Page:Care and Management of Rabbits.djvu/175

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CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS
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in the show room is the best sire or dam in the whole field.

Why? Largely because the ability to reproduce its own kind is lodged in different degree in different individuals. All live stock breeders recognize this truth and can cite instances from their own experience to prove it. The point is that the individual cannot always be judged correctly in advance or from his show record.

Rather than pay so much attention to show records it is better to find an animal which has a record to producing a number of prizewinners. This animal may not be a winner himself, but he is the kind of a fellow to use in breeding, just the same.

The breeding age of rabbits varies somewhat according to the breed. New Zealand Reds can be bred at seven to eight months. The same applies to Belgian hares and also to Flemish Giants. The Giants, however, had better not be bred until eight months or older. Some people make the mistake of breeding their stock when too young. This cuts down