tricts there has at least a few.
Several slaughterhouses are operat
ed in the Los Angeles district,
where from 25,000 to 50,000 rab
bits a month are killed, dressed,
and marketed, and the demand
still keeps ahead of the supply.
Rabbits are served at hotels and
restaurants along with other
meats, and large quantities are
used on the home table. More
than $1,000,000 worth of dressed
rabbit meat was marketed in the
city of Los Angeles in 1926.
In California, rabbits are usually
marketed as fryers at 8 weeks of
age, when they weigh about four
pounds each. The producer sells
his 8-weeks-old rabbits direct to
the slaughterhouse or wholesale
meat markets. The slaughter
houses operate large trucks that
call at the rabbitries regularly each
week to buy market rabbits and
haul them to the killing plants,
where they are killed, usually the
following day. The dressed rab
bits are sold to local meat mar
kets. clubs, hotels, and restaurants,
or shipped in large numbers to
Newr York. Chicago. Pittsburgh,
Philadelphia, and other eastern
marketing centers. The producer
usually receives 18 to 20 cents a
pound for live rabbits, a price
that nets him a margin of 40 to
50 cents a head over the cost of
production. The dressed carcass,
with head and feet off and en
trails removed, usually retails at
40 to 50 cents a pound.
Management and Organization
Successful rabbit raising re
quires good stock, good manage
ment, and good organization.
Healthy, vigorous animals are nec
essary as a foundation. Good man
agement, which includes breeding,
feeding, housing, and marketing,
is essential if a substantial profit
is to be made. Appreciating the
fact that progress in industry de
pends very largely upon organ
ized effort, rabbit breeders have
formed many local and State clubs
throughout the country, the ma
jority of which are affiliated with
some national body representing
the entire rabbit industry. These
organizations are developing rap
idly and are helpful in fostering
this growing industry.
Breeds and Varities
There are 18 breeds of domestic
rabbits recognized by the National
Rabbit Federation as being dis
tinctive in type. In some in
stances there are several varities
of a breed, alike in size and type
but with a wide range in color.
These breeds and varieties are di
vided into two separate classes, or
groups, known as utility and
fancy.
The utility breeds, so classed be
cause of their size and ability to
produce a marketable carcass and
a good pelt during a reasonable
feeding period, are the American,
Beveren, Chinchilla, Checkered
Giant, Flemish Giant, New Zea
land, and French Silver (Cham
pagne d’Argent) and their vari
eties.
The fancy breeds, which are
kept principally for show purposes,
i.iclude the Angora, Belgian, Dutch, I
English, Havana, Himalayan, Lilac, j
Lop, Polish, Silver Gray, and Tan,
land their varieties.
! The American White, American
Blue, New Zealand White, New
Zealand Red, and the White Flem
ish are the varieties most exten
sively bred in the United States
for meat and fur. Any breed or
| variety in the utility class, how
ever, may be bred for commercial
purposes and made to pay if prop
erly fed, housed, and cared for,
although the five mentioned are
considered the most profitable be
cause of their combination of good
fur and meat qualities.
Breeding
The age at which rabbits may
be bred varies according to the
length of time required for them
to attain full size. In the utility
breeds this is usually at seven or
eight months. In small breeds it
may be at five or six months. It j
is not advisable to breed rabbits j
after they are four years old. Old !
does are generally mated with
young bucks, and young does with
old bucks, as this increases the
vigor of the progeny.
The period of gestation is 31
days. It is customary to breed
each doe four times a year, allow
ing 31 days for gestation and 60
days for her to raise and wean
the young, after which she is bred
again. For example, if a doe is
bred on January 1 she will proba- |
bly kindle January 31; the young j
are usually left with her for eight j
weeks, when they are ready for
market, and she is bred again !
about April 1. The second litter is j
ready for market on July 1, when j
the doe is bred the third time, j
This brings the fourth breeding j
about October 1.
A breeding doe can raise six or
j eight litters a year, but if bred
this frequently she will soon break
down and be worthless for further
breeding purposes. When breeding
j is exclusively for meat, five or six
j litters are sometimes raised in a
year, but such intensive breeding
is usually limited to about a year
or a little more, when lack of
strength and vitality is manifest
and the young fail to grow proper
ly. The doe is then sent to
market and a younger and more
vigorous one substituted. When
rabbits are bred for show purposes
or when great vigor and vitality
are desired, it is best not to breed
the doe more than two or three
times a year.
Allowing an interval of three
1 months between each breeding
, period gives the doe time to regain
flesh, and vitality after suckling
the young and before being bred
again, thereby insuring stronger
and better offspring.
j The number of young in a litter
varies greatly. Litters of 10 or 12
occur, and sometimes more, but
these are too large for one doe
to raise. Only six of the best
young should be saved, unless the
doe is an exceptionally good mo
ther, As with cows, does vary in
!the quantity of milk they give, and
therefore some are capable of rais
ing larger litters than others. It
is advantageous to have several
does bred at about the same time,
for it is then possible to adjust
the number of young by trans
ferring some from one doe to an
other.
Each breeding doe must have a
separate hutch for herself and her
young, and the buck must also be
kept by himself. One buck is suf
ficient for 10 breeding does. At
mating time the doe should be
placed in the hutch of the buck
(never put the buck in the doe’s
hutch) and the animals watched
to see that they mate. If actual
copulation takes place the buck
will usually fall over backwards
or on his side afterwards, and
then the doe should be imme
diately removed to her own hutch.
If the doe runs from the buck
and not accept service within four
or five minutes she should be
taken away and returned again
two or three hours later. A buck
and doe should not be left to
gether for protracted periods, as
they are apt to fight and injure
each other. Ten days after the
doe is bred she should be returned
to the buck, as a test, and if she
then refuses service it may be
concluded that she is pregnant.
An accurate record should be
kept of the date each doe is bred,
and a few days before the young
are expected the hutch should be
carefully cleaned, and the nest
box, containing plenty of hay or
straw, placed inside. The doe will
make her own nest. A day or two
after the young are born she may
be removed from the hutch a few
minute for an examination of the
nest to determine the number of
young in the litter and to remove
any dead ones. No other disturb
ance of the young is advisable un
til they are large enough to come
out of the nest and run about the
hutch. At this time the nest
should be cleaned and fresh straw
provided.
The young may be weaned when J
about six weeks old, but it is best
to leave them with the doe until
they are eight weeks old, after
which the sexes should be separ
ated and, if not marketed, the .
naies and females should be placed ;
in separate hutches. In open runs!
a considerable number of young j:
does may be kept in the same in- I
closure until they are ready fori
market or for breeding. The same
s true of young bucks, unless some
are unusually quarrelsome. Unruly
young bucks must be separated i
from the others.
Feeding
Clean bright oats (whole or j
crushed i, rolled barley, well-cured
alfalfa hay, and a small quantity
«f some kind of green feed, pre
ferably carrots, is the daily diet
used in most rabbitries. Wheat j
bran mixed with oats or barley
(equal parts by volume) may be
fed about once a week, with good
results. Clover hay may be sub
stituted for alfalfa where the' lat
ter is not available, but alfalfa
is preferable and is eaten more
readily by the rabbits. The hay
should be cut into about inch
lengths before feeding, as it is
consumed more easily and with
less' wastage. Other greens may
consist of rutabagas, potatoes, cab
bages, mangels, or lawn clippings.
Lawn clippings and other green
feeds should always be fresh and
clean and not fed when moldy or
fermented. Some breeders feed
no green stuff; others use all that
is available. It is usually wise to
avoid both extremes, but green
feed must be used with more cau
tion than is necessary with dry
feed, and only the best of any
kind should be fed. Spoiled,
moldy, or dirty feeds are to be
avoided as they cause sickness and
disease.
Rabbits should be fed twice daily.
The quantity of grain required de
pends on the age and condition
of the animals, and also on the
kind and quantity of hay and
green feeds they receive. Some
rabbits require more grain than
others. Only by noticing the con
dition of each animal day by day
i can its feed be properly regulated
| Does require more grain while
suckling young than between
breeding periods.
Mature rabbits should never be
allowed to become too fat unless
wanted for the table, as overfat
animals frequently will not breed
and sometimes will die from ex
cessive heat. They should always
be watched carefully for health
and condition and be fed accord
ingly.
Young rabbits, while growing,
may be fed all they will clean up
in 30 minutes at each of the two
meals. Excess feed should not be
allowed to remain in the feed
dishes and become sour or dirty,
for it will cause indigestion and
other ills. Mineral salt should be
provided in some form, preferably
in spools, that can be fastened to
the side of the hutch. These
spools can be purchased at most
any rabbit or poultry supply house.
Fresh clean water should be kept
before the rabbits at all times as
water is almost as essential as
food. Keep the feed and water
dishes scrupulously clean.
Houses and Hutches
Rabbit houses of various sizes
and designs are used in different
sections of the country. The type
required depends very largely upon
the climate. Where warm weather
permits, as in California, an open
type house is used almost exclus
ively. Some are closed on the
back, others on the back and
ends, and others only a roof over
the hutches, the sides open all
around. In the North and East, orj
wherever the weather is severe,
greater protection is needed.
Essential features of any rabbit
house, no matter where located,
are light and fresh air. These
are necessary to the health of the
animals. Houses should always be
so constructed as to afford pro
tection against storms, as wind,
rain, driving sleet, and sand are
harmful. A house of moderate
size, one that will accommodate j
500 animals or less, is also pre- |
ferable to a very large one,, as i
rabbits kept in smaller units are !
less liable to contract disease.
Rabbit hutches should have
ibout 10 or 12 square feet of floor
space, the dimensions for a stand
ard hutch being 4 feet long, 30
nches deep, and 24 inches high,
nside measurement. Hutches for
Flemish Giants are frequently
Duilt five or six feet long. Where
:here is plenty of room, it is best
to have the hutches in single
tier, but to save space they are
frequently built two tiers high.
Hutches built more than two tiers
high are inconvenient, hard to
-lean, and animals in them are
more difficult to observe. Rabbits
rre more easily cared for and less
likely to become diseased in well
built hutches of the size recom
mended than in extemporized ones,
which become foul and unwhole
some unless frequently cleaned
and rebedded with straw, leaves,!
or other absorbent. Self-cleaning
hutches require no bedding and
are easily kept in good order.
There are three general kinds
of self-cleaning hutches: (1) Those
■with slat floors and wire sides;
(2) those with wire floor and sides,
floors and usually with tight board
sides and ends and an open space
in the floor in the rear. Slat
floors are made of 2-inch strips
of board, spaced half an inch
apart. Wire floors are of half
inch-mesh galvanized woven wire.
Beneath each floor is a removable
galvanized-iron pan about one inch
deep designed to catch droppings
and prevent the ground under
neath from becoming contaminat
ed. These types of hutches are
used principally in California and
in the South, where the climate is
warm. They are not practicable
in the colder North and East.
The floor of the closed type
slanting-floor hutch is built of un
dressed tongue-and-groove lumber.
The boards are laced crosswise
and slope about one inch to the
running lengthwise across the back
in the floor, six to 10 inches wide,
foot toward the back. A space
of the hutch, is left open and
covered with half-inch wire mesh,
.which allows refuse from the hutch
NEW YORK
Wants Your
FURS
The purchasing power
of the American fur in
dustry Is concentrated in
New York, the fur center
of the world. Offer your
raw furs to these buyers
through the NEW YORK
AUCTION CO., INC. This
is the safest and best
method of marketing your
merchandise.
Let us put you on our
mailing list. Write us
today.
[NEW YORK AUCTION Cl
Incorporated
226 West 26th Street
NEW YORK
to fall through to the ground. A
jleaflet containing drawings and
bill of material for building a rab
bit house, two types of rabbit
hutches, a portable nest box, and
a colony growing house is being
prepared, and when published will
be sent on request addressed to
the United States Department of
Agriculture, Washington, D. C.
U. S. Rabbit Experiment Station
The United States Rabbit Ex
periment Station, at Fontana, Cal.,
established in August, 1927, is op
erated by the Bureau of Biological
Survey, in cooperation with the
National Rabbit Federation and
local rabbit breeders, for the pur
pose of conducting experiments to
develop reliable information for
rabbit breeders and for those con
templating engaging in the rab
bit industry. Studies are made
as to the best methods of breed
ing, feeding and housing domestic
rabbits to produce meat and fur
of high quality, and as to the most
profitable breeds to keep; meth
ods for the eradication, prevention,
and control of diseases are also
studied.
Next week: “Rabbit Skins for Fur”
Custom tanners
of fur skins and
buckskin. Taxi
dermist on big
pa me rups, wall
mounts. M a n ■
facturer of
chokers, coats
and gloves of
latest styles.
Send for our
catalogue.
—We buy teeth for mounting—
W. W. WEAVER. Reading Michigan
Sales
Every Month in the
Year
1931 SALES DATES
August 18
September 15
October 20
November 17
December 15
Advances will be made
as usual when request
ed. Transferred by Tel
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Request of Shippers
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