If you start the New Year with the question “What business can i start with 20000 naira?”, rabbit production in Nigeria is a good idea, and you are certainly in a right place. You can find rabbits for sale on Jiji and begin almost immediately. And while you are waiting for a pair of rabbits to arrive, here is a short information about why and how to start rabbit farming.
Reasons to start rabbit business
There are enough success stories to inspire you start rabbit farming, but the clear list of pros is better evidence. Here are some advantages that will make you start rabbit farming in Nigeria right now.
Market opportunities. More people start to take better care of their health and consume white meat with lower amounts of cholesterol. Rabbit meat contains the highest amount of proteins, less calories and sodium. Besides being a ‘super food,’ rabbit meat is widely accepted, and there are no any religious taboos concerning consuming rabbit meat. In addition, rabbits produce high quality skin and fur. Rabbits are also used for testing in medical and chemical laboratories.
Fast multiplying. Rabbit farming is a lucrative business, taking into account how fast rabbits multiply. Speaking in numbers, a doe can give birth to up to 40 kits during a year. You do not even have to make up a complicated rabbit production business plan. It is enough to buy a pair of breeding rabbits, and you will end up with 40 in 12 months. These animals breed throughout the year with the pregnancy period lasting around 30 days. Rabbits reach maturity and market size less than in 6 months.
Cost efficiency. The price of rabbit in Nigeria reaches N5,000-7,000, while the monthly price of keeping is around N350. Besides, they are easy to look after. Rabbit production is probably the fastest way to recover the invested costs very fast.
Easy to maintain. Rabbit farming business does not require serious preparations, even when it is started from scratch. If you start with two rabbits, you can use just a basic cage, wooden or steel. Unlike other poultry, they are not noisy, are clean, and are not prone to diseases. Rabbits are idea small animals to keep on your backyard, as they do not occupy much space and is even less labor-intensive than care for poultry. Meanwhile, you can use a common poultry business plan as a sample for starting your business.
Rabbit farming tips
#1 You do not need to Google for a rabbit farming business plan in PDF and follow what is written blindly. Get a pair or several pairs of rabbits for sale and move to the next tip.
#2 Find out EVERYTHING about taking care about rabbits. This is the main thing to do for everyone who wants to learn how to breed rabbits successfully. You can get all the nuts and bolts with the help of manuals (here is an example) or YouTube videos.
#3 Find a fair breeder stock. The significant thing for a good start of any rabbit farming business plan are good buck and doe. Find out about a farmer you are buying rabbits from and ask for the evidence, when he starts praising the animals. You should also remember than one buck can service up to five does and check the gender when choosing the animals.
How to prepare to rabbit farming
There are two things to decide upon before you start: rabbit breeds, farming method, and marketing opportunities.
Rabbit breed
Decide what the main purpose of the farming is, rabbit meat or fur, and how high productivity you expect. This will help you to choose among a dozen of breeds you can find in Nigeria. You can also take a risk and try with rear breeds to make the business more exotic. The wide selection of rabbits for sale is available on Jiji.
Farming method
There are two types to choose between:
- Deep litter method: appropriate if you want to raise up to 30 rabbits at a time.
- Cage method: suitable for commercial farming business; cage system is very convenient, easy to manage, and allows raising the maximum amount of rabbits efficiently.
Marketing opportunities
Explore local market to find out, whether the sales promise to be effective. Investigate channels for sales, including markets, supermarkets, restaurants, food factories, etc. And do not forget about Jiji.ng – the best Nigerian classifieds, which is a key to lucrative business.
Just like snail farming for beginners, rabbit farming is easy to star and maintain. The greatest thing is that rabbit meat is a comparatively new product on the market with the growing perspective for export and internal consumption.
