Dowry trip opens man’s eyes to gem in rabbits

Kennedy Anyanzwa holds one of his breeder rabbits a Flemish giant. It goes for Sh 2,500 each. [Robert Amalemba/Standard]

A trip to pay dowry for his kin in Meru became a turning point for 28- year-old Kennedy Anyanzwa from Ebukambuli village, Khwisero in Kakamega County. While his kin acquired a beauty, Anyanzwa returned with what pleased him; rabbit rearing skills.

His visit was a godsend because he met an in-law who was a thriving rabbit farmer.

“In 2010 on a trip to pay dowry in Meru, I found out one of my in-laws keeping rabbits and he was doing quite well. The in-law had left formal employment to do this. I got his contacts and connected with him immediately I went back home,” he tells ‘Smart Harvest’.

Anyanzwa had tried a hand in chicken, quail keeping, banana and maize planting even at a point became a bus conductor, but swears none can match rabbit keeping.

After consulting the in-law, he used his Sh16,000 savings to buy three rabbits and construct a small structure.

Today, he has 40 rabbits ranging from California white, American Chinchilla, New Zealand white and Flemish black giant. He rears five female rabbits whose sole purpose is breeding. After they breed, he takes the young rabbits away from them to a separate unit after two months to give them ample time and space to grow. He also allows the female rabbits two weeks to relax.

He sells mature rabbits weighing 4kgs at Sh 2,500 and young rabbits at Sh600. Rabbit skin goes for Sh250, 20 litres rabbit urine at Sh800 and a 50kg sack of rabbit droppings at Sh400. All these earns him a net profit of Sh14,000 per month.

The father of two uses the urine and droppings of rabbits as manure on his two-acre farm.

“I never buy manure for my crops. I just dilute rabbit urine in water at a ratio of 1:3 and sprinkle it on them. It is a pesticide and a fertiliser,” he says.

Anyanzwa admits that the venture is not a bed of roses. Getting feed for the animals during dry season is a challenge, forcing rabbit farmers to buy pellets, which are expensive.

Stereotypes about rabbits abound in the Luhya community. First, there is a belief that women are not supposed to eat rabbit meat because it affects their fertility and makes them fat.

Men also view rabbit’s meat a delicacy for adolescent boys even the entire practice of rearing rabbits. With that background, being among the pioneers of rabbit farming, he faced several challenges when he was starting off.

Anyanzwa had a hard time convincing his community to adopt rabbit products and he was frowned upon as a con.

“When I said I was selling rabbit urine and droppings for farm use as fertiliser, few believed it. I had to practically demonstrate it on my farm. The results were impressive. Today, farmers flock my home to buy the urine and droppings,” he says.

MOVING FORWARD

Anyanzwa would like to form a rabbit empire in his village where rabbit products will be gathered in bulk for a fertile commercial venture. This will include setting up a butcher and exporting rabbit products.

He advises youth to engage in rabbit keeping because it is fun and doesn’t require close monitoring and high capital to start.