By Augustine Aminu with agency reports
Rabbit farming business is a business that has a high booming capacity. Rabbit farming, also called cuniculture, refers to the keeping of rabbits for their meat, fur and byproducts.
According to some research, Rabbit meat is the major reason why Nigerian rabbit farmers breed them. Little attention is placed on their fur. The meat is among the meats classified as white meat. As the importance of rabbit farming in Nigeria continues to spread to more people, its high demand would continue to increase.
If you have an interest in learning how to start rabbit farming business, the following tips will guide you.
Starting a rabbit farm goes beyond building a rabbit hutch and stocking it with rabbits.
You need to also learn the business from an expert and apply other tips that will guarantee your success.
In this article, you will learn what rabbit farming is all about and how profitable this niche is.
You will also learn the different equipment you need for rabbit farming and steps that will make you profitable in the business.
What is rabbit farming?
Rabbit farming involves the practice of breeding, fattening and raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their meat, fur, or wool.
Another name for rabbit farming is cuniculture.
Rabbits [Oryctolagus cuniculus] are small animals or micro-livestock that have long legs which they use to hop around.
You can also regard rabbits as pseudo-ruminants because they eat a lot of plant stuff and roughage but do not regurgitate like ruminants.
Why do people keep rabbits?
rabbit farming business guide
There are many reasons for rearing rabbits.
Many farmers rear rabbits for meat while others keep rabbits as pets.
For scientists, rabbit is an important laboratory animal for research purposes.
Mostly, medical laboratories use rabbits for testing new medical products, nutritional studies and many more.
Researchers prefer rabbits because they are small and do not occupy a large space.
Other reasons for keeping rabbits is for their fur or wool which is good for producing different types of clothing.
Is rabbit farming profitable?
Rabbit farming has the potential to be one of the most profitable livestock farming business you can think of.
The reason is that rabbit farming is more convenient and easy to practice.
Just like starting a poultry farming business, rabbit farming requires just a little capital and a small space.
As a beginner, you can start with as little as 2 does and 1 buck.
The doe is the female rabbit while the buck is male.
Because rabbits are very prolific breeders, with just 2 does and 1 buck, you can have as many as 50 rabbits in a year.
However, that’s possible if all conditions remain constant.
In reality, the survival and reproduction rate of the rabbits will depend on how you care for them.
Rabbits often give birth to large litters, and they do so up to two or three times a year.
Also, rabbits grow very fast and reach market size quicker than most other livestock.
As a result, you can have a quick return on your investment and enjoy your profits.
That’s not all, rabbit droppings make excellent fertiliser.
They contain more nutrients for plants than droppings from other animals and are useful fertiliser for growing vegetables
So, for entrepreneurs who find interest in animal husbandry or livestock farming, commercial rabbit farming can prove to be very profitable.
Rabbit farming for beginners:
As a beginner in the rabbit farming business, this is where your journey begins.
While it is true that you can make a lot of profit from rabbit farming, you need to lay a good foundation.
It is very important to ensure that every farmer begins his farming business with a business plan.
Having a business plan for your rabbit farming venture is the best and only true foundation to lay.
The rabbit farming business plan will guide you as you venture into this agribusiness.
It will help you make accurate financial projections for the business and also help you identify your target market.
The feasibility study that comes with writing a business plan will help you know the ins and outs of the business before starting.