HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1972-07-20, Page 5•
stry aerated
e Gaspe region
wab explained later that the big
bird is of Egyptian extraction,
and is so pleased with his good
looks he uses every bumper for a
mirror.
When Mr. Hunter came for-
ward and introduced himself, he
had two close friends with him.
They were two tame crows which
landed on the roof of the car and
had the appearance of taking a
keen interest in the conversation.
They did not hesitate to comment
either, and got off quite an ora-
tion before being shooed a few
feet away for the -meantime. Unn
daunted, they followed Mr. Hun-
ter and his visitor about the farm
and took an interest in any sign of
activity.
If that were not enough,
another feathery friend was. tak-
ing a close look at the visitor and
tagging along wherever he went.
It was a small starling which
wound up standing quite confi-
dently on the visitor's hand.
"He couldn't fly much when he
was young," Mr. Hunter ex-
plained, "so he just stuck around
and P fed him, and he's still
here." `
Quite a Zoo
Also visible on arrival in the
farmyard were twp pure white
ducks and half a dozen game fowl
of various sizes and colors. Mr.
Hunter said they were crossed
breeds of domestic birds with
wild fowl, accounting for the
various bright colors which re-
minded one of "banty" roosters.
However, these birds were much
•
larger.
Consenting to explain the rab-
bit business, Mr. Hunter led the
.reporter into the ground floor'
area of the barn and `displayed
dozens upon dozens of wire cages
wherein the rabbits resided.
Estimating the rabbit popula-
tion at between 600 and 700, Mr.
Hunter said detailed records are
kept. This was apparent from the
cards located on each cage where
notations were made as to dates
of birth, stage of development
and other statistics useful in effi-
cient management of the rabbit
raising process.
•The industry was started with
only a basic group of purebred
breeding stock, and is the case
with. rabbits, the families rapidly
grew from a few individuals into
the hundreds now occupying the
rows of cages. •
Only 31 days after breeding, 'a
doe or. motlierrabbit will produce
a litter of tiny rabbits, generally
eight, but ranging as high as 15 in
unusual instances. The newborn'
stay -with their mother for several.
weeks, being nourished by her,.
then are weaned. They stay with
their mothers even after being
weaned and grow rapidly „on a
generous high -protein diet and
lots of drinking w ter which is al-
ways available from autothatic
dispensers.
Pan Ready
When half grown, the pure
white and -pink-eyed albino rab-
bits are just right for frying,
comparable to a broiler chicken,
and are shipped at that stage to
the processing plant at 'Wards -
vine,
Wards-ville, where the meat is prepared
for shipping to 'the Toronto
market. Others are kept until
they reach nine or 10 pounds in
weight, a really giant size, and
are then shipped as "roasters".
Mr. Hunter selected some, of
the rabbits for pictures, .and a
number of photos were taken, in-
cluding a five -day-old litter, some
young half grown "fryers" with
their mother, and a big hefty
"roaster".
The cages are suspended from
the ceiling and are pretty much
self-cleaning, as soil drops to the
concrete floor which is hosed
WHITECHURCH
On Tuesday,,Mr. and Mrs. Clar-
ence Harvey, Mrs. Lorne Harvey
and her daughter of Aylmer were
visitors with Mr. and Mrs. Dalton
Schultz.
Mr. and 'Mrs. Wesley Tiffin
were Sunday evening' visitors
with Mr. and Mrs. Joe Tiffin and
family and Mrs. Elizabeth Tiffin.
Sunday visitors with Mr. and
Mrs. Garnet Farrier and Mrs.
Eunice Gillespie were Mr. and
Mrs. Wayne Farrier and Kitnber-
ley.of Hanover. Wayne is taking a
summer course at Owen Sound.
Visitors on Sunday with Mr,
and Mrs. Bill Gibson and family
were' Mr. and Mrs. Don Smith,
Bonnie, Stephen and Wayne Gib-
son and Mrs. Marshall Gibson of
Lucknow.
On Sunday afternoon Mr. and
Mrs. Elwood Groskorth were at.
Waterloo Park where they met
Mr. and .:Mrs. Jim Moffatt,
Heather and Ansley of London
and Mr. and Mrs. Paul Gros-
korth, Matthew and Shauna of
Toronto andheld a family re-
union. Mr. and Mrs. Groskorth
were celebrating their 35th wed-
ding anniversary. The famil
provided a wedding cake and
anniversary lunch.
Local ri
by a native o
By Art Elliott
A Wingham area industry is
putting thousands of . pounds of
meat annually on the tables of
Italo-Canadian citizens of Toren,
to and other large Ontario cities.
The product is rabbit meat and,
the producer is a young man liv-
ing near Whitechurch where he
operates a rabbit farm or "rab-
bitry" as they call it in the trade.
A quiet, sleepy little farm aptly
dubbed "Sleepy Hollow" by its
caner -operator, Lyn Hunter, 30,
is where big New Zealand white
rabbits are raised for market,
much in the .way that broiler
chicken ranches or `factories"
are operated.
A native of the Gaspe region of
southern Quebec, Mr. Hunter
previously lived in Ste. Agathe.
P.(t., then moved to.Blyth, wh
he got his introduction to "tad tab'
bit raising business when he Went
into partnership, with anOther
young man. Deciding to bra
out on his own, he purehaSed a
ten -acre section of a larger la
a nriile and a quarter west ot'.
Whitechurch on East W'awan'
Township Road 31-32, ,est on ,the
northern edge of Beecroft's $11.
Friendly Greeter
On arrival at "Sleepy Hollow'
farm, The Advance -Times re,,
porter was met firstly by an un-
usual beige colored goose which
marched straight up to the front
bumper of the car and cora-
menced ogling himself avidly. It
THIS CIRCULAR BOX contains a recent litter of hooded
rats which Mr. Hunter says make excellent pets. They have
been popular in this area as well as in the city markets.
They come in a variety of colors and are cream or black in
front and generally white in the back half. (Staff Photo)
THIS LITTER -of five -day-old rabbits with their mother in
background is typical, although litters have run as -high as
15. A doe has babies „31 days after breeding and thus pro-
duces 'multiple times a year. (Staff Photo).
GIDEON THE GOOSE is a pet at.Sleepy Hollow farm and is
an Egyptian variety of water fowl. A very vain bird, he.
loves to.view his reflection in chrome car bumpers or any'
shiny object at hand. He hangs around the lane waiting for
visitors. (Staff Photo)
Watch out
for
OW FLYING GEES
Chris Gosling is learning to fly ,- So 'anyway, if we're
so duck when youhear those doing to fly low we might
swishing tail feathers as well sell low.
Here are our ridiculously
low prices on some Guaranteed Used Cars
1965 CHRYSLER
1 '00% Power Train Warranty,
3Q -days, Lic. #5271-N
$495'as is or $595 with new paint
1969 FORD FAIRLANE 500
2 Dr. Hardtop, fast back
V-8 Auto.,, Safety Checked
Vinyl interior finished in candy apple red
Reduced from $1995 to. 4895
SPECIAL
1971 VIRGO
ALL TERRAIN
Fun Vehicle
Sun, Sand & Snow
ONLY s8950°
NO MONEY DOWN
KEEP
WINGHAM
GREEN
BRING
MONEY
1.966 PONTIAC
6 Auto., ,
locally owned 100%Power Train
Warranty'30 days, Lic. #7761-N
$495 as is or $595 with new paint
• 1967 PONTIAC PARISIENNE
2 -Dr. Hardtop, 100% Power Train
Warranty, 30 Days, P. S., P.B.
Finished in champagne gold Lic. #K39099
Reduced from $1395 to $1295
• Bring)your kids in for a golden( chocolate) goose egg.
• No money down with approved credit.
• On the spot financing.
Ask about our continuing new Chev Impala sale!!
WINGHAM 357-2323
GM
MARK OF EXCELLENCE1
WHERE BETTER
IDEALS
MAKE BETTER
DEALS
Al the sign
of The Goose
down regularly and kept in a
clean and sanitary - condition. In
*inter the area is kept partially
heated, but a high temperature is
not needed as the rabbits all have
fur coats and the infant animals
are well protected by their
mothers, much as a hen shelters
a new brood of. chicks.
Unusual Pets
On the way out of the barn, Mr.
Hunter called our attention to
small cage to out .idwhich con
tamed un,. ual looking
haired creailres, not "mod"
teenagers, but "angora" type
hamsters considered excellent
pets. These balls of long silky fur
are brown and white and their
little eyes are occasionally
visible through the 'long hair,
something like a Scotty. dog in
need of a haricut..
In another barrel-shaped con-
tainer there was a further sur-
prise. It was a new litter of what
Mr. Hunter explained were
hooded rats, also raisedjor pets,
and which were brown and cream
and white in color. In the pet line
there were also -cross -bred rab-
bits of several hues and mixtures.
A regular schedule of care and
feeding for all the animals is
maintained, and Mr. Hunter is at
it almost full time now. Pre-
viously he was employed else-
where during' the day,, doing the
rabbitry chores before and After
regular work hours.
Rabbits of this kind do seem
"to be particularly sule to
disease and the flock or herd has
fortunately been free from bad
infections or diseases such as
have been known to strike
chicken and turkey flocks. Good
sariitation .and proper feeding
seem to be the main thing, and so.
far the operation is running well.
Prices Good
Financially, the operation
seems to be doing well too. Prices
at Wardsville are running just
over 4Q cents a pound right' now,
although a nice fresh carcassin a
butcher shop' in Toronto will run
close to a dollar .a' pound, so
highly is the meat prized by Italo-
Canadians and other European
ethnic residents who have for
centuries recognized the rabbit
as a delicacy, if not a staple of the
diet. The retail price was re-
cently as high as $1.20 a pound,
but has : eased off bit,, probably
due ' to a large supply in the
summer and an easing in de-
mand.
The meat is especially nutri-
tious, Mr. Hunter points out, be-
cause' of the high protein feeding,
and cannot be compared 'to wild
rabbit, which by 'coniparison is
poorly fed on shrub shoots and
whatever can be found.
This, fundamentally, is the
story behind the green . panel
truck sometimes seen proceeding
down the main street' of ,Wing -
ham, or travelling through the
The Wln l "
Whitechurch area, compete with
a big- pieture! - a -hay-rabbit
taking his ease and the legend.
"Sleepy Hollow" on the side
Visitors are welcome to
"Sleepy Hollow" and Mr. Hunter
is generally home at this time of •
the year. He would be glad tt'
�#tsrst y, duly" M,
!w youngsters' the rate,
-ha ms tern, -and they r
Yesgi ee chprepared the
meet ars ,
the Goose, Sid the Star -
Crawford the Crow, or
.ate for yourself, because
he Dever quite got around to it.
SID THE STARLING acts like a senior partner at Sleepy
Hollow rabbitry, supervising everything that goes on. Here
he sits on the hand of the Advance -Times photographer? Art
Elliott. He joined the family as a baby bird when he had dif-
ficulty flying, but now chooses to stick around and'keep an
eye on things. (Staff Photo)
CRAWFORD THE CROW (or is it'Corinne?) is one ofa pair
of tame crows who stick so closely they could be nuisances.
They like riding around on, Lyn's shoulders and are very
friendly and very noisy with .visitors: ('Staff Photo)
BROWN AND WHITE "Angora" type guinea pigs are unusual looking pets with the 'long
soft fur much like that seen on Angora rabbits. They are brown and white, as shaggy as a
Scotty dog but only about five or six inches long. (Staff Photo)
NEARLY HALF GROWN ,pbbits still encaged with their mother, are nearing the "fryer"
stage as they are referred to in the meat market. As in the chicken industry, they are re
ferred to as "fryers" and the fully grown specimens as "roasters". The rabbits seem un
aware of this, or just ignore it. (Staff Photo)