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putofftheideaasaresult . Casamassa ' s solution is to offer a guaranteed buy-back of either slaughter-weight live animals , or slaughtered carcasses , ( subject to certain conditions ) and he in turn assumes responsibility for selling and distributing the produce to interested restaurants , supermarkets and butcheries . The same applies to a fullscale grower looking to earn a handsome income from commercial rabbit production . Casamassa ' s system is designed for maximum production and minimum stress to the growing animals . Each breeding doe is allocated four adjoining cages , with four sets of cages constructed in a multi-tiered set up to a height of about 1,8m . The doe occupies one cage while pregnant and for the first few weeks after birth .
Each breeding doe , breeding for eight months of the year , should produce 72kg of meat
After four weeks , when she is ready to breed again , her litter is removed from her and placed in the adjoining cage from where , although they have no physical contact with her , the youngsters can still see and sense her , thus limiting their stress . When her second litter is ready to be separated from her , the first litter is moved to the third cage , and the process repeats itself when the following litter is ready , by which time , at twelve weeks , the first litter is at slaughter weight of 2,2- 2,5kg live weight , resulting in a dressed carcass of 1,4- 1,6kg . Casamassa ' s does breed for only eight months of the year , with four months of rest allowing them enough time to regain their strength to ensure
healthy youngsters during their breeding time . Each breeding doe should thus produce about 72kg of meat per year , he says . The cages themselves are constructed of small aperture weldmesh on steel supports . Under each tier of cages is a sheet of corrugated roof sheeting curved into a channel which acts as a sluice for droppings and urine . These are hosed down every couple of days , the resulting wash water entering a channel running the full length of the rabbitry , which discharges into a twochamber storage tank much like a septic tank . Here the solids ferment a little and separate out from the fluid which constitutes a concentrated liquid fertilizer ,
BUSINESS
a handy by-product of the meat-production process which can also be sold , says Casamassa . Each cage is fitted with two nipple drinkers ( one simply a spare in case of a blockage ), a wire “ crib ” attached to the inside of the door for feeding greens and hay and a feed tray for the animals ' dry ration , which is commerciallyavailable rabbit pellets . Thus , in addition to the pellets , the rabbits always have access to dry fodder ( eragrostis ), and also receive fresh greens daily , in the form of spinach leaves or similar , and lucerne , grown on the plot and fertilized with Casamassa ' s liquid rabbit manure . Good ventilation is important in an intensive rabbit production operation and the cages are housed under cover but with the sides open to ensure maximum airflow . The
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