MY BASIC GUIDE TO BACKYARD RABBIT FARMING
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| Alfred(JF) |
This article gives a simple and compact guide to starting a successful backyard rabbit farming business.
TERMINOLOGIES
Buck - adult male
Doe - adult female
Kitten - young rabbit
Litter - female with young ones (rabbits) born on the same day by one doe
Hutches - house of rabbits or pen in which rabbits live
Suckling - feeding of the young ones on the mother’s breast milk
Dam - the mother of a set of young rabbits
Sire - the father of a set of young rabbits
Broiler - a young rabbit ready for market
WHY RABBITS?
They are cheap
- It is not expensive to keep them. They can be kept in a relatively small space.
- Rabbits can eat waste materials, and they are efficient at extracting protein from forage (Samkol and Lukefahr, 2008).
- The rabbit's basic shelter needs are modest. It is fortunate that a variety of locally available building materials used in the construction of simple sheds, hutches, nest boxes, hay racks and feeding and watering equipment are generally abundant in tropical developing countries
- Suitable shelter for rabbits can be made in an outdoor shed, backyard, veranda or spare room, or a complete hutch (cage with roof and siding) can be constructed. Similarly, accessory equipment, hay racks, nest boxes, salt and feeding and watering containers can be made from a diversity of products, including such refuse items as bottles and tins. Nest boxes made of wood, clay, metal and basket materials are useful for accommodating young litters.
- They eat almost anything. Rabbits are herbivores and will consume large quantities of forage (greens), which people do not eat and convert this forage into valuable meat for human consumption. Practically, rabbits can be fed anything from the garden, forest or kitchen including banana and papaya (pawpaw) peels, pineapple cores, corn stalks, weeds, vines from pulses, leaves (cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots) etc. This indicates that rabbits compete minimally with humans for grains.
Products they offer
Environment friendliness
- Their manure does not smell too much.
- Rabbits are quiet and small,
- Rabbits do not need force to be restrained.
- Because they are noiseless, rabbits can be raised in garages and servants' quarters in urban centers without infringing on the peace of the neighbors.
- You don’t have to pluck them.
They are Nutritious
- Their meat is nutritious,
They are prolific
- Litters (number per birth) are large with short generation intervals (meaning a quick economic return).
Farming with rabbits is becoming increasingly popular business in Nigeria. On a small scale they’re probably the easiest animal to raise, and they’re easy to process.
To start a successful backyard rabbit business one does not need a large initial investment. A few does (females) with a ram or buck (male) is enough to start, once the kindling begins, the herd rapidly increases in size (if done well and with no bad luck) so that very soon one can slaughter the young males.
Contrary to popular belief, rabbits are not rodents and do not belong to the rodent family. Rabbits are Lagomorpha, belonging to the family Lagomorph, which is closely related to horses. Rabbits are livestock, and very good livestock, too, (the cleanest and most disease-free of all).
SELECTING BREEDING STOCK
Do make sure that you buy healthy rabbits with bright eyes, dry noses and clean ears and feet. The rabbit’s fur should be smooth and clean and its teeth in line.
Do not buy a mature female because you cannot always know how old she is. She might for instance have reached the end of her productive life and will be of no use. Long toenails indicate that the rabbit is older.
Select your rabbits from parents which have a good breeding record. A female that does not perform well will also have poor offspring.
Buy breeding stock when they are about 6 months old. Select your rabbits from parents which have a good breeding record. A female that does not perform well will also have poor offspring.
Replace your breeding stock every 3 years and get rid of poor performers.
FEEDING
A rabbit's diet should include grass hay, greens, pellets, fruits (optional), grains/cereals (optional), forage/roots, Kitchen and harvest waste like maize leaves and stalk, cabbage (not too much), watermelon and pineapple peel, yam and potato peel, rice and wheat straw, lettuce. Do not feed cabbage to the female while she is in milk as it can lower milk production. They also enjoy food such as maize meal, rice bran, porridge, bread, weeds and leaves of fruit trees.
See list of plants that are POISONOUS to rabbits.
- Do not introduce sudden changes in the rabbit’s diet.
- Do not feed rabbits greens that have become heated, food that has been sprayed with pesticides, spoiled food or moldy hay.
- Clean water should always be available. Never leave them without water.
- Feed the rabbits early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Most of the food should preferably be given late in the afternoon.
You can grow your own green material for rabbit here
BREEDING
Female rabbits are ready to breed when they are 4 to 6 months old and males when they are 5 to 6 months old. Keep the male rabbits in separate cages.
When breeding always put the female into the male’s cage. If the mating was successful the male will roll over. If the female is not ready for mating, she will try to run away. When mating does not take place, the female can be put into the male’s cage for the next 5 to 6 days. The female is more productive during springtime, summer and early autumn. After breeding, pregnancy lasts about one month.
You can learn how to palpate a female rabbit here
Birth
About 25 days after mating, soft dry grass can be placed in a clean dry nesting box for the female. The female will add some of her own fur to the grass. Stay away from the cage at this stage until the babies have been born.
The babies are usually born during the early morning hours. Inspect the babies carefully to see if they are alive and well. Remove dead babies immediately. Try not to touch the babies unless it is absolutely necessary. The female may reject the babies if she picks up your smell on them. It is wise to put a strong-smelling nontoxic substance on the female's nose before handling the babies. The babies should lie close together in the nesting box.
Make sure that the babies are suckling and well nourished. Females, who have babies for the first time, may eat them . The female cannot always feed all the babies if there are too many (rabbits have 8 tits). Some of the babies can then be given to another female who only has a few babies. The babies should be of the same age. Cow’s or goat’s milk is a suitable substitute where the mother cannot rear the babies.
Weaning
The baby rabbits can be weaned from the age of 30 to 35 days. At this stage they can be taken away from their mother. Put the young females and males in separate cages.
Depending on the feeding and management level, the female can be mated again from 2 to 3 days up to 1 month after having given birth.
Young rabbits are usually big enough to be eaten or sold at the age of 3 to 4 months. If you keep them for a longer period they will eat much more and the males will begin to fight nasty if kept together.
EQUIPMENT
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| Bottle Drinkers |
Drinkers
Drinkers should be regularly cleaned and periodically checked for leaks and blockage to ensure availability of water supply.
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| J Feeders |
Feeders
Metal is a logical choice than wood which can be chewed upon by rabbits. Placing feeding troughs outside the cage makes refilling faster and easier. In case crocks or cans are used, they should be placed high enough to minimize contamination/waste and should be tied to the cage to prevent tipping over.
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| Wire Cages |
Cages
Wire cages are recommended over wooden ones because they are durable and are easy to clean and disinfect. Hutches (or cages) with wooden parts are not sanitary and/or convenient to manage. A 76.2 cm x 76.2 cm x 45.7 cm wire cage is large enough for a doe and litter. This cage can be used for each as it allows room for adequate exercise. On the other hand, an 80cm x 60cm x 60cm cage can be used, especially if kits are left with the doe until 8 weeks of age. If kits are not removed at 4 weeks and raised separately, the larger cage will support 7-8 kits to market age (1.8 kg). About 7 grow-out cages are required for every 10 working does.
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| Different dimensions of nest boxes |
Nest boxes
The nest boxes should provide adequate ventilation and protect litter from drafts. A nest box measuring 30.5 x 30.5 x 61 centimeters (cm), with one side cut down to 15.24 cm for the doe to easily go in and out the nest box. The nest box should half filled with straw.
HEALTH MANAGEMENT
Diseases
Rabbits are susceptible to several diseases that reduce production to unprofitable levels. The common diseases of rabbits are scours (also referred to as bloat or mucoid enteritis), coccidiosis, ear mange, sore eyes (weepy eyes), sore hocks and vent disease (rabbit syphilis). In addition, the respiratory disease caused by Pasturella multocida is responsible for decreased productivity and a high mortality rate in does.
To help prevent diseases, observe strict biosecurity. This includes not permitting visitors inside the rabbitry, as they may introduce disease, causing additional stress to the animals.
Clean and disinfect the cages regularly to prevent spread of disease.
Other steps that help to maintain a rabbit herd’s health include:
- Isolate new rabbits (or those returning from shows) for 30 days.
- Quickly dispose of dead rabbits. In case disease is suspected, disinfect cage and all equipment, and burn droppings.
- Clean cages regularly. Clean doe cage before the nest box is put in and before the litter comes out of the nest (about 2 weeks).
- Keep water clean.
- Control flies and vermin.
RECORD KEEPING
Keeping complete and accurate records is an essential part of herd management, as well as, in measuring performance of a rabbit enterprise. In the absence of accurate records, it will be extremely difficult for the rabbit farmer to make meaningful management decisions. Therefore, it is important that records are accurate and up to date to guide informed management decisions. Accurate records are used to maximize the efficiency of the enterprise. Records are generally used for the purposes of control, assessment and planning. Everyday management decisions are based on key records. Records of breeding, nesting, kindling, purchases, weight culling, replacement selection, feed conversion, mortality and marketing should be maintained.
MARKETING
Rabbits will reach market age at about 8 weeks of age or less. Rabbits may be sold live or dressed. In most cases producers must develop their own markets.
Meat rabbits must have good loins, shoulders, hips and pelts. Rabbits raised for meat are generally marketed as broilers, weighing 2.0 to 2.3 kg live weight. The fur market requires that rabbits have meaty carcasses and clean, top quality pelts. To obtain a satisfactory price, a large number of pelts are usually required. The price of pelts depends on quality. For research work, rigid guidelines may be specified such as a specific age, sex, size or breed. The market for rabbits raised for research is generally handled on a contract basis.
COMMON DISEASES & TREATMENTS
Scours (bloat or mucoid enteritis)
This disease accounts for a high percentage of mortality in young rabbits, with the highest mortality occurring at 4 and 9 weeks of age. The cause of the disease is unknown.
Symptoms
- Lack of appetite (anorexia)
- Below normal temperature of 38.9 – 39.4 oC
- Animal grits its teeth
- Intense thirst and bloat may occur because of excessive production of gas disease organisms.
- Weight loss of 20 to 25% in 1 or 2 days due to constipation or severe diarrhea
- The digestive system is usually full of a watery substance
- An excretion of a clear, jelly-like substance
Treatment
- Prevention is the best treatment for this disease. You can prevent it by feeding young rabbits only dry food until they are 4 months old, before you introduce green.
- However, to treat the disease in other ways, use water soluble chlortetracycline or oxytetracyline at a concentration of 4 g per 4.5 liters.
- You might also consider a trip to the nearest vet.
Coccidiosis
This disease is caused by a protozoan, Eimeria sp. Animals that recover from the disease frequently become carriers of this disease. Any rabbit showing signs of coccidiosis should be removed from the herd. The disease is in two forms: liver and intestinal. The so-called nasal coccidiosis results from rabbits contaminating the mucous membranes of their nose while practicing corprophagy (eating their faeces). Corprophagy is normal in rabbits and many other animal species as a way of recycling nutrients, especially B vitamins.
Symptoms
Young rabbits are susceptible to coccidiosis and its symptoms include:
- Diarrhea
- Poor appetite
- Rough hair coats
- Retarded growth
- Small white spots found on the liver and intestines may be thickened and pale.
Treatment
Coccidiostats are available in the market. For example, sulfaquinoxaline in drinking water at 0.04% continuously for 2 weeks is recommended for the liver type of coccidiosis. Contact your nearest veterinarian for assistance.
Sore hocks (ulcerative pododermatitis)
Sore hocks usually occur on wire floor cages. Sores appear on the hocks and rabbits sit humped and listless. This condition is due to an infection and inflammation of the foot pad.
Treatment
To prevent this, do just these two things; provide a flat board for the rabbits to rest their feet and feed them well.
To treat this however, soak hocks in warm, soapy water and/or apply zinc or iodine ointments to prevent secondary infections. Thereafter, place the animal on clean bedding.
Sore eyes (weepy eyes)
Infected animals have a watery, milky discharge around the eyes because of vitamin A deficiency, infection or injury.
Treatment
Bathe eyes in warm boric acid solution and use an antibiotic ointment of 5 percent sulfathiazole.
Vent disease (Rabbit syphilis)
Infected animals have a raw skin around the vent which may be swollen and covered with scabs. The disease causing organism is spread in breeding. Infected animals should be isolated and scabs removed and thereafter an antibiotic ointment applied on daily basis.
Parasites
Rabbits are intermediate hosts for two tapeworms of the dog. Also, the rabbit is an intermediate host of the cat. Dogs and cats should not be allowed near the rabbits’ feed, water and bedding as they transmit tapeworm eggs in their faeces. Again, dogs and cats should not eat the intestines of rabbits because they may become infected and continue the cycle of infection.
Ear mites (Ear mange, canker)
This is the common parasite infection of the domestic rabbit. An infected rabbit shakes its head and flops or scratches its ears to rid itself of mites. Thick crusts of mites and serum accumulate inside the ear. In severe cases symptoms include spasms of eye muscles and nerve damage leading to partial paralysis and secondary infections.
Treatment
Apply mineral oil into ear every 3 to 4 days.
Swab the ear with a mixture of 1 part iodoform, 10 parts ether and 25 parts vegetable oil. All scales must be removed prior to swabbing.
Repeat treatment 6-10 days after first treatment.
Alternatively, apply swabbing solution in 25-30% emulsion of benzyl benzoate in vegetable oil.
Locally available palm kernel oil (oil extracted from the nut inside the hard kernel, not red oil) can be used in place of any oil above.
If you are a man reading this I urge you to help boost consumption of rabbit meat in your homes. You should make a point of buying at least a kilo of rabbit meat for your family now and then as the meat is classified as white meat, which is healthy and prevents various lifestyle diseases. Doing this will go a long way in improving the health status of the family and the country.
Meanwhile, international organizations and donors including WHO UNO and MSF have issued warnings which have estimate over a million children to die due to malnutrition in the coming years and that 37% Nigerians as malnourished. This is a scathing truth which the Nigerian government must take steps to address urgently.
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