3 Reasons why you should seriously consider

3 Reasons why you should seriously consider
rabbit farming
The success stories of these rabbit farmers prove the huge and
largely untapped potential of the rabbit farming business in Africa.
In this section, I’ll reveal three major reasons why you should
seriously consider the rabbit farming business opportunity. Here
they are:
#1    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. (photo credit:
thesaucysoutherner.com)
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).
As a result 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 700 million rabbits are slaughtered worldwide every
year, producing about 1 million metric tons of rabbit meat. The
world's leader in rabbit meat production is China, representing
over 30% of total global production. Rabbit meat is 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.
Rabbits produce high quality skins that are used to make fur
garments (like clothing, hats and boots), and to cover bicycle
seats, etc. Another significant use of rabbits is in cosmetic,
medical and pharmaceutical research laboratories. Rabbits are
also purchased by people who want to keep them as pets.
#2 Rabbit farming is lucrative because rabbits multiply very fast
A single doe (female rabbit) can give birth to (litter) up to 40 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 40 rabbits in less than 12 months. That’s because rabbits
can breed throughout the year and it takes just about a month
(30-33 days) for a pregnant doe to produce baby rabbits.
Photo credit: pocketpause.com
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 converters of the food
they eat. Compared to other livestock animals (poultry, cattle, pigs
etc), rabbits convert up to 20 percent of the proteins they eat into
body weight. That’s 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
rabbit comes to about $1 per month. According to Moses Mutua
(CEO of Rabbit Republic), the resources and cost incurred on
raising one cow is equivalent to what you’d use to raise 40
rabbits. As a result, rabbits offer a higher profit potential than
cattle and other livestock.
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 of time.
#3 Easy to start, cheap to operate and maintain
Rabbits don’t 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. Unlike chickens, cattle and pigs,
rabbits are not noisy animals. They are very clean
animals and don’t easily get attacked by diseases.
Above all, rabbits don’t require a lot of space like
other livestock; it’s the ideal animal to raise in your
backyard or any place with little space. (photo
credit: backyard-rabbits.com)
Raising rabbits is not labour-intensive like cattle and
poultry. Rabbits are easy to feed and often don’t 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.