Domesticated rabbit is the only animal which can produce 10
to 15 times or more of its own body weight in a year through its Progenies. A
scientifically cared and well managed Rabbitry can generate good profit
within few days.
India, where enormous meat
shortages exist, the potential for rabbit production is greatest Rabbit meat
serves a source of Low saturated fat for the population overfed countries and
as a source of cheap animal protein in underfed countries, thus exhibiting the
varied potential of rabbit farming. Broiler rabbits must be considered as an
important contributor of protein source to assure food security because of the
ability of the species to produce high quality and quantity of meat.
The
wool produced by rabbits is the finest, lightest and warmest among all animal
fibres and is preferred for manufacturing of high value woollens which have got
very good export potential. Rabbit wool also have medicinal properties and its
garments are recommended in arthritis due to its electrostatic properties.
The advantages of rabbit farming:
- · Rabbits have small body size leading to efficient space utilization
- · Rabbits are highly prolific and a good female can produce 25 to 30 kits (young ones) per year
- · Rabbit Farming requires less space and it can be done as commercial or as backyard farming
- · Rabbits are the best producers of wool on per kg body weight basis. They require 30 % less digestible energy to produce one kg of wool as compared to sheep.
- · Rabbits consume a large amount of forage from diverse origins and hence, can be reared on roughages with very less quantity of costly concentrate feed
- · Initial investment cost is low
- · Quick returns i.e. six months after the establishment of farm
- · Income generation at quarterly interval makes the repayment easy.
- · Within 3 months a baby Rabbit gain market weight of 2 kgs to 2.5 kgs.
- · Rabbit meat is defined to be the most nutritious meat known to man. It is white meat and it has been found to provide good health and prevent excess fat, heart diseases, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetics and cancer among those who eat it.
Scope of rabbit farming:
Rabbit farming is another livestock activity with great
scope as it is relatively easy, rewarding and takes little space compared to
other livestock activities. Rabbit farming can also provide a very valuable
additional source of income in the rural areas. Another important consideration
is food production cycle, which shows that rabbit need not be in competition
with man for it’s food. For producing high quality woollens, blending with
other fine quality fibres is essential. The other livestock species which is
source of wool is sheep. The wool produced by Indian sheep breeds are of not
fine quality. Therefore, currently we are importing the fine wool. The wool
from Angora Rabbits is of very high quality and it’s blending with carpet wool
of sheep and silk improves the quality of woollens to a great extent.
Good strains of rabbits suitable to our climatic conditions
were developed with the constant efforts of North Temperate Regional Station
(NTRS) of the Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSWRI), Garsa, Kullu
and management practices were standardised . Further, it has created adequate
infrastructure for training of the interested farmers for taking up the rabbit
farming on scientific lines. However, Angora rabbit can be reared only in hill
areas. Therefore, Angora rabbit rearing is a boon to the farmers of hill areas,
where the scope for other livestock activities is very limited.
Universal Rabbit Meat Production:
China is the
largest producer of rabbit meat, constituting approximately 40% of global
production. Most of the remainder of global production occurs in Europe. Other
Asian countries viz. Thailand and Vietnam are also in the producers list.China
accounts for approximately a quarter of world exports, with The Netherlands,
Germany, Japan, Switzerland, the United States and other European countries
being the major importing nations. Current rabbit meat supply is far below
estimates of domestic and export demand.
The world
production of rabbit meat is valued to be about 1 million tons; of this the 54%
is produced in the EU. The four biggest world’s producers – China, Italy ,
Spain , France – contribute to almost ¾ of the world production.
The international
trade of rabbit meat involves almost 50 thousands tons, equal to almost the 5%
of the world production, to confirm that the principal part of the world’s
production is destined to the domestic use80 % of the world imports are made by
the European Union. Main importer countries: Italy, Belgium , France , Germany
. Main exporter countries: China , Eastern Europe countries.
Financial assistance:
Loan from
banks with refinance facility from NABARD is available for starting rabbit
farming. For rabbit schemes with very large outlays, detailed project
reports will have to be prepared. The items such as land development,
construction of sheds and other civil structures, purchase of the breeding
stock, equipment, feed cost upto the point of income generation are normally
considered under bank loan. Other items of investment will be considered on
need basis after providing the satisfactory information justifying the need for
such items. The cost of land is not considered for loan. However, if land is
purchased for setting up the rabbit farm exclusively, it can be considered as
beneficiary’s margin money upto a maximum of 10% of the investment cost.
Challenges to successful production:
Specific challenges to the
keeping of rabbits vary by specific practices. Losses from coccidiosis are much
more common when rabbits are kept on the ground (such as in warrens or
colonies) or on solid floors than when on wire or slat cages that keep rabbits
elevated away from urine and faeces. Pastured rabbits are more subject to
predator attack. Rabbits kept indoors at an appropriate temperature rarely
suffer heat loss in comparison to rabbits housed outdoors in summer. At the
same time, if rabbits are housed inside without adequate ventilation,
respiratory disease can be a significant cause of disease and death. Production
does on fodder are rarely able to raise more than 3 litters a year without
heavy losses from deaths of weak kits, abortion, and re-adsorption, all related
to poor nutrition and inadequate protein intake. In contrast, rabbits fed
commercial pelleted diets can face losses related to low fiber intake.
Rabbits are small sized
animal. So it’s very easy to start a commercial rabbit farming business. Make a
proper business plan before starting. Here we are describing the most important
steps of starting commercial rabbit farming business.
Location and Housing:
As Rabbits are very sensitive animals it is very important
to take care about several facts while preparing Shed and cages.
In general, the type of housing is dependent upon the
climate, location and size of the rabbitry. The optimum temperature in a rabbit
shed is around 10 – 25° C. (SCARM 1998). Effective ventilation is required
to control extremes of temperature and also to remove ammonia. Housing is a
critical issue for rabbit health.
Poor ventilation will result in irritation to the
respiratory tract and susceptibility to infection from bacteria. Heat stress
will cause major rabbit mortalities and reproductive failure. It is easy and
cheap to prepare Shed using raw materials found around us as per our requirement.
To set up a single unit rabbitry 35 feet X 12 feet shed is
required. Roof can be made using Tile, palm leaf, coconut tree leaf or plastic
sheet. Ensure that sunlight and rain should not enter in to the shed directly
and ventilation should be proper. Prepare pillars of 1 feet height inside the
shed to place the cages. The ground can be either concrete or mud.
Keep the shed always neat and tidy, temperature and
ventilation should be maintained properly. Cover the entire shed using strong
net to protect from other animals like birds, insects and reptiles. Rabbits are
herbivorous animals. They take all the grasses and tree leaves which are found
in our surroundings (ie tropical zones of kerala). Avoid feeding poisonous
grasses, leaves and sprayed with any pesticides or herbicides. Since
Rabbits need fiber content food which is helpful for their digestive system Hay
can be given to Rabbits. They may show some hesitation to take at the initial
stage, later they become accustomed to it. Clean the shed and hutch before 8'O
clock and keep sufficient water in the cages. Drinking more water will help to
reduce the urine smell. Keep glucose water in mother rabbit’s hutch.
Feeding:
Production performance
depends upon the quality of feed offered. For high production levels balanced
pellet feed in combination with hay should be given. Fresh green plants
like bean, Alfalfa, berseem, grass, tender banana, cane and bamboo leaves,
cutup pieces of the stalks of plants such as maize or banana, roots such as
cassava, yams, carrots, beefs and turnips inedible portions of cabbage and
cauliflower etc. can replace partially or wholly pellet feeds in case of low
input and low output production system. If
concentrate and hay are given, then concentrate should be offered preferably in
the morning and hay in the afternoon.
A practical combination of
different types of feeds and regular timetable for feeding is advisable so that
rabbits do not feel any stress due to changes in their daily routine. Water
should be available round the clock particularly to a lactating doe. Always
keep water pots clean and remove sediments daily. Water pots should be cleaned
thoroughly every week. Use of properly designed Automatic watering equipment
can also be made.
Breeding Management Rabbit:
A rabbit may normally start breeding at the age ranging from
6 to 8 months, When ready to breed a Doe, take it to the Buck's cage, or put
the pair in neutral territory. If you don't take care at this stage, the Doe's
being aggressive may even lead to death of the Buck. Never bring the buck to
the Doe's cage. Female Rabbits does not have any special breeding season like
most other mammals. They are receptive throughout the year. A doe shows signs
of being ready for mating by restlessness and nervousness by rubbing her chin
on feeding and watering equipment, and by attempting to join other Rabbits in
nearby hutches. During this time her skin inside the vagina will reddish and
she will stand on back legs by leaning (incline) backward. Some does are
selective to choose her partner; they won't allow all the bucks to mate.
Doe will stay at the top of the hutch as and when they are
not willing to take part in mating. In such occasions, they may express some
vigorous attack on buck, which may lead to its death. Hence Breeding should be
done under the supervision of an expert. An exotic Buck shows its readiness for
mating by walking on its back legs straightening the knee. It holds tale close
towards its back side. Some time he may squeal (scream) and squirt the urine. A
Buck will produce 1 ml of semen in each mating; which may contain about 1 core
of sperm. Single sperm is enough to combine with female egg to form an embryo.
A buck can be used, at most, 3 to 4 times in a week for
breeding. To avoid genetic deceases and related problems, a buck should never breed
with its offspring.
Mating should occur almost immediately after placing the Doe
in the cage. The buck will then mount on the doe from behind. If the doe is
ready to breed she will lower her front-end and lift her back end to
accommodate the buck. After 4 to 10 fast stroke buck will ejaculate and fall
off the doe side wise or backward. This indicates a successful breeding. Then
take the doe back to its hutch.
Male rabbits can be used for
mating until they are about three years. Inorder to prevent inbreeding
depression rabbits from the same family should not be bred. Therefore, replace
male rabbit about once every year. After three years, the full grown female
rabbits should be replaced either by new purchases or females of own farm.
Rabbit Farming Method:
You can start raising rabbits
in both deep litter and cage farming methods. Here we are describing more about
this two types of raising methods.
Deep Litter Method:
This method is suitable, if
you want to raise a few number of rabbits. Concrete floor is more suitable for
deep litter system. Make 4 to 5 inches depth litter husk, hay, straw or wood
shavings. In this method, you can raise a maximum of 30 rabbits in a house.
Keep the male rabbits in a separate room from the female. In deep litter system,
risks of diseases is high. And sometimes, it may seem very difficult to manage
the rabbit in this system
Cage Method:
For commercial rabbit farming
business, cage method is the best. In this system the rabbits are kept in a
cage, which are made with wire or iron plate. Cage system is very useful for
raising a maximum number of rabbits. Keep sufficient space and necessary facilities,
inside every cage. Keep the male and female rabbits separated from each other.
Keep them together in a separate cage during breeding period.
Marketing:
In some areas, marketing
rabbit products is not so easy. So it will be better, if you determine your
marketing plan before starting. You can try your local markets or nearest town.
Through proper care and
management, you can make maximum profit form your rabbit farming business.
Always try to take good care of your animals. Feed them quality nutritious
food, keep their house clean and purchase healthy breeds for starting. Thus you
can make your rabbit farming business highly profitable.
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