Growing rabbit fodder
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| Sprouts |
Rabbit farming is fast becoming a profitable business in Nigeria with more youths daily going into the business. Thanks to but regrettably the deep recession Nigeria is into, you can feel it’s waves sweeping through the country.
Rabbits can be raised in backyards, garages, storerooms, sheds or cages.
In the past years I have been researching on the best and cheapest feeds I can give my over 100 rabbits to grow big and mature fast. Check out my venturesome search for free rabbit feed
In just a moment I will share with you a simple, cost saving and efficient method I have been using to feed my rabbits optimally and keep them healthy the year round.
Cereal germination and growth is driven by solar heat and photosynthesis, a process that captures and converts the suns energy into chemical energy. Cereals like guinea corn, wheat and barley store a good quantity of protein which is burst open during germination. The purpose of sprouting is to stimulate the bursting of these protein capsule and make them available to your rabbits. Here is a research on sprouting for further reading. Full text: PDF
How to do it:
What I simply do is double the value of the feed by sprouting the cereal/grain. This has helped me to lower the cost of feeding significantly. Cereal grains such as rice, corn, wheat, or barley can be used separately for this project.
With this method, you can rapidly increase the population of your rabbits without worrying about the cost of feeding. And if you are into meat rabbit business, then you ought to adopt this method because the heavier your rabbit the better the price. This feeding system is a sure way to increasing the growth rate and health of your rabbits.
Another good thing about this method is that you do not need soil. You can grow good food for your rabbits right in your balcony, Kitchen of even in a room as long as sunlight can reach the young sprouts.
To sprout is quite simple. You will need the following:
Bleach
Wide perforated container
Wheat or barley – [barley is best]. Other grains like guinea corn, corn, rice and millet can be used.
Water
Large bath
The steps:
Depending on the number of rabbits you intend to feed, the size and number of wide perforated containers you have, measure out some wheat, barley or any of the grains listed above. Soak in pure bleach for 12hrs. You can use a solution of bleach and water in the ratio of 1:2 in place of pure bleach (hypo, Jik). I have been using a 2kg measure of wheat for my 20 mature rabbits.
Pour the soaked wheat into the perforated container. Spread evenly across the container and then place under partial shade. [Pic-soaked wheat poured into a perforated container]
After 6 hours, pour some water into a large basin or bucket - large enough for the perforated container to go in. Gently drop the perforated container into the water until the wheat is completely immersed. Wait a few seconds then remove and place back in the shade.
Repeat step 3 for 8 more days. On the 9th day, you should have them beautifully grown out ready for consumption. Remove and feed to your rabbits.
Sometimes, if the steps above are not carried out properly, the resulting sprout will be moldy. This can harm the rabbit's.
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| moldy sprout |
To prevent moldiness, some breeders will add two or three caps of bleach into the water that will be used to immerse the sprouting wheat (step 3). The water in this case should not be too much as to render the effect of the bleach useless.
The processes I have illustrated above can increase not only the value but also quantity of any grain cereal at your disposal. Wheat, barley or any cereal grain you find or can produce or import into Nigeria could be used.
Giving your rabbits better nutrition at a low cost is the desired outcome of this easy yet amazing project.
It is going to be fun - watching the sprouts grow very fast and watching your herd enjoy both the green-lush grass like leaves and nutrient rich seeds in the sprout.
Rabbit farming is quite easy to start and the benefits of doing so far outweigh its challenges.
Food prices in Nigeria, both for humans and animals have continual shifted upwards beyond the reach of the common man thus making life itself a misery for millions of Nigerians. At this point, I will like to encourage my readers to start keeping rabbits or buy a pair or two and donate as charity to others in need. These little creatures have features that make them a suitable tool for eradicating hunger and poverty in Nigeria.
