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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)