Page:Care and Management of Rabbits.djvu/156

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CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS

While most adult stock is limited in the amount fed, there should be no limit to the amount fed the pregnant doe. By this we mean that she should have all that she will eat. Do not be foolish and allow her to gorge herself, but if you will watch her carefully you will notice that as the time of delivery approaches she will eat more and more. Let her have what she wants and all that she seems to have an appetite for.

Failing in this you may suffer the sad experience of having the doe eat her young as soon as they arrive. This may be caused by the doe being too fat at the time she is bred, but in the majority of cases it is due to under nourishment and inability to get something to eat as soon as she has delivered her young.

As soon as the doe has been bred, put her in a clean hutch where she will be quiet and free from annoyance during her thirty-day period of pregnancy. Feed her regularly as recommended for adult stock, but be sure to give her a little green food to eat every day.