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When building rabbit cages the best cages are of suitable size, made entirely of metal. The sides and top and bottom are of woven wire work; beneath the cage is a movable metal tray filled with sawdust, for the reception of the excreta. The cage as a whole is raised from the ground on short legs. The sides, etc., are generally hinged so that the cage packs up flat, for convenience of storing and also of sterilizing.
The ordinary rat cage, a rectangular wire-work box, 30 cm. from front to back, 20 cm. wide, and 14 cm. high, makes an excellent cage for guinea-pigs if fitted with a shallow zinc tray, 35 cm. by 24 cm., for it to stand upon.
The most practical cages for rabbit are of the movable type, as they can be placed in a building in the winter and then taken out under the trees in the summer where it will not be so warm. The movable hutch gives the breeder a chance to thoroughly clean and disinfect the building where the rabbits spend the winter. The hutch can also be cleaned, sprayed and sunned whenever its condition makes such treatment seem neces
Each hutch should be 6 feet long, 2 feet high and 2 feet wide. One-third of the cage can be enclosed for a nest with a small opening in this section just large enough for a full-grown rabbit to crowd through. The long door should be hinged at the edge of the hutch and covered with wire screen. If mice are apt to come into the hutches it will pay to use the onefourth inch mesh wire cloth. This makes a neat strong wire door and the mesh is not large enough to permit the litter in the hutch from working out on the floor. The nesting part of the hutch should also have a door, but this should be solid wood instead of wire, as the does will wish to hide when building a nest. However, it is necessary to hinge this wooden door so that the nest can be opened when cleaning is necessary or it is advisable to inspect the young in the nest. _
The floor of the hutch must be tightly constructed of matched lumber. When the hutches are placed outdoors they can be arranged in tiers and the top hutch should have a sloping roof covered with building paper. In building rabbit hutches it pays to use good material and then paint the hutch when it is finished. Of course, the paint is not absolutely necessary, but it docs add to the life of the hutch and neatly painted hutches look fine and certainly stimulate an interest in the rabbit business. The farmer who expects to sell breeding stock should have his rabbit hutches look as fine as possible, as it creates an interest in raising rabbits and hares. A lot of poorly made, unpamted rabbit hutches resemble a heap of brokendown packing boxes and such an outfit does not lead visitors to develop an increased interest in the business.
Sometimes triangular-shaped hutches with wire bottoms are very useful during the summer. Such types can be placed on the lawn and moved about as the rabbits eat the green grass and weeds that may project through the wire. If bad patches of plantain or mallows become established along the fences, it is possible to clean them up by placing a wire-bottomed hutch over the spot and then moving it
each day as the rabbits harvest their own fresh green meals.
When there is no time to build rabbit hutches, fairly satisfactory results can be obtained by housing the breeding stock in packing boxes with wire fronts. A breeding doe needs about 12 square feet of floor space and, of course, a 4 by 3 box gives just as much room as a 6 by 2 regulation rabbit hutch. Old poultry houses can sometimes be divided by wire into hutches that are very satisfactory for rabbit breeding. We now have four breeders in a colony house with dimensions of 8 by 10 feet and it is proving very satisfactory. However, we expect to build regular hutches for these rabbits during the winter to give us the use of the colony house for the poultry next spring. We also have three other colony houses now being used for young rabbits, as the birds formerly using the houses have gone into their winter quarters in the laying houses or they have been marketed.
In selecting a rabbit hutch, of course, the shape, color and quality of the material are not as important as the location, size and system of management. The hutches should be exposed to the sunlight at some time of the day. In the hottest part of summer they msut be protected Curtains are used by some breeders for protecting the rabbits during the heat of the day. Never overcrowd the breeding stock or even the young growing stock. It is best to be •sure and have at least 12 square feet of hutch room for a breeder and more room will be desirable, but there should never be less than that area Cleaning of the hutches is very important if the rabbits are to be maintained in a healthy condition. The rabbit in its natural state travels over quite a large area and, of course, is never forced to linger in places that are unclean and damp. When placed in confinement every effort must be made to keep the hutches as clean and dry as possible. This is not difficult if the hutches are cleaned frequently, sprayed with a good disinfectant and then supplied with plenty of fresh litter
