Interesting Facts On Rabbit Production

rabbit production has increased over the years. This phenomenon can be seen world-wide, as farmers are struggling to utilise the land accessible to them successfully in supplying in the ever expanding demand for meat protein. With the world population presently standing on more than 7 billion people, a lot of meat protein is necessary to supply in the energy demands of so many people. At the same time, agricultural land is shrinking, as increasingly more land is getting used for housing. This means that the livestock has less green feed to eat.

This is where the popularity of rabbit production becomes evident. Rabbits for meat need a far lower ratio of food and space to the meat they produce, than any other animal. In comparison with cattle farming, rabbits can produce 6 times as much meat in a year as cattle can, given the same amount of feed and water, and this in a much more confined space. And even though poultry may also make do with much less space, they nonetheless don’t produce offspring quite as prolifically as rabbits.

New Zealand rabbits are favorites when it comes to breeding meat rabbits. They’re a large breed with a quickly growth rate, being ready for slaughter at 14 – 16 weeks. The meat is also much more light pink in color and the taste not as strong.

Rabbit production could be divided into four stages:

•    Mating and pregnancy. Throughout this stage, the doe is introduced to the buck, mating occurs, and thereafter the doe is removed from the buck again. The doe will carry the kits for 31 days, till kindling. In the course of pregnancy, the doe must be handled as little as possible and she must be given double portions of feed, and additional nesting supplies.

•    Kindling happens at 31 days of gestation. The doe will feed her kits milk a couple of times per day. The kits develop really rapidly, and by two to three weeks of age most will already hop out of the nesting box to explore. By this time they have already started to sample the food in the cage, even though they still depend on the doe’s milk.

•    Weaning occurs in the wild between 4 and 5 weeks, when the doe will seek out the advances of a buck again. Rabbit farmers agree that it’s best to wean kits at 5 – 7 weeks, when they are removed to a new cage, but kept together until they’re 8 – 10 weeks old. By this time the rabbits are on complete rations of adult rabbit feed. The doe will be rebred by 6 weeks.

•    The young rabbits are ready to be moved to their individual cages by the age of 8 – 10 weeks, they stay in separate cages until they are sold or ready for slaughter.

Rabbit farm production is an exciting new venture into supplying the community around us using a well priced meat protein, while being a worthwhile business venture.