WHY RAISING RABBITS IS A GOOD BUSINESS
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| Cuniculture |
Have you ever considered rabbit farming as a top business opportunity?
Though rabbit meat may not be as common as chicken, beef or pork, there is no doubt it is a very lucrative business; every year, over one million tons of rabbit meat is consumed worldwide.
In Africa, the consumption of rabbit meat is speedily taking off and many farmers on the continent are already enjoying the benefits of this niche business.
Rabbit meat contains the highest amounts of digestible proteins and the lowest cholesterol and fat of all types of meat. In addition, rabbits are easy to raise; they are clean and require little capital, labor, time and space to manage.
Currently, China, Italy, Spain and France are the leading producers of rabbit meat, which has earned a reputation as a ‘super meat’ due to its nutritional and health benefits.
Related: How to run profitable rabbit farm
In this post, I have also highlighted some good reasons why you should have to start rabbit farming.
With increased awareness of what makes a healthy diet and the economy in turmoil, now is a good time to consider rabbit farming business.
The profits can come in many ways: You can sell the urine for laboratory use, the manure for fertilizer, even the feet for good luck charms. Selling them as pets will also fetch a reasonable sum. Meat, however, is by far the most important product.
In addition, there is a huge market opportunity for rabbits. The growing rate of heart disease and related ailments has increased awareness of the harmful effects of cholesterol in our diets.
More people are now going for ‘white’ meat which contains low amounts of cholesterol. Unlike ‘red meats’ (especially beef and pork), white meats like ostrich, poultry, fish and rabbit meat contain less fats and cholesterols and have higher health benefits.
Apart from fish, rabbit meat has the highest amount of protein and contains the lowest fat than all other types of meat. It contains less calories and Sodium than other meats but contains more calcium and phosphorus (which is very good).
Because of these properties, rabbit meat has become the ‘super meat’ for people looking to eat healthy meats and live a healthier lifestyle. Rabbit meat is also very widely accepted. Unlike snails and pork, there are hardly any religious or cultural taboos about consuming rabbit meat.
More than 800 million rabbits are slaughtered worldwide every year. The world’s leading rabbit meat production is China, representing over 30% of total global production.
Rabbit meat is very popular in countries such as Italy, Spain, France and China. These countries consume the most rabbit per person (about 8kg per person) and are the best export markets for rabbit meat.
Over the years rabbit farming has become lucrative in countries like Kenya.
They reproduce very fast. A single doe (female rabbit) can give birth to (litter) up to 50 kits (baby rabbits) in a single year. This means you can start with two mature breeding rabbits (one male, one female) and end up with over 50 rabbits in less than 12 months. That is because rabbits can breed throughout the year and it takes just about a month (30-32 days) for a pregnant doe to produce baby rabbits.
After they are born, rabbits grow very fast and can reach maturity and market size in less than 6 months. One of the reasons for this fast growth rate is that rabbits are efficient feed converters. Compared to other livestock animals (poultry, cattle, pigs etc.), rabbits convert up to 20 percent of the proteins they eat into body weight. That is higher than any other animal!
A mature rabbit ready for market can sell for up to $22 (depending on the location and customer). However, the cost of raising a single rabbit comes to about $1 per month.
And because rabbits mature quickly and multiply very fast, they offer one of the best opportunities to quickly recover your costs and investment in a short period.
Let us look at what a male and female bunny can offer: With 30 days gestation period the rabbit is able to produce 8-10 kits in 30 days – one or two may die. An average of 50 kits in a year fits in for our projections. With each set maturing and attaining 2-3kg weight in four months, an average of 100 kg in 17 months.
In Nigeria currently the minimum amount for a kg is N450. In 17 months, one female rabbit would have fetched you N45000. Multiply that by 10 if you were to start with 10 does and you will have N4 500 000. Yes, it is real. That N2000 bunny has made you N45000. No other livestock can do so much.
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How to raise meat rabbits |
Rabbits are usually disease free animals but negligence is the only factor that causes complications.
Rabbits do not need any elaborate preparation or huge capital to start up. You can start with two rabbits (male and female) using a basic cage made of wood and chicken wire.
Related: Main target markets for rabbit meat
Unlike chickens, cattle and pigs, rabbits are not noisy animals. They are very clean animals and do not easily get attacked by diseases.
Also, rabbits do not require a lot of space like other livestock; it is the ideal animal to raise in your backyard or any place with little space.
Raising rabbits is not labour-intensive like cattle and poultry. Rabbits are easy to feed and often do not need a lot of attention. As a result, a rabbit farming business can be run on a part time basis.
Some kitchen waste, grass, plant leaves etc. are favorite foods of rabbits. In fact, a single rabbit needs just about 120 grams of food daily. You can feed it in the morning before you go to work and then in the evening when you return.
Therefore, in terms of capital, time, space and labour needs, rabbit farming beats poultry, pig farming, and cattle farming.
In addition, there are few religious or other taboos on rabbit meat (except in vegetarian cultures). Islam does not prohibit eating rabbit meat, for example.
Rabbit farming is adoptable to any location. They can withstand heat or cold and are less affected by common livestock diseases in the country. For disease management, all that is required is cleanliness and caution then you will not have to worry about vaccination or treatment of diseases.
Rabbits produce high quality skins that are used to make fur garments (like clothing, hats and boots) etc.
Another significant use of rabbits is in cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical research laboratories. People who want to keep them as pets also purchase rabbits.
Related: It’s no longer rabbit farming
