BREEDING AND RAISING BELGIAN HARES
If you decide to try breeding
and raising Belgian Hares, be prepared for a challenge! Some people
have said that you have to throw out all you know about breeding
rabbits
when you go into Hare raising and use a whole new system of rules, but
I assure you that you will need to use all the knowledge and experience
that you have to be successful with these beautiful and graceful
creatures.
You will find that many problems you will experience will be as a
result
of the Belgian Hare's more excitable temperament than other
breeds They can react to unexpected
events in the rabbitry with a fury that can move cages off their
supports,
dislocate joints, and break bones. This is compounded by the fine bone
structure and extreme length of the animal which seems to invite broken
backs and legs. Also, this nervous nature seems to complicate breeding,
because, in many cases, fright and panic get in the way of normal
mating
urges. Most important, this nervous temperament seems to translate
normal
events in the life of a Hare to an overall stress level that can
compromise
its auto immune system and open the way to bacterial and viral
diseases.
Perhaps, this nervous tendency came for past breeding attempts to make
the Belgian hare more like lepus Timidus which was suppose to be so
fearful so as not to close its eyes even in sleep (Wilkins 1896).
Although you might be led by these remarks that breeding Hares in an
impossible endeavor; that is not true. You only have approach your
breeding
and raising activities with one thing in mind: maintaining a peaceful,
serene, and healthy environment for your hares, and with a little luck
and skill, your nest boxes can be filled with grand champions. If you
have
a house full of unruly, noisy kids, you probably will be better off
with
Doberman Pinschers than Belgian Hares.
Bringing your Hares home
When you bring your Hares home from the airport (if you had them
shipped
in) or from a show where you may have purchased them, it important that
you quarantine them for a week or two. This quarantine has several
important
purposes. First, you need to observe the newcomers for a while to be
sure
they don't have any diseases that can be spread to your rabbity.
Second,
you need to "decompress" the newcomers from the high stresses from
shipping,
handling, and the introduction into a new environment. During this
period
of high stress, the Hares are more susceptible to pathogens, both those
to which they already have some degree of immunity and to new ones.
This
decompression period involves just leaving them alone: don't handle
them, don't
let the kids play with them, and don't try to breed them. Third, during
the quarantine period, the new Hares will slowly introduced to
pathogens
in your rabbitry that they may not have developed immunity to.
Finally, ask for a small supply of the feed that the Hares are
accustomed
to and feed this to them initially. Gradually mix in greater
proportions
with the feed you normally use over a period of several days. If a hare
should refuse to eat, try feeding oats (whole or crimped) or greens
until
its appetite returns. I have never seen any rabbit refuse wild
raspberry
leaves.
Housing
Belgian Hares are constantly on the move, especially when you are
around,
performing their graceful ballet. Therefore, for both the animal's
benefit
and for your enjoyment of it graceful movement, you should provide a
large
cage with at least 24 x 48 inch floor. The floor should be solid (not
wire),
because the 1/2 x 1 inch wire most commonly used for flooring will not
adequately support the Hare's front feet and can lead to broken toes
and
toe nails. These solid floors should be bedded with a layer of clean
and
bright straw, shredded computer paper, or whatever is available in you
area. I prefer clean oat straw. The cage should be high enough to allow
the Hare to stretch and leap; 24 inch height should be adequate.
Breeding/brood
cages should be larger, say 30 x 60 inches, to allow the doe to move
around
adequately without trampling her brood. It is important to remember
that you need to able to reach the back corners of the cage for
cleaning. Proportion your floor
size an door opening such that you can do this without putting
you head and shoulders into the cage. Cleaning and sanitation
will be less onerous of you follow this advice!
Automatic watering system fonts or ball point water bottles should
be
placed high on the side of the cage to encourage the animal to stretch.
Some breeders will place a board 6 inch high across the floor in the
middle
of the cage to force the hare to leap over it as it moves about its
cage.
Both these things are thought by some to enhance the development of the
animal for the show table.
Some breeders use "corrals" or "runs" built on the floor of their
barns
to provide housing with adequate exercise space. This method has the
advantage
of low cost and ease of cleaning if properly designed..
Environment and Sanitation.
The sanitation requirements of Belgian Hares do not differ from that of
any other breed. Cages should be cleaned every 5 to 7 days and all
bedding
replaced. At the same time, feeders and water bottles or crocks should
be washed and sterilized. As with any rabbit breed, ventilation should
be adequate, but without drafts. If you can smell ammonia when you
enter
your barn, either sanitation or ventilation (or both) is inadequate.
Belgian
Hares are no less susceptible to extreme heat than other rabbits. If
you
live in a location where the temperatures get above 90, you will have
to
be prepared to keep them cool or lose them! They seem to be able to
cope
with temperatures down to 0 F if provided with ample bedding and
shielded
from the wind and snow. However, the Belgian Hare doe's short hair is
scarcely
in adequate supply to line the nest box sufficiently to keep her
bunnies
warm. To avoid losses during kindling in very cold weather, it would be
advisable to have a warmed space available for kindling. When the
bunnies grow a good thick coat in 4 to 6 weeks , they can be slowly
introduced
to the cold outside temperatures.
Unexpected noises or voices seem to startle the Hares excessively
and
can set off a panic in the barn that can lead to injuries. A radio
playing
loudly 24 hours a day or a noisy exhaust fan seems to accustom the
Hares
to noise and avoids these panics. Classical music, mostly Mozart, seems
to work for me, but I'm sure that it makes no difference to the Hares.
Before throwing open the door to the barn, its always good practice to
talk to your rabbits or make some noise to announce your arrival so
that
they will not be surprised by your entry.
Feeds
Belgian hares do not have any special feed requirements. Use a
pelletized
"complete" feed that is readily available and known for its
consistency.
Do not overfeed Hares. If you allow them to become fat, they will do
poorly
on the judging table and the does will have trouble conceiving. About
1-1/2
small tuna fish can-fulls each day seems to be about the right amount
for
seniors.
Breeding Belgian Hares
Breeding Hares can be a real puzzle. Different bucks and does
react
to the breeding situation differently. You have to be prepared to adapt
your breeding practices to the Hare's preferences as you discover what
these preferences are.
Remember that Belgian Hares, like all rabbits are induced ovulators;
a doe can conceive at any time she is bred. However, the doe has a
10-14
day receptivity cycle. During her receptivity period she will accept
the
buck readily. A receptive doe can be identified by the dark pink,
moist,
appearance of her private parts. If you have a receptive doe to breed,
by all means, try placing her in your buck's cage first, but watch
them
carefully. In many instances, the buck, the doe, or both animals
can
become so upset by the appearance of the other Hare, that they will
either
attack (and you will have a real fight on your hands) or retreat to a
corner
and cower. In either case, nothing will be accomplished. If you're
lucky,
the buck will mount the doe and complete his business with dispatch
I have never had only limited success with "forced breeding"
of
non receptive does; however, I have found this technique useful with
receptive
does under other circumstances, e.g., when a smaller doe is not able to
support a larger buck during breeding. An excellent description
of
the "forced breeding" technique is presented in the ARBA Guide Book.
A method
of breeding used very successfully by some breeders is the "honeymoon
cottage."
In this method, a large cage, at least 60 inches long is partitioned
into
two parts with a plywood wall. The smaller part should be about 18
inches
long, and the larger, 42 inches. The plywood wall should have a 6 inch
round hole through it at the doe's shoulder height. A clean, sterilized
cage should be used so that there are no other animal odors on it. In
other
words, the cage should be "neutral ground." I usually place cardboard
over
the smaller part of the cage to darken it, and bed both side with lots
of straw. I place both the buck and doe in the cage together. At first
they will chase each other around; back and forth through the hole.
After
a while, the doe will discover that when the buck's amorous advances
became
too much, she can defend her territory, i.e., her side of the cage, by
standing with her
head in the hole. I leave them together for 10 - 14 days. After a
while,
both buck and doe seem to get along very well, eating and drinking
together
peaceably. They will mate when both buck and does are ready. After 10 -
14 days I remove the buck. I keep cleaning out the larger part of the
cage,
leaving the cardboard covered smaller part alone. After a while, the
doe
will make a nest on the floor of the darkened, smaller, part of the
cage.
Then comes the hard part. After making sure that there are no dead kits
in the nest I let the doe and her litter alone. I clean the larger part
of the cage regularly, but I try not to upset the doe so that she jumps
repeatedly through the hole. You don't want her to trample her kits.
After
about 14 days, the little Hares will be leaping through the hole to get
to the pellets. The plywood wall can then be removed and the cage
thoroughly
cleaned.
I have found that the "honeymoon cottage" works with some of the
most
stubborn breeding pairs. I usually wean the litter at about 8 weeks by
removing the doe. The litter can be left together for up to 4 months or
until you see the bucks trying to mount the does. Then you will have to
separate the sexes.
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