Commercialization of rabbit farming is steadily becoming one of the most prolific business in the country and one of the solutions of unemployment.
Research over the past few years have noted rabbit meat is one of the best source of proteins and healthier as compared to other meat with considerably less amounts of fat.
In the past, rabbit farming had not been taken on with keen observations but now, transition in the farming sector has observed farmers rearing more rabbits which have in turn, produced high amounts of meat for commercial production of meat by doing so they make a good amount of money.
One of the farmers, Isaiah Otieno aka Jananbi, a youth, revealed a lot of benefits that one can accrue from rabbit farming.
“I started rabbit farming as a hobby before I realized how profitable it was. Rabbit farming does not require a lot of capital as compared to other business to start,” he said.
He continued to say that you just need to start with two or three depending with the amount you have at the moment.
“In my case I started with three rabbits; two does (female) and one buck (male). This sort of farming does not require a huge space to rear as you can see,” he observed.
The gestation period of a rabbit lasts 28 to 31days and after every two months a doe gives birth.
“One doe can give birth to eight kids which means you can have approximately 25 young ones a year. A rabbit takes 5 to 6 months to mature which means it is ready for slaughter,” Jananbi said.
The cost of feeding is manageable as they feed on plant leaves, grasses and kitchen waste materials. Before starting the business, he said you have to make a proper plan as well as research especially when choosing the rabbit breeds.
“There are different types of rabbit breeds available with the most popular and highly productive one being New Zealand black, New Zealand red dark grey internal, New Zealand white and chinchilla.
Depending on the breed, you c a n choose one for your production,” he narrated. Many youths are getting attracted to this business because the animals fetch a good income especially if you can tap the market such as Rabbit Breeders Association of Kenya (RABAK) which supplies rabbit meat to different supermarkets.
Rabbit meat goes at about Ksh350 to 500 per kilogram while a mature rabbit weighs between 3-4kilograms depending on the type of client.
