By Olamide Olusan

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Start up:
Rabbit farming does not require extensive capital investment and the turnover period is short which makes the rabbit business an ideal business to start.

Rabbit farming is a commercial rearing of rabbits, primarily for sales purposes.
Male rabbits are called Bucks
Female rabbits are called Does.

Reasons for Rabit farming:

Rabbit rearing is popular amongst Nigerians and the whole of Africa. It could be reared for bitge meat and selling of their fur.

They have the ability to take care of themselves if nice cages are built for them.
Rabbits are cheaper to raise than any other livestock and can be a great substitute for poultry products.

They have high multiplication rate and cheap labor could be employed to look after the rabbits’ farms.

Types of Rabbit:
There are several breeds of rabbits, and some are better suited for commercial purpose because they grow into large sizes and produce faster.

English Spot: It is a medium-size rabbit that reaches an average body weight of 3 kg..
Flemish Giant: It is a gigantic breed which can reach up to 7 kg in maturity.
English Lop: These rabbits reach weight up to 5 kg.

English Angora: It is a medium-sized rabbits that reach their weight of 3 kg when mature.
Dutch Rabbits: Vary from small to medium-sized and can reach the weight up to 2.5 kg.
British Giant: It is another large rabbit that can be a fantastic source of fur and meat. It reaches up to 7 kg at adulthood.

New Zealand White: It is a fully white rabbit that reaches a lifetime maturity weight of 5 kg.

Breeding Process:
A six months old female rabbit can breed other rabbits.
She could be placed in a buck`s cage which should not be left in her cage for so long.
Both male and female Rabit could be together and give them fifteen minutes to copulate.
Note the date of copulating with the buck and doe that were used for copulating.

Bucks can be used for reproduction at least once in four days. Female rabbits can produce up to four litters in a year with up to 10 kits or more in a litter.

Rabbits have the innate capacity to grow very rapidly and are known to attain maturity and market size in 6 months or less.