Page:Care and Management of Rabbits.djvu/138

This page has been validated.
124
CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS

Getting the results out of the herd is merely a matter of supplying the proper raw material in the form of feed, and the rabbits will convert it into meat in a more efficient manner than any animal you ever had anything to do with.

During my first summer with rabbits I fell into the error so many people do by supposing that the rabbit did not need anything but green food. I was very lucky that summer. The rabbits got along all right and seemed to grow nicely. But later in the season I found that they were under weight for their age. They had not had the proper ration.

What does the rabbit eat, is a question most frequently asked by beginners. The adult rabbit will eat almost anything that is wholesome and sweet. They like carrots, beets, whole and rolled oats, stale bread, skim milk, clover and alfalfa hay, timothy, straw, dandelions, lettuce, lawn clippings, wheat bran, alfalfa meal, in short, almost anything that it is possible for them to eat.