Getting ready to breed

WHY DO YOU WANT TO BREED?

To get started you need to decide if you are more interested in selling fiber (wool) or butchering your rabbits for meat. Angora rabbits are definitely the most profitable if you wish to sell fiber. If you are planning to sell rabbit meat, you should think of slaughtering and storage facilities in addition to your usual farm facilities 

WHAT BREED IS THE BEST?

Two medium-size breeds, the New Zealand White (NZW) and the Californian, are the most important for meat production. Other meat breeds include Californian, Champagne d’ Argent, English Spot, and Flemish Giant, but these may not receive a top price because of their colored fur. Breeds developed for fur include American Chinchilla, Checkered Giant, Silver Marten, and Rex. The Angora was developed for wool and meat. Laboratory breeds include Dutch, English Spot, Himalayan, and Polish. Pet breeds include Holland Lop, Polish, Dutch, and Mini Lop. There are over 50 breeds of domestic rabbit that are raised for meat, show, laboratory use, and fur and wool production. However, in Nigeria the most common breeds are New Zealand and Chinchilla

WHAT TYPE OF HOUSING IS THE BEST?

Putting into consideration availability of housing materials, durability, cost and protection for the animals, against predators and harsh weather conditions such as rain, sun and cold, you will have to decide for yourself how, where, and what to build for your rabbits. To keep your start-up cost low, you can construct rabbit housing yourself locally sourced construction materials, like scrap woods, bamboo sticks, grass for roofing, ply woods etc.  

HOW MANY RABBITS DO I NEED?

Depending on the purpose of breeding and the size of market in your area, you can decide to start with 2 bucks and 5-10 does. For personal meat production 1 male rabbit and 2-3 female rabbits is what I recommend. For a large-scale commercial operation, you can start with ten units, with each unit having a buck and ten does. No matter how many does you decide to start with, always keep it in mind that this cute animals are prolific in nature, and that your herd will soon double once the first batch of kits mature. 

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE MY START UP STOCK?

Go to your nearest producer and select from his younger stock even if you have to feed the animals awhile before they mature (at six months). They need time to get used to you and their new home. The thick issue is that one has to be cautious, this can be done with the help of a trusted breeder who will help you to select quality start up stock from the stock they have for sale. Most often, you will have the opportunity to see, touch and feel the rabbits or see photos of them before purchasing them.

Look for broad heads, heavy bones, large feet, and light color.  Examine the ears for pests and the feet for raw wounds. A three month-old’s live weight should be one or two kilogram.

When you cannot buy animals from a reliable source and you have to buy from an unknown person or market there are some things to keep in mind:

Health

The animals have to be healthy. The main signs are a smooth skin, standing ears, clear eyes, quiet breathing, and no mange (scabies) forming crusts around the nose, eyes, at the edges of the ears or inside the ears as a dirty mass. Put them on the ground and let them jump to watch for irregular legs, inspect the anus to see whether it is dirty from diarrhea (should not be!) which is often the case in young rabbits. Check the stomach (abdomen) of the animal. It should feel soft but smooth; a spongy feeling may indicate some intestinal troubles Watch for sneezing rabbits. Dirty front legs and/or dirty nose may indicate a coughing disease (pasteurellose), because the animals .wash their nose with their front legs.

Gender

The sexing of very young animals is not so easy. The older males have two big testes. If only one testis shows, do not use him for breeding even though he is fertile, because it is a hereditary defect. If you are still not sure, which is often the case with young rabbits, hold the rabbit on its back, put one finger on the tail side of the genital apparatus and one on the abdominal side. Press down gently and stretch the organ; if it is a doe, a long slit will appear. If it is a buck, a small curved penis will show (figure 2). Do not confuse two small glands about the size of a pinhead on either side of the sexual organ with the testes.

Buying rabbits, sexing and judging their quality can only be learned by making mistakes first and thereby gathering experience. However, it is by no means an impossible or difficult task.

Risks

Buying breeding stock at a market implies risks and no guarantee can be given. A market is gathering and meeting place for diseases and in general, farmers are unlikely to take their best animals to the market to sell there. The salesperson often does not keep rabbits himself so he is also a poor adviser, moreover he will not know anything of the history of the rabbit, or he will only pretend to know. For example if you buy a reasonable looking rabbit, who will tell you whether she is pregnant (if you cannot feel it yourself), whether she is infertile or should be bred, or whether she is actually still too young to be mated?

WHAT WILL IT COST TO GET MY BREEDING STOCK

Apart from transportation fare to and from where you are purchasing your breeding stock bellow are generally accepted prices for rabbits of different age in Nigeria. The prices, however, might be slightly different from what the breeder is willing to sell the stock for, as there are no laws regulating the prices. Just be sure you do not get your fingers burnt.

3-5 months old:  1500 – 2000

6-8 months old:  2000 – 2500

1 year up:          3000

The prices of a breeding is greatly affected by the breed and purpose of the rabbit; for example, a pet breed are usually more expensive, ranging from 3000-5000 per rabbit.