8 Steps To Start Up Rabbit Farming In Nigeria

Are you thinking of a profitable agricultural farming business you can start up in Nigeria? Well, I suggest rabbit farming should be the best option for now, and here’s why?

Rabbit farming is easy and convenient to start up, All you need is a small piece of land and a few cages, and viola, and you start making cool money.

Rabbit Farming requires.

• Small space
• Clean Environment
• Fodder crops ( Green rich and fresh grasses)
• Fruits and Vegetables like ( Carrots, cabbage, banana, lettuce, etc) they eat it all.
• Less capital is needed to start up
• With about 200 thousand nairas, you can start your rabbit farming and make lots of returns from it, due to its prolific nature

What does Prolific mean in Rabbit farming?

While starting your rabbit farming, I recommend you buy 2 does( female rabbits) and 1 buck( male rabbit).

Within a period of one year, the buck would have mated with the 2 does and that could give you about 50 rabbits or more. Interesting right?

Now Imagine you start with 10 female rabbits (Does) and 5 male rabbits ( Buck), you’ll be expecting 250 rabbits or more just within a year.

Rabbits produce a lot of offspring(babies), and they reproduce rapidly, hence the meaning of prolific nature.

Furthermore, the different parts of a rabbit can generate income for you. 8 Steps To Start Up Rabbit Farming In Nigeria

what parts of rabbits are sold to make money

• The hairs on a rabbit’s body can be sold and used in making fur, coats, and hats.
• Rabbit meat can be sold, and barbecued, even sold as Suya
• Rabbit faces are a rich source of nutrients and can be sold to farmers as fertilizers for use on their farms…A rich source of manure

Rabbit farming in Nigeria has high profits all because of its high reproduction rate (prolific). You can easily invest in Rabbit farming, start small, and within three months yield a high profit.

Now, the question is how do you start a rabbit farming business?

This post will not only tell you about rabbit nature but will also tell you how you can start up a successful rabbit business in Nigeria.

let’s get to it.

Rabbit Nature

Rabbits are small mammalian animals, in the order of lagomorphs, Leporidae family, 11 Genera, and more than 50 species. It can be identified by its fluffy short tails, whiskers, long ears, and long legs.

As rabbits have different species, so does it range from different sizes. The smallest size of its breeds is 8 inches and weighs less than a pound, while the biggest size can grow as large as a small baby with 20 inches and weighs about 4.5 kg.

It is a mammal that breeds up to 3 to 4 times annually with approximately 8 babies in each breed. Its babies are called kittens or kits. For a kid to grow and take care of itself, it will stay up to 5 months and starts breeding after 2 months.

Note that rabbit doesn’t adapt to heat period, to maintain their population they breed much, also rabbit mothers are absentee parents (which implies that they take care of their kits just once a day).

More About Rabbit

Rabbit is a herbivorous animal that is, it feeds on plants, vegetables, fruits, clovers, grasses, seeds, roots, buds, trees bark, as well as some cruciferous plants.

Most times rabbits can also feed on its drops. They are often referred to as opportunistic feeders.

Rabbits can be reared at home, as well as wild rabbits. The Wild rabbit burrows into the ground called warren with a different opening for an easy escape from predators.

A domestic rabbit needs a regulated environment to protect the rabbit from hypothermia (heat exhaustion).

Rabbits are generally social animals, which are commonly used as pets in different countries.  Also, Rabbit loves to live in colonies, that is in large groups.

The presence of long ears in rabbits makes them able to hear their predators even when far away, and their long legs serve a great purpose in escaping very fast from predators, and most times run in a zigzag pattern.

Its eyes can rotate 360 degrees, which enables them to have a clearer view of its environment and also see things coming from behind.

Rabbit predators include eagles, Hawks, owls, falcons, ground squirrels, feral cats, and wild dogs.

How to start Rabbit farming in Nigeria

For a good start-up in rabbit farming in Nigeria, you need to take the following steps:

• Get vast education on rabbit farming.
• Start with a better rabbit species.
• Register with a good veterinary doctor.
• Purchase or construct rabbit hutches/cages.
• Make available rabbit feeders and drinkers.
• Make a good plan for rabbit feeds.
• Start small.
• Provide enough capital.

Get vast education on rabbit farming

Starting up rabbit farming in Nigeria can be quite lucrative and one needs to gather enough knowledge for a start. This is a wonderful step to take to make a great rabbit Farm.

As above one needs to learn all about rabbit breeding, these can be gotten through reading books (such as animal husbandry books), watching YouTube videos, visiting people who are already involved in rabbit farming, or other good methods to take.

It is very advisable to go through this first step, to know the necessary challenge to meet in the process of farming and get prepared on time.

Start with a better rabbit specie

For a commercial start-up, considering the better specie or breed of rabbit to start with is another step to take. Some rabbits grow smaller than others before their different breeds.

This is another great step in achieving successful rabbit Farms. Different species of rabbits adapt to different countries’ climates and it will be of great value to choose the best for Nigeria. Some of these breeds include:

• White New Zealand – Adults weigh 10 to 11 pounds
• California – Adults weigh 9 to 9.5 pounds
• Champagne d’argent -adult weighs 10 to 10.5 pounds
• Satin- adult weighs 9 to 9.5 pounds
• Flemish giant- weighs 21.5 to 22 pounds

These above-listed breeds are best for commercial purposes in Nigeria, with high production rates.

Register with a good veterinary doctor

This is another great step to achieve before starting a rabbit farm in Nigeria. Just as poultries, other animals, and even human beings get sick and disease, so do rabbits have theirs.

Registering with a good veterinary doctor will make it easier for your rabbit to undergo constant checkups and vaccination to keep your rabbit healthy and disease-free.

Purchase or construct rabbit hutches/cages

Cages or hutches are best made to breed rabbits and note that it needs to be conducive and heat regulated. This is another amazing step to achieving a great rabbit farm in Nigeria. It can be constructed or purchased from the market.

Note while constructing a rabbit cage, to avoid too open poultry wire to prevent penetration of soldier ants, snakes, and other ants as it poses a great threat to the rabbit Farms.

Make available rabbit feeders and drinkers

For a good and clean rabbit hutch, you need to make available rabbit feeders and drinkers. As plates serve for eating and cup for drinking for humans, feeders and drinkers serve alike for rabbit farming.

As used in poultry farms, you need a great feeder and drinker which can be constructed or purchased from the market, for a good start on rabbit farming in Nigeria.

Make a good plan for rabbit feeds

Making a good plan ahead for rabbit feeds is very necessary so as not to run short of feeds. Remember that rabbit feeds are very nutritious as such requires proper attention to attain their nutritional value.

Making an ahead plan includes getting a clear source for the distribution of feeds, searching for the best forest to get vegetables, starting up a good garden to produce rabbit feeds, and also many other ways it can be reached out.

Start small

Rabbits grow rapidly with more than 40 breeds from a female breed annually. Before these, starting with just a male and a female rabbit will make a good start.

Starting with just this will make it easier for you to take adequate care of them and learn more about their adaptation.

Starting with multiple numbers of Rabbits is not really advisable for first-timers as it seems difficult for you to control.

Provide enough capital

This is the ultimate of all for starting up a rabbit farm in Nigeria. Enough capital is needed to achieve all the above-listed steps, especially its feeds.

It doesn’t require huge capital but enough amount is needed for the smooth running of the rabbit farms, so as not to run out of capital.

Disadvantages/risks of rabbit farming in Nigeria

1. Rabbit farming costs a lot of money for its maintenance.
2. Rabbit farms can easily be penetrated by disease and infection.
3. It is easily penetrated by snakes, soldier ants, and other insects that pose a threat to rabbits, dogs, or cats and should not be taken close to its cage.
4. Rabbits can be destructive mammals if not train well.
5. Rabbit can be very messy and therefore requires constant cleaning.

Advantages of rabbit farming in Nigeria

1. Rabbits reproduce vast and grow fast.
2. They serve as great pets to own due to their docile nature.
3. It is a great source of income.
4. It requires cheap labor.
5. Rabbits also substitute for poultry products.
6. Rabbit farming can be taken as a part-time business.
7. It’s in great demand in Nigeria.
8. Its meat serves as a great source of protein.

In conclusion

Rabbit farming in Nigeria serves good commercial purposes ranging from its meat, laboratory experiments, fur, etc.

Its poo drops also serve as the best compost for your garden and farm. Rabbits are very sensitive animals. Having rabbits in your household or farming rabbit is of great importance.