Rabbits eat little compared to other domestic animals. They consume 100g of commercial pellets per day.
They are fed once a day on hay and pellets. After it has eaten pellets, it switches to hay.
Naturally, rabbits eat grass, but it is good to give them commercially produced pellets as they usually contain most of the nutrients a rabbit needs.
Rabbits need 80% hay because it helps them in digestion as they are mono-gastric (have one stomach).
Poor quality feeds are the leading cause of low immunity and diseases. Therefore, ensure that you give your rabbits nutritious feeds and water.
Tap water is good, but harvested rain or underground water without any additives is better.
Selecting the breed to keep
Before deciding on the breed to rear, identify your goal. Rabbits are also kept as pets. There are breeds which are specific for this purpose and they are expensive.
They include the Rex and Angoras. Others are kept for meat and skin. For meat, one can keep breeds such as New Zealand White, California, Chinchilla and Dutch.
These are all giants because they grow fast that by six months, they will weigh 3-5kg. If you do not attain this weight in this period, you will be out of the profit range and in a loss.
For anyone who wants to keep rabbits for fur, you need breeds that have large volumes of fur, including English Angoras.
There is a small market for fur, especially among crafts makers. Rabbits can also be kept for study purposes.
