Microlivestock Little-Known Small Animals with a Promising Economic Future (1991) / Chapter Skim
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14 Domestic Rabbits
14 Domestic Rabbits
Pages 183-192
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From page 183... ...
It utilizes forage efficiently, even coarse vege- ~ ~S tation that is high in fiber, and under ideal conditions it can grow so rapidly that its rate is only slightly lower than that of broiler chickens.2 The rabbit's capacity for reproduction is legendary. In theory, a single male and four females can produce as many as 3,000 offspring a year, representing some 1,450 kg of meat-as much as an averagesized cow.3 The meat is pink, delicately flavored, and is usually considered a premium product that provides variety in the diet.
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From page 184... ...
The operation shown here was organized by Peace Corps volunteers as part of a $600 project to supply protein to about 150 Quechua Indians in the Ecuador~an highlands. This tiny grant (from the U.S.
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From page 185... ...
Hybrids are rapidly replacing purebreds in Europe for commercial production. Specific crosses of breeds have been shown experimentally to be more productive overall compared with purebred New Zealand Whites.
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From page 186... ...
Opposite: Raising rabbits can foster reforestation. Here in eastern China, a peasant woman feeds rabbits in her home with foliage from edible trees planted to reforest nearby hill slopes.
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From page 188... ...
HUSBANDRY Rabbits can be housed in hutches ranging from sophisticated commercial cages to simple packing crates with a few ventilation holes and rough troughs for food and water. In all cases, watertight roofing is essential.
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From page 189... ...
On diets consisting of alfalfa and rye grass, weaned New Zealand Whites have demonstrated growth rates of 3~39 g per day in animals weighing up to 2 kg. ADVANTAGES Rabbits, as mentioned, can utilize almost any type of edible vegetation.
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From page 190... ...
Ancient Romans became acquainted with rabbits after they invaded Spain, and they eagerly added wild rabbit meat to their banquets. The meat was so popular that around 1 A.D.
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From page 191... ...
Deep-rooted shrubby legumes, such as gliricidia or leucaena, remain green well into the dry season and have high protein contents. Rabbits find the leaves of leucaena palatable (see companion report Lent aena: Promising Forage and Tree Crop for the Tropics.
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From page 192... ...
Calvin W Schwabe Unmentionable Cuisine You can count on the fingers of one hand the domestic animals that produce virtually all of mankind's meat and milk a selection made more than 10,000 years ago by our Neolithic ancestors.
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