You need to have a good shelter for the rabbits. You need at least 60 rabbits if you are a commercial farmer and you need good feeds to make them grow faster.
However, if you need to reap more from your rabbit business, you need to first carry out business research to acquire knowledge on what you want to venture into.
Some people incur huge losses simply because they copied an idea and implemented it without prior knowledge and initial preparation.
Specific size of a rabbit cage
While constructing our cages, we are guided by animal rights measuring of 2ftx2ftx2ftx2ftx2.5ft. This spacing is enough because the longest rabbit is 2.5ft. After eating, rabbits usually stretch.
They, therefore, need enough space for exercising. This enables the rabbit to live in comfort.
This is important because when exporting, the European markets only buy standard products.
As a farmer, you need to understand that standards considered in the international market include good housing, management and food quality.
It is not advisable to construct metallic cages because they attract a lot of heat and coldness, depending on the weather conditions.
However, if you are to use metallic cages, use galvanised metals because they control temperature.
Wooden cages are the best because they are readily available and maintenance costs are cheaper than for metallic ones.
You can learn more by visiting farmers who keep rabbits.
Feeding rabbits
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.
Cleaning cages
Make sure the rabbits and the environment are clean. Their excreta contains ammonia that is not good for their health.
Most of the diseases in rabbits arise out of the way in which they are managed.
Most of the chicken diseases can also affect rabbits. Chicken can transfer diseases to rabbits, but the reverse cannot happen.
So, in case you have chicken and rabbits on your farm, the rabbit structures should come before that of the chicken, depending on the movement of air.
Do not allow people to enter your rabbit houses anyhow. If they must, use bio-security measures for prevention.
You need to put a disinfectant container at the entrance where they dip their feet before entering.
Market
Rabbit meat is now consumed by many people who buy it from supermarkets and rabbit meat shops around Kampala.
However, a serious market needs three main requirements: quality, quantity and sustainability.
The consumption is three tonnes a day.
All parts of the rabbit are useful. For example, intestines and blood are used in making feed for catfish, the head is crushed and used in making dog biscuits.
The skin is expensive and used in leather production and crafts. The fur is used in making woolen clothes.
