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HomeBL KilimoNOT A MOMENT OF LIFE IS WASTED ON A FARM

NOT A MOMENT OF LIFE IS WASTED ON A FARM

High demand for healthy eating drives the demand for rabbit meat

By Agnes Mbithi

Rabbit farming in Kenya is a venture that is becoming very popular in Kenya. This is mainly   due to the growing demand for rabbit meat. The business is not hard   to start since you require very little capital. Rabbits are fast growing animals.  They gain maturity fast and become suitable for slaughtering within a period of four to five months. Rabbit meat is one of the best sources of protein. It is   healthier than other meats. As a result, rabbit farming in Kenya is becoming popular day by day. Rabbit meat contains more protein and less fat than beef, turkey, pork and even chicken. The meat is very tasty and nutritious. Even old aged people can easily consume and digest it.

For a long time, rabbit farming in Kenya for meat production was notbeing taken seriously. But nowadays, many farmers are raising rabbits for commercial production of meat and they are earning quite a huge amount of money. Starting rabbit farming in Kenya requires very little capital.  You can even start rabbit farming business in a well-ventilated small space. Commercial rabbit farming in Kenya can be a great source of income and employment. Despite being a business, it is also very pleasing and entertaining. The thriving business has therefore attracted a lot of investors. Kelvin Kiguro is one of them. He started rabbit farming out of passion as well as a part time side hustle. It was through a friend that he was able to learn about rabbit farming. 

Just a few meters from Kiambu town, we get to a village known as Kirigiti where Kedesa Rabbit Farm is located.   The farm was started in 2017 with a vision of empowering the youths by giving them a source of income. “Since I started this kind of business I can’t complain, we take rabbits from farmers for meat because we have big tenders.  Most of the times it becomes hard to satisfy the market needs and therefore we buy rabbits from other farmers,” says Kelvin. On average, the farm slaughters rabbits once in a week –   either on Thursdays or Fridays.  Customers are informed about the slaughter days a day before.

Breeding

Choosing suitable breeds for commercial rabbit farming is one of the most important steps  before starting. “When we were starting the farm, we had little knowledge about the breeds to keep and therefore we started with the local ones, but after several visits to differentfarms, we learnt   about the giant breed which I introduced on our farm,” he says.He further explains that when feeding a local breed for six months (and also    a high breed for a similar period), thehigh breed tends to add a weight of about 3.5 kgs and above compared to the local one. “When we used to rare the local rabbits, they   were weighing a maximum of 3kgs, but going with our market, the more the weight the more the money you receive,” he avers. According to Kelvin, it was necessary for him to shift to the high breeds in order to have his rabbits weigh higher. Despite buying rabbits from other farmers, they also put into consideration the weight that the rabbits have.  Each farmer is required to bring rabbits that weigh a minimum of 2.5 kgs. After slaughtering, the rabbits tend to loss about 1kg or 800 gms, thereby allowing a minimum of 2.5kgs. Even after losing some weight during the process, they still have a considerable amount of weight.

To start with, he considered raring the California white breed, New Zealand White and the Dutch rabbit breed which are considered to be medium. They are mainly referred to as medium breeds because they mature within a period of five months. He later introduced other breeds in his farm such as the Flemish giant rabbit and the Checkered giant rabbit which mature in a period of seven months. ”All those breeds are suitable for commercial production depending on the environment and the climate of an area,” he says. Additionally, you should choose breeds according to your desired production. He further states that it is wise to have all types of breeds because consumers are different. Nevertheless,  in a case where the farmer is raring rabbits for meat purposes ,  he should consider the New Zealand breed, California white, Dutch rabbit, chinchilla, Silver fox, Silver Marten, Havana  and the Flemish giant which are basically the medium breed and  mature faster. The gestation period of a rabbit is 28 to 32 days at maximum and they give birth to about 10 to 12 young ones. A female rabbit is referred to as a doe and a male rabbit is referred to as a buck.

Checkered giant rabbit at Kedesa Rabbit Farm.

Housing

Making suitable rabbit housing is one of themost important stages in   rabbit farming. Rabbits are very clean animals. They love to stay in clean houses with a   good ventilation system. It is wise to choose the method of cages that you want depending on the type of your production and the investment capabilities. Therefore, the first consideration is to have a sufficient amount of capital to enable you construct cages for the rabbits and also help you acquire the right breeds. The construction of cagesdepends on the number of rabbits you plan to rear. The amount of budget set aside for the construction and the size should be considerate to enable proper growth. Not only is the capital important,   but also the need to identify a ready market for your business. The marketing process is one of the most important parts of rabbit farming. Basically, there are no formal markets for selling rabbits products so far.  All the same, rabbit meat slaughter houses are coming up due to the high popularity and increasing demands of rabbit meat. “Before starting the business, you need to know where you will be taking your rabbits. However, you need to conduct a thorough research on how to take care of the rabbits,” he notes. It is very necessary to take some extra care and management for your rabbits.  This can be done by vaccinating them timely in order to keep them free from all types of rabbit diseases. “Ensure that your rabbits never feed on polluted or expired food to keep them as healthy as possible and also try and monitor all their activities,” Kelvin points out. Every business faces its own difficulties therefore one should not fear marketing their products.

Sufficient amount of nutritious and balanced diet foods keep the rabbit healthy and productive. According to him, rabbits for commercial production should be fed with commercially prepared supplementary feeds. Along with this, you can add dry leaves. Sufficient amount of clean and fresh water is also required in addition to nutritious rabbit feeds.

Kedesa Farm has also been able to observe cleanliness.  The cages are cleaned twice a week on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Diseases

There are some diseases among rabbits that can be prevented by ensuring that you have an understanding of the diseases and how they can be prevented. “One of the diseases that my rabbits get is bloating – it is as a result of feeding. If you feed your rabbit with wet leaves, they are prone to bloating and it is a very risky disease because a rabbit cannot survive for a long time,” says Kelvin. He further states that the disease can kill within 24 to 48 hours. Bloating can also be as a result of coccidiosis which also kills a rabbit in 24 hours or less. This can be controlled by fumigating the cages from time to time. It is therefore important to have a closer observation of your rabbits, a correct diet, up to date vaccinations and regular health checks to ensure you detect the early signs of problems and prevent diseases from developing.

There are other common diseases that Kedesa Rabbit Farm faces including overgrown teeth, snuffles and Yakanka which is as a result of poor management of cages among others. A rabbit’s teeth continually grow throughout its life. If a rabbit is not constantly grinding its teeth down by eating fibre, then it starts forming sharp spike on its   molar teeth, hence damaging its   cheeks and tongue. This causes pain that makes them unable to eat. Once a rabbit stops eating, its gut stops working and it can die. “In order to prevent this type of disease then 80 – 90% of the rabbit’s diet needs to be fibre in the form of oaten or grass hay. The rest of the diet should be leafy greens with pellets. For the snuffle disease, it can only occur when your rabbit has had close contact with one that is infected.  This bacteria can only affect the eyes and nose.Most rabbit related diseases are caused by poor management of cages and uncleanliness. It is therefore   important to observe cleanliness and also ensure that the rabbits are well fed.

Advice to upcoming rabbit farmers

“I would advise upcoming rabbit farmers to take their projects seriously.  They should not   listen to the people who might have   tried the business failed,” he says.  He further says that these farmers should be ready to take risks.  Moreover, they should look for mentors.

He aspires to expand his farm by introducing a   variety of commodities, besides  mentoring  other farmers to succeed in agribusiness.

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