Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Dorwan Giant
Rabbit
Farming
GuideBook
Contents
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Introduction
About Alcare Kenya Limited/Dorwan Internationale , Canada
Alcare Kenya Rabbit Farming Programme
Definitions to guide you in comprehending the training
Types of Rabbit Breeds in the world and Kenya
Facts about rabbit meat
Challenges/benefits of rabbit faming in Kenya
Why Dorwan Giant Rabbit for Kenya
Getting started
Essentials in Dorwan rabbit farming in Kenya
Selecting the starting breeding stock
Breeding and Producing Dorwan Rabbits
Rabbitry Management
Rabbit Diseases
Record Keeping
Marketing
Slaughtering and dressing
Rabbit Meat Recipes
INTRODUCTION
Rabbit farming in Kenya is not new and has been gaining popularity over time.
The Government has been encouraging farmers to embrace the farming with relatively good results. Last year,
it came up with a rabbit farming strategy paper that will be used to develop a rabbit farming policy and
eventually a bill for parliament approval and law for the sector.
Indeed, rabbit farming has been a right of passage for many parents for their siblings to enhance
responsibility among their children through the use of indigenous species.
As agribusiness, however, , few farmers have embrace rabbit farming across the country and there is need
for farming awareness so as to accelerate the farming as well as rabbit meat consumption for a ready market.
Alcare Kenya Limited embraces rabbit farming as agribusiness and a commercial venture with objectives
of improving standards of living, provision of food, creating wealth and alleviation of poverty among all cadres
of Kenyans.
This training provides the farmer with basic details on how to do modest rabbit farming after joining our
farming programmes.
The information was carefully researched by Alcare Kenya Limited in conjunction with our franchisers,
Dorwan Internationale, Canada who are the owners of the Dorwan rabbit breed .
Dorwan rabbit breed sales to prospective farmers in groups or individual as starter breed stock
Training and Equipping its farmers with comprehensive skills on the farming including production , management and
marketing
Construction of Dorwan Giant rabbbit houses/ cages as per Dorwan internationals' Specifications
Supply of Dorwan Giant Rabbit meat, as pets and for research purposes to local and internationals markets including
butcheries, hotels, research institutions and other markets
I.
Canadian Dorwan Giant
II.
California White
III. New Zealand White/Grey
IV. Dutch
V.
Chinchilla
VI. The Lops
VII. Flemish Giant
VIII. Angora
IX. Kenya One
*Others are Netherlands Dwarfs, Rarer, Harlequin, Rex, among others.
*The names of rabbits breeds are as a result of their colours, country
of origin, size, behaviour, cross breeding etc.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Canadian Dorwan Giant rabbit has the highest meat/bone ratio in Kenya
(80% meat and 20 % bone)
It matures well in both cold and hot areas, arid or semi-arid areas in the
country
It is resistant to common diseases in Kenya
A relatively small space is needed to commence farming the rabbit
It can take a wide variety of feeds that are commonly found in the
country.
It can rake in good results in a short period of time
Suitable for individuals, groups or corporates (to benefit vulnerable
groups in corporate social responsibility programs)
GETTING STARTED
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
I, Rabbitry Housing/Caging
Floor should be made of materials that will not keep urine and dropping from the rabbit
Should be equipped with fodder, watering system and nest box made of wood, clay or normal dry
grass.
Farmer should use affordable and locally available materials like timber, left-overs of timber used in
earlier buildings, etc
House should be easy to maintain, clean and possibly move to another place in or out of the cage
Outdoor housing is often less expensive and rabbits are usually healthier due to ventilation though
security should be enhanced
Comfortability for the rabbits : no protruding nails or wires that can injure the rabbits
Should be big enough to accommodate the rabbit, birth nest, (for nursing Does), feeding equipment and
to stretch and relax
Used oil should be used in the surrounding to keep away pests like safari ants and other harmful insects
Should be raised 0.6 metres high to protect it from dampness, rats and other predators and also provide
adequate ventilation
Roof should be slanting so that water runs off and canvas flaps be attached to all four sides and lowered
when the weather is bad
Although cages depend on the type of rabbits to be reared, smaller and medium breeds can use cages
ranging from 18 inches long by 24 inches wide to 24 inches by 24 inches square.
Should confine the rabbits and prevent them from escaping and also have enough room to move freely
The cages should be easy to clean, properly hinged and secured for safety
Walls should allow plenty of fresh air so as to allow it not to be too hot or cold and the door should be
big enough to enable feeding and cleaning of all parts.
Allow each rabbit to be kept on its own as bucks fight vigorously when put together
Must protect the rabbits from predators like cats, dogs, rats, poultry etc
Must protect the rabbits from adverse weather , plenty of air, adequate ventilation, cleanliness assured,
free from disease-causing microorganisms, not facing to wind direction, no direct sunlight, keep away
water that can be dangerous to the rabbit
Should allow easy and comfortable access by the care taker
Should be self cleaning and easy to clean
Be of reasonable cost, easy to maintain and durable
Each rabbitry should have excess cages set aside for isolation at different times of development of the
rabbits-at weaning time and at three (3) months of the rabbits at Mature adult stage of rabbits
Show animals should be secluded as they contract diseases at shows
Farmers joining our programmes MUST visit any of our five farms in Kiambu, Nakuru and Uasin Gishu
rabbits farms to see for themselves how the cages have been constructed as per the set specifications.
For moderate farmers, an automotive feeding and dinking system is most preferred.
They should always be kept clean as rabbits will eat from them not from the floor and to avoid wastage and spillage of water
At the same time, the farmer is required to keep records and results to prove the worth of his/her
rabbit breeds and reputation of your stock over time.
Farmers are advised to insist on the records from the breeder to see the quality of the stock. Look for
the following from the records:
MATING
Place the female rabbit/Doe in the bucks cage for breeding and never vice-versa to avoid fighting as Doe fights
to protect its territory.
The buck is even more protective so it will mark its territory once placed in the Does cage with his smell while the
Doe struggles to eliminate the intruder as a fight ensues.
If a Doe is placed in the bucks cage, the immediate sexual reaction is spontaneous. Mating should occur
immediately and Doe returned to its cage.
Females will come to heat when the male is around. They can mate any time and produce a litter as they do not
go through cycles like most other creatures.
Females will come to heat when male is around. They can mate any time and produce a litter as they do not
through cycles like most other creatures.
It takes 20 to 120 seconds for the Doe to get impregnated and the act itself takes less than second. Since Does
are calmer and weight less than bucks, it should be they to be moved. The mating should be supervised hence
the animals should be visible and the cage accessible for the Doe to be introduced and removed.
If a Doe consistently gives a mating problem, eliminate it from the herd. A good conception rate 90% or better.
The farmer should use the buck once a day or two to three times for short periods of time for some producers.
Smaller litters result from too frequent use of a buck so ensure the buck is used intersperse.
After separating the Doe from the Buck after mating, the Doe should be treated as if the mating did not occur
only slightly increase its ration.
When breeding, each Doe should be taken back to her own cage to have her litter after the gestation period
usually 30-32 days. Pregnant rabbits can be handled until she starts pulling out her belly fur to prepare the nest.
At this point she should not be handled as the stress of the forthcoming litter and being handled may cause her
to abort the litter.
During gestation, ensure to know whether the Doe is pregnant or not using the following two methods:
1. Palpating:
This method is used to determine the Does pregnancy at 14 days after mating. This is done by
feeling developed embryos in the horns of the Does uterus. The two horns hold the embryos so they feel
like chains of marbles on each side of the middle of the abdomen.
The task is more difficult if you wait for more than 14 days and almost impossible
Grasp the ears and a fold of skin from the shoulders with one hand. Place your other hand under the body
between the hind legs and just in front of the pelvis. Place your thumb on one side and forefinger on the
other side of the uterine horns.
Do not attempt palpation unless the Doe is calm or you may damage the embryos. With a little practice ,
you will learn to determine pregnancy even earlier than 14 days.
2. Mate the Doe with the buck once again. Since the Doe has two uterine horns, it is possible for one horn to
be fertilized on the first mating and the second to be fertilized on the second mating. This will create a
hormonal imbalance and cause the babies in both uterine to not form right, causing her to pass blobs
instead of babies as the date of kindling. This method is not only risky but also inaccurate.
Note that non-pregnant Does are re-bred immediately and only mate rabbits of the same breed except
breeding for meat, pets or genetic experimentation
False pregnancy
This happens when the Does is expected to kindle after the gestation period fails to do so. It
happens a
with Does expected to kindle for the first time. Always separate Does at least 18-20 days prior to
kindling
after mating. About 18-20 after stimulation, the Doe may pull fur and attempt to make a nest, but
she
wont keep it clean. This is a sign of false pregnancy.
Kindling
Put a lot of hay, pine shaving or straw in the bedding area by the 21st day so that the Doe can
start building
the nest. The farmer should place a nest box in her cage on any time after the 21st day after
breeding for use
by the kindling rabbit/Doe.
Privacy is necessary at this stage at Kindling and slightly afterwards. Too much activity can lead to
cannibalism (the mother antagonizes the litter before eating the babbies).
Handling the Babbies can lead to death unless when necessary having petting the mother first
and get
her scent on your hand before touching the babies.
The average commercial litter consist of 5 to 10 kits with litter size of 3 inches to 8 inches . They
are born hairless
and with closed eyes. Their eyes will open after 10 days approximately. If saw dust becomes
stuck in the eye or
the eyes have not opened after 10 days, use a damp cotton and warm water to gently wipe the
eye, 48 hours
after birth, observe and count the kits, removing any dead animals.
When the litter finally arrives, do not expect every kit in the litter to be the same size, like multiple
human births
each kit will be different size and weight.
The litter should be kept warm and do not frequently hold them, use cotton wool or dry grass to keep
them warm.
After birth, she will feed her kits at dawn and dusk by standing over them for them to suck.
Baby rabbits will nurse only once or twice a day. It is normal if the mother spends most of the time
outside the nest.
Some rabbits will become slightly more aggressive while other will not mind being peeped at. Due to
this, behavior, quickly
peep when the mother is out of the nest. Rub your hand over the mother before touching the babies.
The Doe raises her babies through instincts. As such, do not touch the babies until 7 days
old otherwise you will change the way they smell and the mother will reject them or treat
them as foreigners leading to her killing them or leaving them for the dead.
Make sure there is no direct sunlight to the babies as it is highly sensitive at this stage.
Do not be upset or worry if the Doe kills or abandons her first litter.
Cannibalism
These are common problems in rabbit farming caused by
the following:
I.
Extreme nervousness of the first litter Does. They should be given more chances and then culled if cannibalism
recurs.
II.
Poor feeding method on unbalanced diet or lack of food altogether
III.
Strange dogs, predators or people can cause the Doe to stamp her feet and mash the young
IV.
Moving nest box makes the Does feel insecure and she is easily disturbed
WEANING
The young ones are weaned after 30 days. At this time, the litter will begin to nibble at solid food
as early as two weeks of age. They should be weaned early even with this observation unless it
is between four or five weeks after birth.
At this time, they begin to ingest bacteria that will eventually become part of their normal gut
(flora). The pH of the intestine is changing and the babies are ingesting many potentially
harmful bacteria. Now the kits can be separated with the mother. It is recommended to change
the mother to another cage and leave the kits where they are used to reduce stress on them which
can lead to diseases or even death. The mother can easily handle the environment of another
cage more than the kits.
SEPARATION AT 3 MONTHS
When rabbits are three months old, they should be separated again where brothers and sisters
should be kept in separate cages. This also allows faster maturity when alone, minimizes fights and
do not breed thus eliminating unexpected results and small litters. If this is possible, the farmer
can separate the Does from the bucks and keep each group separately.
Some males should be castrated at this point to be kept together since they cannot fight
hence minimize cost of building more cages.
Female rabbits can also be spayed to prevent further reproduction hence gain weight for sale.
Female rabbits can produce up to 50 live rabbits annually, with births high during the warm weather. They
produce an average of 5 to 10 babies in a litter. A slow breeding schedule makes the Doe hard to breed ,
makes the bucks loose some of their viability and causes conception percentage to drop. Following an
accelerated breeding should eliminate problems. A buck and doe remain profitable for two years if fed and
managed properly. Their usefulness must be based on results rather age.
2. Restrain the head with one hand gentle pressure with the other and apply the
3. While applying pressure to the vent area, you will see the anus, the opening closest to the tail
MALES
FEMALES
You will see a pink slanted oval protrusion with a slit versus a small round opening when the pressure is applied.
Other Sexual differences in older rabbits:
More physical differences between the sexes appear as rabbits age on. Bucks have blockier
heads and are smaller than Does of the same breed. Most adult Does of medium or large
breeds will have a dewlap, which is the large fold of skin under their chins. Does have nipples,
whereas, bucks do not. However, the nipples may be difficult to find on a Doe that has not had
a litter. So, similar to the testicles in the males, even if you cannot find the nipples on a rabbit,
the rabbit could still be a Doe.
Handling rabbits
Handle your rabbit as much as possible to gain its confidence. Never pick up the rabbit by the ears or ears
especially when you want to palpate the Doe when you are taking Doe to the buck and when you check the Does
litter after kiddling.
Rabbits should be handled only when necessary since they are very delicate animals. Never handle them in the
following ways:
o
o
o
With the rabbit facing you, place your hand under the rabbits chest and stomach
Balance the rabbit on your right hand and lift it up a little
Place your left hand under the rump of the rabbit until the rump is resting on your hand
Move the rabbit forward until its head is secure tucked under your left arm
Remove your hand or gently lay your right hand on the back of the rabbit added safety while moving
RABBITRY MANAGEMENT
A. Nutrition
B. Diet Essentials
C. Feeding rabbits through their stages
of development
D. Health
E. Aeration
F. Record Keeping
A.
Nutrition
Rabbits have to have real food. Pellets have everything a rabbit needs. Adult rabbits can be fed around 25
grammes of pellets for kilogramme of rabbit.
Pellets are the most important in the younger stages of rabbit development at bunny stage because they are highly concentrated in nutrients, helping to
ensure proper weight gain. A quality pellet food should be high in fibre (18% minimum) and nutritionally balanced.
As rabbit grows, pellets should be lessened and food with higher quantities of hay
and vegetables.
Avoid over feeding the rabbits since a fat Doe does not reproduce efficiently. Care should be taken on the amount of
food being fed to the breeding animals.
Baby rabbits , pregnant and breastfeeding rabbit Does should always have food and water in their cages. Feed Doe with
pellets unlimitedly., wilted grass, hay and plenty of clean fresh water.
Rabbits eat hay to help their digestion as well as fruits and vegetables.
At AKLs Dorwan Giant rabbit farm, we have many large size breeds and also raise animals for meat, we feed 18% protein
ration. This is inadequate for dwarfs who are minority at our farm and we are not ready to have different feeds for
different breeds.
Rabbits have a unique digestive system and must be able to move at all times to remain healthy.
A rabbit develops gastritis it stops eating or does not have access to some type of feed. It becomes increasingly difficult
to restart the digestive system. It is advisable to divide their daily food ration into multiple feedings and provide high
quality hay for them to graze on.
Changing or introduction of new foods
This should be done gradually over a period of 5 to 6 days. The first two days feed your rabbit the old pellet and then
each day add more of the new brand.
Make sure you monitor closely the rabbits during these change over time. Discontinue immediately the new feeds if
you notice a significant change in the rabbits health or behaviour.
Do not change food too quickly as this is not good for your rabbit.
B. DIET ESSENTIALS
Hay:
Rabbits have fresh hay available 24 hours a day. Rabbits less than 7 months old may have alfalfa hay, but older rabbits should have
grass hays such as timothy or oat hay.
Hay is essential to a rabbit s good health , providing the roughage that helps reduce the danger of hair balls and other blockages.
When you give your rabbit forage, like haye,keep the forage off the cage floor by trying it together in a bunch and hanging it from the
ceiling or wall of the cage or placing it in a place far away from where the rabbit urinates or defaces. Try not to put your rabbit feed
directly on the floor of the cage where it will be dirtied by urine and droppings. Dirty food can make a rabbit sick.
Try to keep your rabbits forage dry. If your rabbits eat wet forage, they may get sick with diarrhea. If forage is wet when you cut it, let
it wilt/dry a little bit before you give it to your rabbit.
Rabbits need clean water at least twice a day . Ideally, fresh water should be available round the clock. They are subject to
dehydration so make sure they always have plenty of water. Each day, change the ware in the dish or water bottle with fresh water.
Vegetables
Vegetables provide valuable roughage as well as essential vitamins
At the age of three months, start introducing vegetables a little at a time. This way, you will be able to know which food may cause
digestive upset.
Eliminate those that may cause diarrhea or soft stool while continuing to add new vegetable varieties including leafy ones and of
different colours. Once rabbit is used to the vegetables, feed it at least different kinds daily for a mix of nutrients.
Chewing Items
It is important to prevent uneven tooth wear that comes as a result of little chewing by the rabbits as this causes
enamel to grow on the sides of the teeth. The spikes cause oral pain and excessive salivation (slobbers) and also
cause reluctance to chew , inability to close the mouth and eventual reduced food intake.
As the teeth continue to grow , the situation deteriorates resulting to severe malnutrition if not stemmed.
Chew sticks and gnaw of untreated wood of various sizes and shapes should be given to the rabbits apart from
vegetables and hay.
Young Adults
These are rabbits with ages of 3 months onwards and at the stage of being introduced to grass, hays and oats. These feeds should be available
all day long.
The fibre in hay and grass is crucial in making the digestive system work properly.
At this stage, they will require little hay as well as fewer pellets. Hay has more calories and calcium for developing rabbits.
Do not feed pellets to the young adults in unlimited quantities, but ensure to follow the rule of cup of pellets per kilogramme of body weight
daily.
To make nutritional gain, you must increase your rabbits intake of vegetable and hay.
Mature Adults
These rabbits should be fed on a lot of hay, grass and oat hay. You should reduce the pellets portion of the diet.
A standard guideline is cup of pellets per 3 kilogrammes of body weight per day. Several servings of vegetables are required (2 cups
per 3 kilogrammes of body weight daily). Make sure to choose dark leafy greens and feed at least three different kinds daily.
Seniors
These are rabbits that are six (6) years and over and can be fed the same diet as mature rabbits if they do not
have weight loss problems.
The farmer needs to increase pellet intake if the pet is not able to maintain its weight.
The caution here to the farmer is he/she should not overfeed the rabbit. Twice a day during morning and night is
good enough except on instances where the rabbit is pregnant and need food throughout both during and after
the pregnancy.
Foods to avoid feeding to the rabbits include lettuce (harmful to the digestive system) and poisonous plants like
fox glove, yew, creeping, creeping butter cup and all plants from bulbs. Also Avoid tubers like onions, arrow
roots, cassava a and sweet potatoes.
D. HEALTH
Cleanliness
Healthy and productive rabbits need clean and dry homes. The area in and around the cages should be clean
always. Dirt, droppings and urine should be removed frequently to keep away germs that could cause diseases.
Thorough cleaning should be taken care of every weekend. Spot cleaning should be done on need basis and keep
cleaning including hosing, scrapping and burning, should be done a minimum of twice each year.
Daily cleaning include removing dropping and left over food. Food and water troughs should be cleaned daily and use
a detergent or disinfectant to clean the troughs and sun dry them to avoid infections.
The cages should be disinfected regularly at least once a month and every time a rabbit is removed to another cage to
prevent disease spreading. Through the movements.
Most important of all, ensure you clean food and water troughs daily.
Reasons foe cleanliness:
a) To prevent the eggs(cysts) of the parasite coccidian in the digestive tract does not mature and hatch through
faeces/droppings and become infectious. This may lead to contracting coccidiosis.
b) To prevent wetness in the cages which is a common cause of pneumonia.
c) To keep away vermin like rats and pests like safari ants attracted by dirt in the cages.
E. AERATION
Aeration is allowing enough air to the rabbits to ensure raising health rabbits. They also require a constant change of air. Do not keep them closed up and ensure to use wood all through in cage construction.
Rabbits also require sunlight hence it is important to provide sunlight to all rabbits since they get vitamins.
F. RECORD KEEPING
It is the only way to know what you are doing for timely, informed decision-making and sound management.
The better the records, the better these practices are in rearing your rabbits in as far as knowing whether the farmer is making a profit or loss in your rabbit farming life.
Keep only necessary records after deciding what you need.
Some of the vital records include:
i.
Breeding records like date, breed and buck used
ii.
Kindling dates and number born, dead and alive
iii.
Number and weight of weaned rabbits
iv.
Average weight at market time and age of rabbits at that weight
v.
Expenditure (including utilities)
vi.
Sales
vii.
Record of visitors to your farm by date and their comments about your farming
Benefits of good records include:
a)
Helps in improving the farm and the business
b)
Determining whether an accurate , comprehensive and up-to-date history is currently recorded for each rabbit by comparing existing practice to a set standard
c)
Assisting in knowing the accurate data of each rabbit being sold to prospective buyers for breeding, research or for meat.
d)
Helping in knowing when to breed and when not to-this avoid breeding father to daughter, defective animals, sister to brother , mother to son and so on.
e)
Showing which Doe is bred by which buck to avoid in breeding and breeding defective Dams and Sires
f)
Helping in tracking growth, breeding or any other activity incase there are changes from normal to routine issues like change in diet, cage, environment , weather etc.
g)
h)
i)
planning on food and water rations for your rabbits. Amount of food, hay and water to give and whether you
are making a profit or loss are determined.
Identifying changes to improve the quality and standard of recording rabbits historic occurrences and to determine if these have
been effective or not.
Helping in following up on various issue to be done on the rabbits like vaccinations, treatment, vitamins , supplements et cetera
Its usually a good idea to select rabbits to breed whose ancestry has evidence of good productivity and good genetics. That is where
productivity records and pedigrees listing show winning come in handy. Keep productivity and show records of your herd just for this
purpose.
See below an example of rabbit farming record keeping :
CAGE 10
NO.
CANADIAN
DORWAN
GREY DOE
DATE SERVED
10.05.2010
DOE
D.O.B.
NO.OF
LITTER
DEAD/ALIVE
EXPECTED
DATE OF
NEXT
SERVICE
MARKETING
Notable efforts locally are efforts of research made by University of Nairobi's Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine in Kabete, Nairobi County, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI),
Governments Ngong Research station among few others.
Rabbits meat is not a common delicacy in Kenya and awareness programmes need to be put in place
to improve the situation. It is only 5% of rabbit meat is consumed in the country with all the abundance
of the meat .
It is against this background that AKLs Dorwan Giant Rabbit introduced a buy-back -guaranteed farming
that all farmers under the programme enjoy. In the programme , AKL buys all the Dorwan rabbits
reared by the farmer.
For the specific farmer who knows the benefit of rabbit meat, the following methods are applicable:
EXPORT MARKET
Global importers of rabbits meat and other products include:
oArgentina
oSpain
oNetherlands
oGermany
oCzech republic
oUnited Kingdom
oItaly Russia
oSwitzerland
oPortugal
oUSA
oCanada
oChina
oGermany
oCzech republic
oUnited Kingdom
o France
Rabbit Urine
Rabbit urine is used as a direct insecticide and a foliar feed fertilizer. Unfortunately, this market is not
exploited due to small production and poor construction of cages. Our modern self cleaning hutches for our
farmers can produce urine of economical magnitude for collection and hence ensure nothing goes to waste.
Manure Production:
Dressing Percentage
This is the relationship between the weight of a
dressed carcass to the weight of the live animal
as a percentage(%).
It depends upon the quality of the animal at
slaughter, breed, age, amount of fat and the
number of internal organs left with the carcass.
Animals with good meat characteristics have
higher percentages than thin animals. Normally
the liver, heart and kidneys remain with the
carcass and are included in the carcass weight.
AGE
CANADIAN
DORWAN GIANT
RABBIT
DUTCH
8 WEEKS
60%
60.3%
13 WEEKS
75%
63.3%
Mature
80%
62.8%
DRESSING RABBITS:
Animals that are in average condition or slightly better than better than average have dressing percentage of about 55% while good quality animals reach dressing percentage 0f 60% or
higher. Normally, dressing percentage increases with age until rabbits approach maturity.
Other additional information
Rabbits are extremely territorial. The territorial behavior include depositing marking pellets at the boundaries of their territory, urinating and aggressive behaviour like digging, circling and
fighting.
When introducing new rabbits, territory must be considered to eliminate the possibility for development of any territory behavoiur in the rabbits.
Use a water bottle with nozzle set on steam to break up any fights if they if they occur. Spray the instigator before a fight actually occurs by watching on
1.
2.
3.
Method:
Heat oil in a small skillet. Add onion and celery,
saute until soft. In a large bowl,mix onion, celery
and next 7 ingredients. Spoon into cavity of
rabbit,fasten with skewers. Blend butter and
paprika , brush on surface of rabbit.Roast,
covered , at 350Degrees farenheight for 50
minutes after juices begin to sizzle. Mix
marmalade and steak sauce, spoon over rabbit.
Roast uncovered, 20 minutes longer.
This recipe will go well with yams and garden
vegetables.
Method:
Place milk on one bowl and mix together flour, salt and
pepper in another. Dip rabbit in milk then flour
mixture, coating thoroughly. Set aside for 10
minutes
Combine egg and water in one bowl and breadcrumbs
in another. Dip rabbit first in egg mixture, then
breadcrumbs, coating thoroughly. Fill a large frying
pan one third full with oil. Set over moderate heat
until it reaches 360 degrees F or cude of dry bread
dropped into oil turns brown in 50 seconds.
Fry the rabbit pieces for 20 minutes or until tender
when pierced with a fork. Remove from the pan and
drain on paper towels. Arrange on a serving dish
garnish with parsley sprigs and serve immediately .
This can be served with sauted potatoes and any
fresh green vegetables.