How To Make Money From Rabbit Farming

Rabbit Farmers: The beginners guide to Success

Rabbit farming is interesting and lucrative at the same time, You get to experience these amazing micro livestock breed and grow while multiplying your money. Rabbits belong to the family Leporidae (Same as Hares) and the genus Lepus.

The demand for rabbit products is currently on the rise because of their value both in the local and international market. Rabbit meat is a nutrient house, a great source of protein and amino acid that our human body need.

They are small mammals with very fluffy fur and large hind legs, are very prolific and multiply and grow quickly compared to other livestock. This implies that you can get Return on Investment within the shortest possible time on a good rate.

Rabbit farming is possible in residential areas and does not require so much complexity that comes with other aspects of farming. A lot of opportunities exist in rabbit farming, from meat production, selling breeders, research rabbits, wool production to rabbit manure sold as fertilizers.

Uses of Rabbit:

Rabbit meat for food: The meat remains one of the best sources of high-quality protein. It is low in cholesterol and fats and contains bodybuilding nutrients in high quality.

Rabbit Skin: The best-quality skins are used after tanning for garments (5 to 8 per cent) and linings and gloves.

Pet: Some rabbits are used as pets especially the fancy breeds. They are tender and soft and also enjoy human company like Guinea Pigs.

Medical Research purpose: Researchers in the field of medicine and nutrition use them often for trying out new discoveries.

Wool: It is used in textiles, the wool of the Angora rabbit forms a special sector of the international wool trade. World production is modest but the value per unit of weight is high: 40 to 50 times that of greasy wool.

Rabbit Manure: Rabbit manure is one of the best material to raise worms (maggots) in. These worms usually turn the manure into rich growing soil, which you could sell or use in your garden It can also be added to the compost pile or used directly as fertilizer.

Rabbit Characteristics:

Mature rabbits move by hopping while their young ones walk.
They have 2 pairs of incisors teeth with one pair at the top and the other at the bottom.
They have a short fluffy tail with a large hind leg.
Rabbits mature in 4–5 months with proper feeding.
Smaller breeds of rabbit weigh 1 1/3–3 kilos, medium breeds, 4–5 kilos while larger breeds weigh 6 1/3–7 1/3 kilos.
Female rabbits do not have a "heat" period.
Their average gestation period is 31 days.
The average production life of a good buck is from one to five years.
Their ears are either erect or floppy depending on the breed.
Rabbits squeal when they are in pain and Cluck in their sleep.

Rabbit Breeds for Farming:

American Chinchilla
Angora Rabbit
Newzealand
Flemish Giant
English Spot
Dutch
Californian
French Ear Lopped
Kenya White
Checkered Rabbit
Florida White
Satin
Belgian Hare
Rabbit Rex
Netherland Dwarf
Holland Lop
Mini Lop
French Lop
English Lop
Jersey Wooly Rabbit

Breed selection:

Pick animals with clear and bright eyes
They should be no discharge from the nose
The ear should be clean with smooth kin
Choose only animals with their heads upright and straight
Picks rabbits with soft, supple skin and a shiny smooth coat.
Make sure the claws do not have any breakage and their feet are well furred with straight toes.

Check supplier record to confirm the following;

The average litter sizes at birth; 7 or more.
The death rate not more than 5-7%.
Percentage of conception after mating.
The average weight of litters at 4 weeks.
The weaning weight of fryer.
Dressing percentage including heart, liver and kidneys.
The amount of feed to attain different levels of growth.

Housing systems for Rabbit Production:

Rabbit Farming: A begginers guide to success — Rabbit Cage

The success of every rabbit farming depends on your farm housing pattern because it is vital for temperature control when raising rabbits, especially in commercial scale. There are different types of housing you can choose from depending on your budget and space.

Indoor Wire Cage:

This is an all wire cage that is easy to clean and manage. The entire cage is wire mesh from the top, bottom and sides without any solid protective bottom.

If you choose to use this type of cage, be ready to pay close attention to predators that can harm your rabbits. You also need to place the cage in a place with favourable weather conditions because this cage has no windbreak.

Outdoor Wire Hutch:

The wire hutch is a hutch that you can construct with a wooden roof and frame about 60 centimetres off the ground. You have to hinge the hutch so that you can move the hutch for cleaning. The hutch has a welded wire mesh floor and front

Outdoor Hutch With Front Doors:

This housing has a single roof that covers many other cages and a large overhang to shelter the cage fronts from rain or snow.

Cages can be 70–130cm above the ground. Use welded materials for the floors, sidewalls, front and door. The back wall can be wood, metal or plastic to provide a windbreak.

Important Tips:

Whichever housing you choose to use, Provide the correct amount of space for the type of rabbits they will house. Provide a safe place for rabbits to live, breed and raise young that is easy to clean and maintain. Make sure it is of good quality, durable with have adequate ventilation.

The height of the cage should be 13-40inches so that your rabbits' ears do not touch the top of the cage, either while it is sitting upright or hopping back and forth. Construct nesting boxes for all does before they give birth to protect the young from harsh weather conditions.

Provide all necessary feeding equipment and install functional water systems or drinking equipment. Unlike Guinea Pigs, rabbits do not share drinkers so it is important to provide them with separate drinkers each.

Get drinkers and feeders that are easy to clean and maintain to reduce your workload.

Feeding for Rabbits:

The right feed and feeding routine is important in rabbit farming because it is a major determinant of body weight and market value. They need quality food to provide energy to the body, get essentials for building various body tissues and to supply bone-building materials.

Rabbits have a unique digestive system that allows them to absorb important nutrients from materials that are indigestible to many other animals. Their feed is group into three basic types;

Concentrate feed: These are pelleted feed that is specially prepared for rabbits with preference to growth rate and weight. This type of feed contains all the nutritional requirement for rabbits.

It contains ingredients from carb, protein, vitamins, minerals and fats and oil in their appropriate quantity for optimal growth. Commercially pelleted rabbit ration that meets all of the rabbit's requirements remains the best type of feed.

Rabbits fed strictly on concentrate feed attain market sizes earlier than those feed with other types of feed. Most rabbit farmers add supplement concentrate feed with other feed.

Dry roughages: These rabbit feeds include hay and straw and is high in fibre, but low in digestible nutrients. Alfalfa hay and clover hays are excellent dry roughage for feeding rabbits. Hay is often fed to stop diarrhoea and to aid the doe after kindling.

Succulent feed: Succulent feeds include fresh vegetables and fruits, they should be added to the diet in small quantity to prevent diarrhoea and may sometimes cause gas. Succulent rabbit feeds remain the best sources of vitamins and minerals but it is important to carefully monitor the type and amount you feed to your rabbit.

Important Tips:

The feed must be digestible, provide a combination of feed to include adequate protein, carbohydrates, fats, minerals and vitamins. Include varieties and make sure it is economical and the rabbit is getting adequate nutrient to maintain their condition and health.

Ensure that a good diet with wholesome feed is available in adequate quantity for the rabbits every day. Do not feed your rabbit a damp, mouldy feed. Place your feed in a cool dry place that allows air circulation around the bags.

For efficient rabbit feeding, you need four diets. Diet for pregnant Does, Diet for maintenance, Diest for Nursing Does and Fattening diet. The nutrient requirement differs at various levels.

Fattening duration depends on the carcass weight required and the growth rate possible in the feeding and production of the rabbitry. For example, In intensive production, where weaning takes place in one month, the fattening period is seven weeks and the rabbits weigh 2.3 to 2.4 kg (live weight).

Management Practices:

Breeding: In rabbit farming, It is the farmer that determines the reproduction rate. Mating is stimulated by the farmer, ovulation in does is induced by mating and the females are generally kept in different cages from the males. Mate animals in the early morning or late afternoon

Abortion: The loss of a pregnancy. many factors can cause abortion in rabbit farming.

Palpating: Palpating is a method used for determining doe pregnancy at 14 days after mating. Non-pregnant does are re-bred immediately. This procedure saves the farmer waiting the additional 17 days to see if the doe is pregnant.

Kindling in Rabbits: is the act of giving birth to young rabbits.

Weaning: This is the time when the young are separated from their mother. Young rabbits are weaned around 2 months of age.

Fattening: This is the period after weaning the young until they reach maturity or market sizes. During this period rabbits are provided with food that increases growth

Important Tips:

Clean all feeding and watering equipment daily.
Clean all hutches and cages at least once or twice every week
Brush all cages with a wire brush and disinfectant to remove urine and droppings.
Use a brush to remove loose fur on cages and other equipment immediately you notice them
Mix vinegar in water to remove calcium carbonate buildup from their urine.
Remove and replace beddings once or twice weekly.
Sanitize the feeding drinking equipment often to prevent diseases.
Disinfect your housing floor once or twice a month.
Clean and check the ventilation system on a regular basis to be sure that airflow is not reduced by dirt and debris build-up.
Keep good, accurate, reliable and clear farm record.
Assign an identification tag to each of your rabbits especially the breeding stock, it could be letters, numbers or both.

Control of Rabbit diseases:

Rabbits like other livestock are also susceptible to various diseases and pest that can reduce fertility, hinder growth and even death. To keep the outbreak of a disease at a low level, the following practices will help;

Select only breeding stock with high resistance, long life, and high productivity can be inherited.
Get only high-performance breeding stock.
Create enough space for each individual animal
Provide a balanced diet.
Provide plenty of free ventilation.
make provision for plenty of sunlight especially when it is not very hot.
Clean and dry all equipment to prevent pathogens from breeding.
Avoid unnecessary handling of animals, their feed, containers for food and water, or any equipment they touch.
Wash and dry all farm clothing every week.
Quarantine all new stocks coming into the farm.
Isolate all animals you suspect to have an infectious disease.
Allow your animals as much rest both day and night
Keep marketable stock away from the housing to prevent buyers from spreading diseases by entering your rabbitry.

Marketing/Sales:

Local market, grocery shops, restaurants and hotels remain your most reliable market target. Take samples to them and educate them about your grading pattern and why they should buy from you. Pricing depends on the live or carcass weight of your rabbits.

You can sell them alive, slaughtered or slaughtered and oven dry.

You can also read my guide on how to start maggot farming.