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warm. Cotton wool could be added to supplement fUr if necessary. The keeper must keep on checking in cbe some of the youn er off and miss suckling, which will result into death. The doe will suckle her young once or twice a day. 7.4.7 Fostering This means gettint 3 a doc e to acci ept rabbits from another doe and have it - ..- - suckle them. This may be nec ;essary where one doe does not have uficient milk. Fostering is carric :d out as follows: Mate does on the same day Litters should be born not mo re than : 3-4 days apart if fostering is to be possible Only foster rabbits, which are 5 days old Remove both the foster and donor doe from their hutches Carefilly remove the rabbits to be fostered without touching them directly. Do not disturb those not fostered. Rub a cloth in dump litter of the foster doe's hutch and wipe each rabbit to be fostered with the cloth Introduce the rabbits to be fostered, without disturbing the foster nest. Leave the newly introduced rabbits for a few hours so that they take on the smell of the hutch evenly. Return the foster doe into the hutch ar y her with good food. 7.4.8 Kindling to weaning The young rabbits must be allowed to suckle colostrum, which is the concentrated first milk from the doe. Colostrum will enable young rabbits withstand health problems. Young rabbits should be leR to suckle for at least 30 days but most preferably 40 days. 7.8.9 Artificial feeding of rabbits This is possible after 1-2 weeks and is done by us ing a sy: ringe. Cows milk mixed .with egg york can be used as milk substil Lute. A : little of this milk can be dropped into the rabbit's mouth. Great care must of course be taken to avoid milk getting into the young rabbit's lungs, which could cause pneumonia. The first two weeks after kindling are critical and therefore good food must be provided to the doe to ensure sufficient supply of milk. Plenty of water must also be made available. Concentrate foods must be given at. this time.
Weaning or separating young rabbits from the doe: This is usually done 6-8 weeks after kindling. Young rabbits should be given rich foods i.e. concentrates after weaning with plenty of water to avoid loss of condition and after weaning the doe should be allowed time to recover her conditio~n before mating again Does can continue breeding until they are 3 4 years old. 8.0 RABBIT DISEASES, THEIR PREVENTION AND CONTROL Rabbits must be in s :alth in order to bene:fit from the enterprise Diseases can result in mra~ued growth and even loss of rabbits. There is high mortality in rabbits between day 1 and two months of age. Therefore farmers must routinely observe the rabbits for any signs of ill health accordingly. It is invariably essential that the farmer knows the characteristics of a healthy rabbit and the signs that are indicative of disease. 8.1 What are the characteristics Eats and drinks normally alth rab 9 Shows alertness, interest and curiosity IS self grooming a The fkr is shiny, smooth and clean especially on the front paws and around the anus e Has clear bright eyes without any discharges e Normal temperature of 37-39°C Normal silent breathing, with breathing of about 40-45 breaths per minute o Shows no soft feces on the hutch floor Normal weight gain in young ones Maintenance of normal body weight in adults 8.2 How do you tell that a rabbit has ill heath? Dullness Change in appearance and habits Loss of appetite A dry, dull, harsh, starin{ chy coat indicates that something is wrong Loss of hair is only natural during moulting but scurf should not be present Etching of the skin Lameness Laboured or rapid breathir Cough Abnormal discharges fiom the eyes, nostrils, moth vent, anus and teats Diarrhoea and feces with fetid smell
Page 1: Increasing income through RABBIT FA
Page 4: ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Uganda National Far
Page 7 and 8: Rabbits are not violent and can thu
Page 9 and 10: Figure 7: Hutch set up for one male
Page 11 and 12: Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the des
Page 13 and 14: cleaning is a must as the rabbits t
Page 15 and 16: 1 Every farmer must decide on the r
Page 17 and 18: 5.2.2 Handling rabbits by the scruf
Page 19 and 20: 6.2 How do you feed rabbits? There
Page 21 and 22: Source: Tropical Agriculturist Grou
Page 23 and 24: e Bucks are territorial. Rabbits li
Page 25 and 26: 7.4.3 Mating Choose the most health
Page 27: What other features serve as suppor
Page 31 and 32: agents. Therefore excrement should
Page 33 and 34: 9.3 Records that must be kept by th
Page 35 and 36: APPENDIX Clinical signs, trewtment/
Page 37: FURTHER READING 1. The domestic rab

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