IT IS NOW CUNICULTURE
Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising rabbits, usually for their meat, fur, or wool. This differs from the simpler practice of keeping a single or small group of rabbits as companions, without selective breeding, reproduction, or the care of young animals. Some people, called rabbit fanciers, practice cuniculture predominantly for exhibition. The distribution of rabbit farming varies around the globe, and while it is on the decline in some nations, in others it is expanding.
Brief History:
Rome during her time of dominating the world imported rabbits from Spain which were later in the reign of Rome redistributed to France and Italy and then to other parts of the world.
Rome during her time of dominating the world imported rabbits from Spain which were later in the reign of Rome redistributed to France and Italy and then to other parts of the world.
Related: Origin of domestic rabbit
Rabbits were kept in both walled areas as well as more extensively in game-preserves. In the British Isles, these preserves were known as warrens or garths, and rabbits were known as coneys, to differentiate them from the similar hare (a separate species). The term warren was also used as a name for the location where hares, partridges and pheasants were kept, under the watch of a game keeper called a warrener. In order to confine and protect the rabbits, a wall or thick hedge might be constructed around the warren, or a warren might be established on an island.
The word cuniculture emanated in the early 1700s. During this period the number of rabbits being kept domestically in Europe and other parts of the world where rabbits are a delicacy dramatically increased. The word cuniculture also became popular among modern rabbit raisers using scientific methods and practice in the late 90s. Deliberate rabbit breeding during this period was practiced by individuals, cooperatives, and by national breeding centers for meat, wool, fur, exhibition and laboratory experiments. Cuniculture remained a small scale but persistent household and farm endeavor, in many locations unregulated by the rules that governed the production of larger livestock. With the ongoing urbanization of worldwide population, cuniculture gradually declined, but saw resurgences in Europe, North America and Asia during World War II, in conjunction with victory gardens. Eventually, farmers across Europe and in the United States began to approach cuniculture with the same scientific principles as had already been applied to the production of grains, poultry, and hoof stock. National agriculture breeding stations were established to improve local rabbit strains and to introduce breeds that are more productive.
Related: Cuniculture in Europe
In Africa however, little has been document on the history and development of cuniculture during this period. Meanwhile, rabbit raising for local markets gained prominence as an economical means of producing protein. Various aid agencies, International organizations and institutions promote the use of rabbits as livestock. The animals are particularly useful in areas where women are limited in employment outside the household, because rabbits can be kept successfully in small areas. These same factors have contributed to the increased popularity of rabbits as ‘backyard livestock’ among locavores and homesteaders in more developed countries in North America and Europe. Throughout Asia, and particularly in China, rabbits are increasingly raised intensively and sold for export around the world.
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Modern methods for housing domestic rabbits vary from region to region around the globe and by type of rabbit, technological & financial opportunities and constraints, intended use, number of animals kept, and the particular preferences of the owner/farmer. Various goals include maximizing number of animals per land unit (especially common in areas with high land values or small living areas) minimizing labor, reducing cost, increasing survival and health of animals, and meeting specific market requirements (such as for clean wool, or rabbits raised on pasture.) Not all of these goals are complementary. Where governments have regulated the keeping of rabbits, specific requirements have been put in place. Various industries also have commonly accepted practices which produce predictable results for that type of rabbit product.
Rabbits are increasingly being raised for meat production in a variety of settings around Africa. Small-scale smallholder or backyard operations remain common in many tropical countries, while larger scale commercial operations occur in Europe and Asia. For smaller operations, local breeds of various types may be used. Dwarf, giant, and medium breeds, fur and meat breeds all have characteristics that make them suitable for small-scale production.
Breeds such as the New Zealand and Californian, as well as hybrids of these breeds, are most frequently utilized for meat in commercial rabbitries. Their primary qualities as good meat rabbit breeding stock are growth rate and mothering ability. Uniform growth rates & size at slaughter are also considered important factors. Specific lines of commercial breeds have been developed over the years - they maximize these qualities. Rabbits are slaughtered as early as seven weeks and does of these strains routinely raise litters of 8 to 12 kits. Other breeds of rabbit developed for commercial meat production include the Florida White and the Altex.
Rabbit breeding stock raised in France is particularly popular with meat rabbit farmers internationally, some being purchased as far away as in China in order to improve the local rabbit herd.
Larger-scale operations attempt to maximize income by balancing land use, labor involved, animal health, and investment in infrastructure. Specific infrastructure and strain qualities depend on the geographic area. An operation in an urban area may emphasize odor control and space utilization by stacking cages over each other with automatic cleaning systems that flush away feces and urine. In rural sub-tropical and tropical areas, temperature control becomes more of an issue, and the use of air-conditioned buildings is common in many areas.
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Prior to the development of modern balanced rabbit rations, rabbit breeding was limited by the nutrition available to the doe. Without adequate calories and protein, the doe would either not be fertile, would abort or re-adsorb the foetuses during pregnancy, or would deliver small numbers of weak kits. Under these conditions, a doe would be re-bred only after weaning her last litter when the kits reached the age of two months. This allowed for a maximum of four litters per year. Advances in nutrition, such as those published by the USDA Rabbit Research Station, resulted in greater health for breeding animals and the survival of young stock. Likewise, offering superior, balanced nutrition to growing kits allowed for better health and less illness among slaughter animals.
Current practices include the option of re-breeding the doe within a few days of delivery (closely matching the behavior of wild rabbits during the spring/early summer, when forage availability is at its peak.) This can result in up to eight or more litters annually. A doe of ideal meat-stock genetics can produce five times her body weight in fryers a year. Criticism of the more intensive breeding schedules has been made, because re-breeding that closely is excessively stressful for the doe.
Determination of health effects of breeding schedules is made more difficult by the domestic rabbit's reproductive psychology - in contrast to several other mammal species, rabbits are more likely to develop uterine cancer when not used for breeding than when bred frequently.
Rabbit fryers are rabbits that are between 70 and 90 days of age, and weighing between 3 and 5 lb. (1 to 2 kg) live weight. Rabbit roasters are rabbits from 90 days to 6 months of age weighing between 5 and 8 lb. (2 to 3.5 kg) live weight. Rabbit stewers are rabbits from 6 months on weighing over 8 lb. Dark fryers (any other color but whites) are typically lower in price than albino fryers because of the slightly darker tinge of the fryer (purely pink carcasses are preferred by consumers) and because the hide is harder to remove manually than the white albino fryers.
Giving the circumstance we are in were our population keeps growing without relative increase in the production of good food that will feed this population, a resurgence of cuniculture is taking place across Africa and the world around to keep hunger and malnutrition at bay, to keep poverty and crime at bay, to make the world a better and safer place to live in.
Related:
Estimated cost of starting a rabbit raising business in Nigeria
General outlook of rabbit farming in Nigeria
General outlook of rabbit farming in Nigeria
