Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 88.djvu/819

 The Home Workbench

���How to Build a Rabbit Hutch

RAISING rabbits near a large com- munity is a profitable industry, and it is an enterprise that many school- boys in America have embarked upon, with returns in money that are indeed out of proportion to the small amount of time and energy necessary for the proper care of the little animals.

The construction of clean, comfort- able homes for rabbits, as recommended by the Department of Agriculture, is as follows :

The hutches, as they are called, should be built of good, sound lumber, and should have tight floors, providing at least 12 sq. ft. of floor space. The best plan for building hutches in quantity is that used in building sectional book- cases. The bottom section has short, stout legs, while the others are placed upon it until the desired height is reached. A convenient size for an outdoor hutch is one measuring 6 ft. in length, i>^ ft. in height, and 2 ft. in

���The proper dimensions of a rabbit hutch are six by two by one and a half feet

width. The top, bottom, ends and one side should be enclosed, while the open side is fitted with two doors on hinges. The space should be partitioned, so that

��one-third comprises the sleeping quarters, while the remaining two-thirds serve as exercising space. A hole, large enough to admit the passage of a full-grown rabbit's body, is cut in the partition. Of the two doors which enclose the two rooms of the "apartment," one is of

���A portable hutch, with two stories, which can be carried about by two boys

wood, and the other of wire mesh similar to that used in enclosing poultry run- ways. The screen door should be provided with a sliding wood cover, as a protection against severe cold weather.

Outdoor hutches, which are desirable for most of the climates found in America, are best, and should be fitted with sloping roofs and made otherwise watertight. Holes for ventilation should be bored in the side walls near the ceiling. Several layers of waterproof paint should be appHed.

Rabbits thrive on a diversity of vegetable foods. The most important fact to bear in mind in feeding is that a sudden change of diet is often disas- trous. The best grain for rabbits is oats, although this dietary monotony

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