Breeding rabbits for profit

By Njoki Chege

Many Kenyans keep rabbits as pets.

But some farmers have taken rabbit farming a bit more seriously and turned it into booming business.

Violet Gichia’s love for rabbits developed quite early in life.

When she visited Egerton University as a pupil in class eight, their vast rabbit farm mesmerised her.

She bought a few rabbits and began rearing them at home. The interest would soon fade away while in high school, only to resurface several decades later.

"In 2006, I began keeping rabbits again, this time not myself but as pets for my then four year-old son. By 2007, the rabbits had multiplied and we were slaughtering them for our guests," recalls Gichia.

The guests enjoyed the delicacy and even asked if they could buy the meat from Gichia. That was when a business idea struck.

She began selling rabbit meat at Sh350 per kg.

The business grew, and in 2008, Gichia embarked on a research project. She wanted to find out more about rabbits, their diet, behavior and breeding to be well equipped with the required information.

Explains Gichia, "I went to Ruiru livestock office to inquire about rabbit farming. I was refereed to the Farmers Training Center in Ngong, a government veterinary farm where I got the training on the different types of breeds and the breeding practices. They also introduced me to various rabbit farmers in Nyeri and Karen."

Farmers’ association

The demand for rabbits and rabbit meat necessitated Gichia and several other rabbit farmers in her home area in Ruiru to form a group – Thiga Rabbit farmers Association.

The group would meet on a monthly basis to strategise on the best marketing methods for rabbits and rabbit meat.

The group approached the then Thika District Livestock Production Officer who advised them to form a national forum for all rabbit farmers in the country — Rabbit Association Breeders of Kenya.

So much was Gichia interested in rabbit farming that after months of research, she penned a booklet on rabbit farming dubbed A guide on commercial Rabbit farming in Kenya which was launched in 2009.

"I realised that farmers were hungry for information on rabbit farming. Many of them required training, but they did not know where to get it. I therefore thought of a booklet that would guide them," she quips.

Currently, she is working on a larger volume of yet another book on rabbit farming.

By December last year, Gichia had over 200 rabbits, and demand for rabbit meat was high.

Unfortunately, she was involved in a grisly road accident that saw her stay in hospital for several weeks.

"I had to dispose the rabbits and reduce them to manageable numbers ," she says.

Gichia was left with a few rabbits, 30 in total, and has kept this number constant as she continues to recuperate from the accident.

Among the breeds she rears are New Zealand White, Californian White, Chinchilla and Flemish Giant.

Personalised attention

As Gichia explains, rabbit farming — particularly hybrid farming — is a demanding business, since rabbits are very delicate and need personalised attention.

First of all, it is important that you observe high levels of hygiene since rabbits are highly susceptible to disease.

Cages must be made in such a way that they are easy to clean and maintain.

Secondly, rabbits do not appreciate the sudden change of feeds.

Hybrid rabbits mainly feed on rabbit pellets combined with calf pellets or dairy meal plus rabbit mash.

"Rabbits can feed on both commercial and vegetable feeds. But for a high growth rate, commercial feeds are the best since they provide a whole meal. Vegetables and weeds make them leaner. It is also important that they have a lot of water and hay which acts as roughage," she explains.

Peter Ngigi is yet another rabbit farmer located in Ruaka, Nairobi. He ventured into the business two years ago to keep him busy and earn some extra coins.

Today, he has 120 rabbits of different breeds aged between zero months and one and a half years.

While he discloses that the business is good, he warns against the many challenges faced by rabbit farmers.

"The market has not yet opened up. People are yet to accept rabbit meat as a delicacy," he says.

Rabbit farmers also have to contend with the scarcity of pellets — the animal’s staple food.

Rabbits require a warm environment, constant, personalised care and attention.

As the two farmers explain, rabbits have a gestation period of 30 days, and it is important that farmers control their breeding and know the right breeds that produce the optimum number of litters (youngsters).

For instance, the preferred breeds are California white, New Zealand white and palomino that have a high growth rate, mature early, are less bony and are prolific when it comes to reproduction.

Best breeds

While the above-mentioned breed produces between six to 12 litters, other breeds produce a maximum of six litters.

When a rabbit is nearing delivery, it is advisable to seclude them to a warm area, and once they give birth, the litters are kept in a separate tray — within the cage — and covered with hay for warmth.

"The litters should be kept with their mothers for seven to eight weeks before they are weaned. They are very delicate at this point and need all the specialised care they can get," explains Ngigi.

Rabbits grow very fast, and a four or five month old rabbit is ready and ripe for slaughter.

A mature rabbit goes for about Sh2,500 (female) and Sh3,000 (male). A kilogramme of rabbit meat retails for anything between Sh500 and Sh750 depending on where you buy it.

But as Gichia explains, there are many myths surrounding the consumption of rabbit meat, which has made people shy away from the delicacy.

From the belief that rabbit meat is ‘meat for boys’ to the notion that it smells, people are still awry of consuming rabbit meat.

"The secret lies in preparation of this delicacy. People need to debunk such myths and embrace rabbit meat," remarks Gichia.

Ngigi advises, "Rabbits need proper structures — build for them in a way they will be comfortable and easy to clean. It is also important that you consult with other rabbit farmers to share notes and exchange ideas on best practices."