The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-01-04


At four months the young Belgian
hare should be ready for the table
and II 1t has been properly fed should
weigh about six pounds or even more
This weight Is about the best for mar
ket rabbits, and immediate sale is
more profitable than keeping to ma
turity. Some breeders sell at 10 to II
weeks and aim to have their stock
weigh about 51a pounds at that age.
To do this requires that the animals
be kept In small hutches where they
can have but little exercise and that
they be fed heavily from the time they
are weaned. Under this treatment
they grow very rapidly and are really
superior for the table.
Market Returns.
It is not easy to state what breeder
should realize for market rabbits.
Much depends on local conditions and
especially upon the familiarity Of the
public with the excellence of hutch
rabbits for the table. If the animals
are new to a market, demand for
them will have to be built up, but as
q rule they soon will become popular.
Better prices usually can be had by
selling directly to the consumer, thus
saving the middleman's profit. One
may make arrangements to deliver
regularly or periodically to hotels and
restaurants, but often poultry dealer
will agree to take certain quantity
at regular intervals. If members Of
the family look after the rabbits, so
that there Is no outlay for labor, and
If the hutches are built at home, the
cost of rearing may be greatly reduced
and much of the income will be net
gain. Although 1t must be admitted
that rabbits require more care than
usually Is given to poultry on our
farms, their management has the ad-
vantage that it Is more interesting,
especially to the younger members OF
the family.
Disposing Of Surplus.
After selecting the best stock for
breeding purposes 1t Is well to dispose
Of the remainder as rapidly as condi-
lions warrant. If those to be sold are
to be marketed alive, all that is needed
is to crate them properly and forward
them to their destination. This Is the
better plan in hot weather, as the
carcasses do not keep well. If car
cases are to be delivered the meth
DDS of killing and packing are import
ant considerations.
Killing.
There are two excellent ways Of
killing the animals. The easier and
probably the more humane is to dis
locate the neck. Almost all game
keepers know this method and can
show the novice quickly how 1T is
done, but probably description will
be understood. Take the two hind
legs Of the rabbit firmly in the left
hand, place the thum of the right
hand just behind the ears where the
neck joins the skull, the palm resting
on the left side of the face and the
fingers holding firmly under the jaws.
Then stretch out the animal quickly
and with force, pressing in the right
thumb and bending the head back
ward. The dislocation will be felt dis
tinctiy. This method requires con-
siderable strength, but when the knack
of 1t is learned it entails less suffer-
ing than any other. Another excel
lent way of killing Is to hold the rab-
bit up in the left hand, as in the first
method, and then to strike sharp
blow on the back of the head with
round stick, stunning the animal. AS
soon as the neck Is dislocated or the
rabbit stunned the jugular vein should
be cut with a sharp knife and the AMI
NAL hung head downward to bleed.
-, Dressing.
The next step in preparing a carcass
for market Is to remove the paunch
and entrails, as their presence would
soon faint the meat. With a sharp
pointed knife make a longitudinal cut
down the middle Of the belly, divid-
ing the skin and the thin abdominal
walls, but being careful not to cut the
.intestines. Turn out the paunch and
the intestines, but leave the lungs
liver, heart, and kidneys In place.
Next make a slit between the large
tendon and the bone Of one hind leg
and slip the other leg through the cut
so that the carcass may be readily
hung up. 1t should hang long enough
to stiffen before being packed.
Packing.
For packing the rabbits for market
A basket or hamper Of the ordinary
shape ana having movable fiat Slated
trays to enable one to pack the car
cases In separate layers Is recon-
mended. Such hamper permits free
circulation Of the air not only on the
edge but also throughout the package,
and the carcasses packed In this way
reach their destination in an attractive
state, instead of in the messy condi-
ton SO often seen in the wild rabbits
marketed In America.
Cooking and Serving.
The cooking of domestic rabbits
does not differ greatly from that re-
ouired for domestic fowls, and an ex-
, perienced housewife can prepare them