Top Tips for Commercial Rabbit Production
The phenomenal interest that has been shown recently in commercial rabbit production is attributable to a few distinct causes. The low cost of becoming a commercial rabbit farmer, the relative ease with which a new farmer can become established, and the growing demand for rabbit products are a few of those reasons.
However, while it is true that rabbit farming can be a lucrative business, there are also certain basics that you will need to adhere to, to ensure the success of your business.
The first step is to ensure that you have the right equipment and premises. Without a covered shed or barn to house your rabbits, cages to keep them safe and contained, and other essential equipment, it will be virtually impossible to successfully farm rabbits commercially. It is usually best to spend a little more on better equipment, to house fewer rabbits, than to have too many rabbits and too little equipment!
Next, you will need to ensure that your rabbits stay fit and healthy. That means regularly assessing your stock for general health and disease and placing in quarantine any rabbits that show signs of disease. In a commercial setting, with rabbits living nearby, diseases can quickly take hold, and left unchecked, they can wipe out your entire stock.
Feeding is another consideration for the commercial rabbit farmer, and in this instance, you will want to look for a cost-effective yet high-quality commercial rabbit feed. These types of feed are nutritionally balanced to ensure that your rabbits grow as they should, and they cut down on labor costs because feeding becomes a matter of scooping the correct quantity into feed boxes.
When it comes to increasing your stock of rabbits, you will probably want to take advantage of rabbits’ naturally prolific breeding patterns. That is fine, but you will also have to remember to allow your rabbit breeding pairs some rest between matings and litters and to follow their natural annual cycle, which includes a three-month non-breeding season. Of course, in a commercial environment, where the climate will be more controlled, you can stagger those non-breeding seasons to suit your production requirements.
The very best advice for the new rabbit farmer is to do a lot of research before investing money in a rabbit farming venture. Rabbit production can be a very lucrative business, and is a lot easier than other types of farming, but there are still certain pitfalls you should be on the lookout for.
