Page:Care and Management of Rabbits.djvu/118

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CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS

Stock. Start with as good stock as you can afford. It is better to put all of your money in one good doe and pay to have her bred to a good buck, rather than to scatter the purchasing power over a number of inferior animals. Remember that "like produces like" and it is never truer than in the breeding of rabbits. The better the stock you start with the better your chances of success and the greater the income you will make from them. You cannot produce fancy stock that will command a good price from scrub breeders.

Disease. As soon as you notice a rabbit that appears to be sickly, isolate it from the rest of the herd and keep it there until you are sure as to what is the matter with it. Most rabbit diseases are contagious and will soon spread through the whole rabbitry if not taken in hand at once.

Unless the specimen is especially valuable, it is better to kill the rabbit at once, especially if it appears to be suffering from a cold or "snuffles." This disease is treated more at