Page:Care and Management of Rabbits.djvu/221

Rh tendencies as does poultry and swine, and its diet is even cleaner than that of the horse.

Due to these traits and to the fact that it makes a rapid growth, the flesh is unusually delicate in texture and flavor.

In selecting a rabbit to fry, try and get one about three months of age. If you can get them younger than this, so much the better, but the usual marketing age is from ten to twelve weeks of age for frys. A three-months-old domesticated rabbit should dress about four and one-half pounds and it is not too old to fry nicely.

In buying dressed rabbits upon the market it is possible to tell the age easily by means of a simple test. By pressing the lower jawbone between the finger and thumb one can tell whether the rabbit is old or young. If the bone snaps easily, the rabbit is young; if not, then you know that you have an old rabbit. Another way to tell age is by the weight. A mature Belgian will weigh about eight pounds; a mature New Zealand Red