Maltese Rabbit Stew

On facebook I found this link to a delicious looking recipe
Rabbit Stew - an Easy Gozitan Recipe
Serves 8-10 people

http://www.gozo-malta-reality-tour.com/rabbit-stew.html

Also check out this website with Nordic history and a cookbook
based on research of cavemen and Vikings

http://sciencenordic.com/research-based-cookbook-cavemen-and-vikings

Have a good day!

Switching feeds

I see folks may be switching feeds due to cost increases.

Remember that switching feeds can be stressful to rabbits. Some will like the new feed and some will not.

We would occasionally try another feed but when the flesh condition dropped, we would switch back.

It may not be the fault of the other feed. Any switch in feed is
stressful and can cause some loss of condition. One should probably
switch for 6 months to really test it a new feed.

When you find a feed that your rabbits do well on, stick with it. As
you breed, you are selecting for rabbits that will do well on the feed
you are giving it.

Other considerations are: I can usually buy feed at a feed store that is on my way to work, no extra trips required. If they are out of stock, there are two other dealers within easy driving distance. Purina has the easy to read date code printed on the bottom paper strip, no 10 digit date codes to decipher.

Have a good day!

Hydroponics and Rabbits

Great article about raising rabbits for meat using hydroponically grown grasses.
Low impact on the land while raising food for humans!

http://hydroponics.com.au/free-articles/issue114-rabbits-rabbits-everywhere-rabbits/

Have a good day!

Iowa Hopping

An interesting site with plain look and lots of info. I recommend Iowa Hopping, a rabbit hopping website.

https://sites.google.com/site/iowahopping/

Have a good day!

Heat Tolerance

Rabbitgeek notes:
Having rabbits that are selected for heat tolerance is preferable. The typical way selecting works is that we breed the rabbits that are still alive after the heat wave.

Treating Ear Mites

Treating Ear Mites

If you look in a rabbit ear and see a bunch of yellowish or brownish crusty crud, your rabbit probably has ear mites. Here is what you do.

Old school method - use a few drops of mineral oil in the ears each day to drown the mites. Keep it up for 10 days. Warning: Rabbit will shake head and sling droplets of oil an astonishing distance so have a towel ready to throw over the rabbit. Vegetable oil or olive oil could be used but be sure it is fresh, not old and rancid.

Modern method - Ivomec ivermectin 1% .018 cc per lb of live weight

Ivomec, ivermectin 1% (the product sold for cattle and horses)
The tested dosage for rabbits is 0.018 cc per lb of live weight

10 lbs is .18 cc
5 lbs is .09 cc

Inject under the skin between the shoulder blades of the rabbit.

Some people report good results by giving the solution orally to
the rabbit, squirting into the mouth by syringe with no needle.
This has not been researched clinically.

Some people report good results by squirting into the ear (ear mites)
with no needle. This has not been researched clinically.

Some people report good results squirting on the skin (fur mites).
This has not been researched clinically.

Repeat in 10-14 days to get the earmite eggs that hatch out. It would
be a good idea to treat all the rabbits in the herd at the same time.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios

Pedigrees for 4H Rabbits

I encourage 4H members to buy pedigreed rabbits. Pedigreed rabbits offer the most flexibility for future breeding, registration, and possible resale. While a pedigree does not guarantee show quality, it will show what bloodlines are in the background. I have put in tickets for rabbits in the raffles at rabbit shows because the pedigrees showed the rabbit came from some of the area's top breeders. While the rabbit in question may have issues, it may have great potential because of its bloodlines. For example, one dutch buck we got in a raffle grew too big for show. But his body type and markings were excellent. He wound up siring a number of Grand Champions among his descendants. But it was the pedigree that told us what the potential might be.

 Have a good day!