Rabbit farming in Nigeria
Rabbit farming in Nigeria is an undertaking in the
agricultural industry which is one the biggest sector of the economy. Many
youths ignore the Nigerian agricultural sector due to lack of support and
encouragement from the Nigerian government and most especially the political
class who in my view do not need empowered youths but rather educated and
employable youths to till their empires. Thus, in Nigerian agricultural sector
only some select smile to the bank while the primary producers remain in
poverty with no whole heart support whatsoever from the Nigerian government.
Animal husbandry is usually differentiated depending on the
type of animals one keeps since each animal has its own requirements. Rabbits
have fewer requirements compare to other forms of livestock in relation to
capital operating costs and maintenance. Quick returns and high demand are
additional factors that place rabbit farming in Nigeria on the
profit side.
Rabbit production in
Nigeria is veritable way of alleviating animal protein deficiency in Nigeria
(Ajala and Balogun, 2004). The rabbit has immense potentials and good
attributes, which include high growth rate, high efficiency in converting
forage to meat, short gestation period, and high prolificacy, relatively low
cost of production, high nutritional quality of rabbit meat, which includes low
fat, sodium, and cholesterol levels. It also has a high protein level of about
20.8% and its consumption is bereft of cultural and religious biases (Biobaku
and Oguntona, 1997).
There is great potential in rabbit farming because of the
increased life style change of most Nigerian families towards healthy living.
This is evident by the preference of white meat than red meat and increase in
the demand for rabbit meat because it the most nutritious of all the white
meats. This is a trend that shows future growth of rabbit farming in Nigeria
and thus increased cash flows of early entrants to the industry.
The opportunity is immense based on the changing trends in
the market rabbit meat market coupled with the gap in the supply of the
product.
Rabbit urine is extensively used in Kenya as a safer and
cheaper means of fertilizing the soil and making of insecticides against
insects that have been ravaging vegetable farms in Nigeria. Farmers in African
countries like Kenya and Ghana collect thousands of litters of this byproduct
to sell to fertilizer plants or covert them DIY style into fertilizer and
insecticide for their backyard gardens. A litter of pure rabbit urine goes for
$4 and is converted to good fertilizer through a process called nitrogen
fixation, which has proven to be Eco-friendly, easy and cheap. The price of a
bag of NPK fertilizer in Nigeria has since doubled, cutting down the yield and
production capacity of most farmers in the country. From what I have learned so
far, setting up a fertilizer plant that will convert rabbit urine into foliar
is feasible in every L.G.A in the country because it is cheap and easy to set
up. I have been using this fertilizer on
my potato and maize farm with better growth and high yield as prove of success.
If rabbit urine can be utilized by rabbit farmers in Nigeria like it is done in
Kenya it will not only provide alternatives to the NPK fertilizer, it will
create jobs. Youths can start raising rabbits for meat, urine and pelt, while
investors / the government can set up fertilizer plants that will buy rabbit
urine, process and sell back to the farmers to increase the yield of their
crops. This creates a very profitable cycle, and as the rabbits keep
multiplying, more youths are engaged, more fertilizer is produced. Soon the
problem of fertilizer and insects in Nigeria will be history.
You will agree with me when I say that Nigeria has had an
uncontrolled population growth in the last decades. From 160 million to 200
million! This is bad news to the international community which has been by
Nigeria in the area of fighting poverty, terrorism and crime. On the other hand,
this is very sweet news for rabbit farming in Nigeria and for those who have
been prolonging the kickoff of their rabbit farm project this is the best time
to kick that cat and get the ball rolling. Stop asking dumb question like is
there a market for rabbit meat. Just produce as many as you can buyers will
never be lacking 100% sure. This is the time to make cool money while fighting
hand in hand with the international community against malnutrition, poverty,
hunger, climate change in Nigeria and the world around.
By all appearances, rabbit farming in Nigeria will go a long
way in dealing with malnutrition, poverty, diseases and unemployment. These
fluffy herbivores eat grass/hay instead of energy- intensive soy or fish-meal,
grow quickly and thrive in clean, disease-free conditions. A single doe will
have multiple litters every year, and those litters will reach breeding age
within months; that means a rabbit can produce six pounds of meat on the same
amount of feed and water it takes a cow to produce just one pound.
For me, Rabbit farming is the bomb considering the
uncontrolled population growth in Nigeria plus the suitable features and
characteristics of rabbits that make them indispensable suppliers of quality
meat protein to fight the menace of hunger and malnutrition in Nigeria.
The market for rabbit farmers in Nigeria is relatively large
but the supply is low, which gives rise to a deficit meaning higher profits can
be realized. There is still growth in the rabbit meat market in Nigeria. This
means the demand is increasing making it a profitable venture.
Nigeria, with its massive population/unemployment rate can
tap into this market opportunity and become a leading producer/exporter of
rabbit meat in Africa, joining countries like Kenya, Egypt, Morocco and Burundi.
A male rabbit is called a buck, a female rabbit is called doe
and the baby rabbits are known as kittens. Rabbits mature at the age of between
four to six months at which they can start to reproduce.
To tell the difference
between a male and a female rabbit, hold the rabbit in a cradling position on
its back. They will usually relax into a hypnotic state. Go to the genital area
of the rabbit and separate the fur to reveal the vent area under its tail where
its genitals are located. Press down lightly just above the anus to make the
area protrude. If you see a vertical slit with pink folds of skin on either side
it is a female. On the male, what you will see is a tiny pink tube like organ
without pink sides. The younger the rabbit the harder it is to tell the sex.
Rabbit farming in Nigeria is suitable with the following
breeds of rabbits: Chinchilla, Californian White New Zealand White, Cotton tails and Flemish giants.
Each of these breeds have their own unique features as shown
below:
Chinchilla
- Have brown/grey fur
- Upstanding ears brown eyes
- Both doe and buck attain live weight of between 5 - 6kg at 5 months
- Dressed meat yield is between 3 - 4 kg
Californian white
- Have a dense white fur
- Upstanding ears and red/pink eyes
- Both doe and buck attain live weight of between 4 - 5kg at 5 months
- Dressed meat yield is between 2 - 2.5 kg
Flemish giants
- Have brown fur
- Upstanding brown ears
- Brown eyes
- Both doe and buck attain live weight of between 5 - 7kg at 4 - 6 months
- Dressed meat yield is between 4 - 5 kg
Flemish giants may have various colors; black, blue fawn,
light grey, sandy steel, grey and white.
Rearing of rabbits in Nigeria can be anything from a
profitable hobby to a full-time living. Rabbits fit well into a balanced
farming system. They complement well with vegetable growing. Excess and waste
from vegetable gardens and kitchen goes to feed the rabbits, whereas their
manure is used to fertilize gardens, thus forming a profitable cycle and aiding
the balance of nature.
Rabbit farming can be practiced in any part of Nigeria, as
long as they are housed properly and protected from predators and the elements.
There are various ways to construct the housing for the
rabbits depending on the size of the breeding stock, location of the project as
well as the availability of local materials for the construction.
The initial capital requirement for starting a rabbit farming business in Nigeria is minimal because once there is a
good structure in place, the farmers can start with few mature rabbits which
will reproduce fast and increase his stock. The initial budget can be less than
N50,000 depending on the number of mature rabbits the farmers start with.
Food for the rabbit is relatively cheap in Nigeria since
vegetables and greens can be obtained locally at no cost. While rabbit pellets
go for about N4000 for 25kg bag which can last the farmers a whole cycle. Hay
is roughly N4000 per 50kg.
The cost of acquiring a mature rabbit of any breed that is
ready for breeding is between N2000 to N4000. The price of mature rabbit in
Nigeria is largely dependent on its weight and age. One hutch which can house a
nursing rabbit and the litter costs between N3000 to N5000 to build.
The market for rabbit farmers in Nigeria is mainly in large
hotels and restaurants.
The financial aspect of this venture is favorable since there
is a higher return on investment and since expansion / growth is fast and
payback period is short. Cash flows will start to be realized after the first
lots of kits mature at about five months.
Ultimate guide to rabbit farming in Nigeria manual presents
an overview of the entire process of raising rabbits in Nigeria - from selecting
healthy animals to preparing proper foods to treating disease. A separate
section of the manual includes step-by-step procedures for the construction of
a hutch unit to house two does and one buck.
Killing, Skinning, and Tanning Rabbits
Animals are killed when they reach the desired market weight.
In many cases, getting the meat is more important than worrying about the skin.
When possible, rabbits are kept longer, gaining weight at a slower rate, so
that they can be kept until the combined value
of the meat (carcass) and pelt (skin) will bring the highest return.
Rabbits marketed as "fryers" are tender and
suitable for quicker cooking methods. To become classified as fryers, large and
heavy breeds of rabbits are weaned and marketed at two months of age, when
their weight averages 1.7 - 3 kg (3 3/4 - 5 1/2 lb.). The meat that you
actually are able to "dress" out of the animal or fryer yield of the
carcass will average from 50 to 60 percent of the live weight.
At the time of slaughter there should be some fat over the
ribs, along the backbone, in the flanks, and around the tail head and the
kidneys, increasing the dressing percent over that of the thin rabbit. To do
this, rabbits must be properly fed. Small bones and thin skin show quality in
an animal. Because of this, large breeds with small bones and thin skin will
give higher dressing percent than ones with large bones and thick skins.
The amount of food in the stomach and intestines has an
effect on dressing percent. If the rabbit is without food and water for a few
hours before killing, the dressing percent will be lower.
The profit you get from a fryer will depend on how much feed
and labor cost you have to subtract from the fryer's market price.
Rabbit farming business is surely a good business with lots
of benefits that can get new entrants into the business smiling to their banks to
cash out on their investment.
Relax your mind and have fun with my personal diary here
13/07/2017 5:00pm. Three rabbits moved in. Mr. Raj, the
'boss' I call him, gifted them to me.
They had no names so I just call them the rabbits next door,
a male and two females.
The rabbits wore an all-white shade and had pink/ruby
coloured eyes. These rabbits were really big, joke aside. Their muscular thighs,
broad heads, long ears and clean white fur made them adorable like the white
boss from whom I received them. Except they were not bossing anybody here.
The room has ample space, windows for ventilation, two light
bulbs, a sink and water supply. I had also brought in three 40" x 40"
wire hutches, feeding/drinking bowls, three collection trays, a stand for the
cages and collection trays, hay and pellets few days before the rabbits
arrived. The supplies cost me roughly N18000.
Before then, the room has been left unoccupied. I had the
room thoroughly cleaned and arranged the supplies the morning of the day I
received the rabbits.
