BUNNY RABBIT FARM’S  MIDAS TOUCH 

 A fast  growing  farming  enterprise  curves  a lucrative market niche in  farming rabbits

 By Joseph Macharia

Bunny Rabbit Farm, an exclusive rabbit-rearing  enterprise,   has spotted a lucrative market niche for rabbits’ urine. The farm,  located in Kikuyu,  was started in early 2020 after the  Covid-19 pandemic unleashed economic havoc that saw many  people lose their jobs. It is out of these difficult circumstances that the proprietor  of Bunny Rabbit Farm ventured  into agribusiness  as a way of generating an extra income.

The farm began with only  fifteen  rabbits; ten  females and five  males  –  majorly the New Zealand, Chinchilla, California White, Checkered and Flemish Giant breeds. Since then, this  number has grown to over five hundred rabbits  of  close to ten distinct breeds.   The enterprise has   been selling fifty rabbits  every month ( branded Sawa)  to  Gilani’s Supermarket in  Nairobi.  A kilogram of rabbit’s meat fetches around Kshs. 700 in the market. Additionally, they have been supplying local farmers who are starting rabbit farming with various breeds in places like Eldoret and Embu.

The Real Business

While Bunny Rabbit Farm has been selling rabbits for meat, it is the domestic animal’s   urine that they have specialized in , according  to  Patrick Kamau ,  the farm manager.   “ We collect urine which has more potential  than meat, because farmers use it  for organic farming,” he says.  The farm sells a litre of urine at Kshs. 100 with most clients booking online via their Facebook page.

“We collect about one hundred  litres of urine every day – fifty  during the night and fifty  during daytime,” Kamau  explains. A simple calculation translates  a hundred litres of urine to Kshs.  10,000 on a daily basis (that is  a hundred  litres multiplied  by Kshs.  100 per litre). In a month,  that comes to Kshs. 300,000.

The urine is not collected anyhow.  On the  contrary, it is done with utmost care to ensure that  it does not mix with water which may lower its pH. “There is a way of collecting the urine because it’s not supposed to mix with water since whoever is buying checks the pH, which must range from 500 to 700,” Kamau  explains.  “ This is because it is used for farming where one litre is mixed with five litres of water,” he adds.

Going Green

As the world resorts to green solutions in a bid to contain the adverse  effects of climate change and global warming, rabbits’ urine is proving to be useful, effective and efficient in controlling pests  that give farmers sleepless nights. As an alternative to noxious insecticides and herbicides, the  urine can be used to eradicate  pests without causing harm to our natural eco-systems.

Rabbits’ urine is a boost to organic farming. Living in an age where virtually all food produce contains  considerable amounts of lethal chemicals, rabbits’ urine can be used in spraying plants. It enhances organic  farming and the food is safe for  human consumption. However, the urine must be mixed with water in a ratio of 1:5 litres. “If you spray the urine itself without diluting, it is highly   concentrated and it will destroy your plants,”  Kamau cautions.

Moreover, urine from rabbits which is rich in nitrogen can be used directly as liquid organic fertilizer. It has been  proven to have a higher nitrogen content of 2.72% compared with urine from other animals. Though nitrogen fertilizers, the largest product group can be produced artificially through the Haber-Bosch process, over use has led to deterioration of soil, water and air quality. Thus rabbit urine provides an environmental friendly solution to the overdependence on artificial nitrogen fertilizers.

Rex, Flemish Giant and New Zealand breeds in a rabbit cage.

Challenges and opportunities

Like any other venture, Bunny Rabbit Farm has encountered a fair share of challenges. According to Kamau : “The major challenge is bloating. If you don’t control the pellets you give to rabbits, you get a lot of bloating. If a rabbit bloats, it takes less than one hour before it’s gone,” he explains. To reduce the deaths of rabbits from this menace, they avoid feeding on green feeds. Instead,  they give fairly withered green produce. “We give some green vegetables, some left-overs from the farm, but we make sure they are dry, they wither a little bit – not much. A withering plant is  yellowish, since it has limited water,” Kamau further says.

When they started, they didn’t know where they could sell the urine. After  realizing  that rabbit’s urine can be more profitable than its meat, they educated local farmers  about that. In turn, these farmers became their customers.  The challenge turned into an opportunity. To ice the cake, they are being engaged by investors who are considering starting factories related to manufacturing of foliar. “We have 3,000 litres of urine that we supply to farmers in Makuyu,” Kamau says.  “ People who want to start factories to make foliar out of rabbits’ urine are also approaching us and we’re in talks with them,” he adds.

Given the high  ignorance of people on the benefits of rabbits’ white meat, the farm has been experiencing challenges with selling their meat to locals. ” Some customers mistake a slaughtered rabbit for a cat, while others  don’t like consuming its head yet it is the most nutritious  part, “  Kamau  laments, noting that on the contrary, the Chinese crush the head of a rabbit and make a soup just like we do with sheep’s or a goat’s head.  “  In fact, if you send a Chinese a slaughtered rabbit without its head, he will demand for it before paying you,” he says with a chuckle.

Rabbit Keeping 101

Normally,  learning per day  at Bunny rabbit Farm costs Kshs.  1000.  According to Kamau those who are interested in venturing into this business,  should first  visit a farm where rabbits are reared so that  they can  acquaint themselves  with the basics.  Secondly, they should buy  materials for building a structure for the rabbits. The structure should not face  the direction of the wind in order  to  protect  rabbits from getting pneumonia. “You need to have some capital, it’s a big project because you should have pellets if you have not planted hay,” he counsels. For a new farmer,  two  or three  rabbits are a good start.  It is also  advisable  to keep multiple breeds.

“Rabbits are supposed to eat first in the morning fifty  grams of pellets and the same amount in the evening. To minimize bloating, have dried grass tied in their cages because pellets do not have fibre,” Kamau  explains. You may consider providing licking salt which is quite good. As a precaution, buy feeds from certified dealers. Rabbits should also be provided with plenty of clean water preferably using bowls as they are not likely to mix with urine. The bowls need to be cleaned daily and refilled with fresh water. The cages should be cleaned every day to avoid diseases.

 By the same token, prevent mites that affect rabbits in the ears by applying paraffin.  Kamau  cautions farmers to avoid medicines. Instead, they should  only give vitamins for boosting immunity.  One  should have different cages for males and females.  “  If you want your female  rabbit to be served , take  it  to the male’s cage,” Kamau advises.   After that ,  you can  take the female to its cage and wait for ten  days and do a re-run. If the female has already  conceived,  it will produce a queer sound and it won’t co-operate with the male. “  If it did not, it will accept the male’s advances and then you mark the date on your calendar,” Kamau  notes. A rabbit once served takes  twenty eight to thirty two  days to give birth. At all costs,  you should avoid in-breeding as it weakens your breeds. Since males are the determining factor in breeding, if you dispose one,  you ought to replace it  with another male which is not related – from another farm.

Does (female rabbits) should be handled with care when they are about to deliver. Once a doe  has given birth, it should not be disturbed with noises as it may become upset and eat all the kits  in an attempt to rescue them. Nonetheless, there are vicious females who eat some or all of their kits either due to genetic disposition or lack of some nutrients  – like iron and calcium. Such rabbits should be culled. At  four  months, the time when males and female kits can be differentiated, they are separated from the mother and the cycle begins again. A  nine  month old male rabbit is fit to serve,  while a  six month old can conceive.

Future Plans

Bunny Rabbit Farm plans to expand the farm and introduce more people to rabbit farming to exploit existing markets for rabbit meat in countries like China and overseas. “I would like to encourage farmers to do rabbit-rearing because it is rewarding. The fact that most people are increasingly advised by doctors to take white meat signals a great potential for rabbit farming,” Kamau ends.