Mar-Apr

www.livestockeastafrica.com
Emerging Livestock
By Tobias Belle, bellehtobias@gmail.com, Photos; Tobias Belle.
Why We All
Need A Rabbit
R
abbit meat has a very high nutritional value,
it’s low in cholesterol, low in fat, has a higher
protein value than other meat and is easily
digestible. Another bonus to it is that it
boosts immunity and is definitely tastier
than beef. So far it’s the best white meat…”
This was the response I got from one Lydia
Komen, the head of the Ngong Rabbit
Breeding and Training Centre when I dared
ask what makes rabbit meat tick louder than
the rest. And she succeeded in her spirited
bid to make me hungry, for soon as I was
done with the interview, I had to drop by a
nearby restaurant, somewhere in Elpaso, to
have a taste of the rabbit meat for myself.
And boy oh boy, it lived up to its reputation.
Elpaso a Place of Rabbits
Okay, Elpaso is not a place in Mexico, so
just politely ignore the name’s proximity to
the ‘famous’ Mexican drug lord ‘El Chapo’
and move on okay?It is a humble shopping
center before you get to Ngong town,
Kajiado County. And for all you holy folks
who know nothing about drugs,El Chapo
is this notorious drug lord who successfully
dug his way out of a maximum security
prison in Mexico, only to be recaptured in
the process of trying to organize a movie
about himself. Sad, right?If only he ventured
into rabbit farming instead…Anyway, let’s
get back to talking rabbits, shall we?
So where were we with the rabbits? Oh
yes, the rabbit meat delicacy. There’s one
major challenge that faces us all rabbit meat
lovers in the region, and that is, it’s in a
painfully short supply. This prompts me to
talk about the process of rabbit keeping in
Kenya, and why we need to venture more
in it, and not just to satisfy my appetite for
the meat, but for the wide opportunities that
commercial rabbit keeping presents.
Rabbits are very fast growing animals,
and gain maturity fast and can become
suitable for slaughtering purpose within 4-5
months. Basically the gestation period for a
rabbit is 30 days, but can range between 28
to 31 days depending on the breed, which
increases the stock in a very short time span.
Starting rabbit farming requires relatively
little capital and investment, and is a venture
that can significantly flourish once someone
hits the road and has a ready demand to
supply. Rabbit keeping in Kenya is mainly
done for meat production since there’s no
market for the skin and the fur yet, which
sadly, is equally very valuable. So what more
do you need to know about rabbit keeping?
Rabbit Breeding
There are several types of rabbit breeds
in the region, but presently available in
Kenya include the New Zealand white, the
Californian white, the Dutch breed, the
Flemish giant, the Checkered giant, the
Chinchilla breed and the ILRI grey, which
was bred by the International Livestock
Research Institute. These breeds are available
at the Ngong Rabbit Breeding and Training
Center, and can be purchased by anyone
willing to venture into rabbit farming. The
center sells young rabbits to farmers at Ksh.
750 each once they reach between 6 to 8
weeks. The center also offers training to
farmers on rabbit keeping.
Lydia Komen, who leads the Ngong
Rabbit Breeding and Training Center, says
farmers should always ensure that there
are no cases of in-breeding as this can
result into cases of weak and vulnerable
offsprings. So yes, do not allow your rabbits
to commit incest! Very moral animals these
rabbits, don’t you think? This is prevented
by separating the young bucks from does
immediately after weaning them.Young
rabbits are normally weaned at between six
to ten weeks, soon after which the doe can
be mated again.
Housing and Hygiene
Rabbits are usually kept in hutches, or cages
of various sizes and designs, depending on
the scale of production. Naturally, rabbits are
animals that are friendly, meek and but very
allergic to anything unclean. This basically
underlines the most important aspect of
rabbit keeping; hygiene. Vincent Maritim,
a Livestock Production officer who also
works at the center, asserts that a rabbit unit
must always be kept clean and preserved to
avoid any instance of disease occurrence.
Diseases are extremely rare among rabbits,
but instances of respiratory diseases such as
Coccidiosis are usually mainly attributed to
poor hygiene or weather conditions.
“A rabbit unit should always be constructed
according to where you are, and measures
must be taken to ensure there’s not too high
or too low temperatures. A good ventilation
system is also key…,” quips Maritim.
Rabbits are undeniably among the cleanest
animals on earth, and therefore we humans
have absolutely no right to subject them to
unhygienic environments. There is scanty
information on rabbit disease diagnosis,
which makes prevention the best and the
cheapest alternative. Luckily, this prevention
simply entails hygienic observation.
Feeding
Well before we can feed on the rabbits, we
must have the decency to feed them first. I
mean, it’s only fair that way. Sufficient and
suitable feeding is instrumental in ensuring
optimal productivity and health of rabbits.
For commercial purposes, rabbits can be
fed on rabbit pellets, or a combination of
the pellets and some hay. A mature rabbit
consumes around 150g per day on pellets,
and a much lesser quantity if they are fed on
hay and other vegetation as well. A sufficient
amount of clean and fresh water is also
required to punctuate a proper nutritious
rabbit feed.
There’s one specifically important aspect
to adhere to when feeding rabbits. Lydia
Komen advises, “It is very important to
follow the feed measurement in order to
prevent bloating, which can eventually kill
the rabbits.” This is due to the fact that
rabbits are non-ruminants and therefore
have a single stomach.
Untapped Potential
In comparison to other livestock sectors,
rabbit keeping has received minimal
attention and efforts in Kenya as well as the
East African region. This is by no means to
underscore the significance of the efforts
being made by centers such as the Ngong
Breeding center to reach farmers and
avail to them rabbits. Matter of fact this
is commendable, and a move in the right
direction, especially considering the fact
Ms Komen at the
Ngong Rabbit
Breeding &
Training Centre
that there are also multiplication centers in
various parts of the country. These include
one at Witu in Lamu County, another one
at Marimba in Meru, and a third one at
Kimose, Baringo County.
These collaborative efforts could be
especially far-reaching if every stakeholder
opened their eyes to the untapped potential
that commercial rabbit keeping holds. The
fact that the venture capital needed to start
commercial rabbit keeping is significantly
low should be a catalyst towards this
practice. What’s more, rabbits can be kept
anywhere, irrespective of the climate or
weather conditions as long as the housing is
well done.
Lydia Komen says that apart from the
meat, rabbit droppings can effectively be
used as biogas. The biogas production from
rabbits is one venture that saw her get
awarded last year during the Public Servant
of the Year awards, alongside her efforts in
uplifting the breeding center. “Actually the
heat from rabbit droppings is much stronger
than that of cow dung,” adds Komen.
One major challenge when it comes to
rabbit keeping is the lack of proper market
strategies that would ensure farmers have a
ready market, especially since rabbits mature
very fast. But on the other hand, in the few
instances where there is a ready market, the
producers get overwhelmed with too high
a demand. What does this mean? Farmers
should possibly form clusters and jointly
do mass commercial production in order to
supply the market. However, rabbit keeping
doesn’t have to be commercial. They can be
kept for subsistence purposes too in small
scale for consumption. Either way one thing
remains constant, whether a producer or a
consumer, we all need a rabbit. At least just a
piece, or a bite. Or biogas!
Starting rabbit farming requires
relatively little capital and
investment, and is a venture that
can significantly flourish once
someone hits the road and has a
ready demand to supply.
30 Livestock East Africa March - April 2016
Learn • Breed • Earn
Learn • Breed • Earn March - April 2016 Livestock East Africa 31