Smart farms

: 21 February 2020; Hits: 13031

Fact Sheet: homemade concentrate to replace commercial rabbit feed

rabbit rearing

The rise in commercial rabbit farming has driven prices for rabbit feed,up from Sh1,800 per 50kg five years ago to now Sh2,500, setting farmers on a search for alternative, lower-cost feeds for their rabbits.

Without such savings, the food price rises have resulted in a higher overall cost in rabbit rearing that is reducing farmers’ profit margins.

However, farmers can now make an alternative homemade feed that will reduce their spending.

The feed is formulated from the following parts:

Wheat bran 30 per cent

Maize germ 30 per cent

Rice bran 20 per cent

Horse gram/cow pea 20 per cent

Mineral mixture

These ingredients will together supply the rabbits with adequate fibre and all other nutritional needs.

Costing/Alternatives

A 50kg bag of wheat bran costs Sh1,000, whilst that of maize/maize germ is Sh1,600, rice bran Sh1,200, and that of cow pea Sh4,845. Thus the mixture costs for each 50kg:

Wheat bran – Sh300

Maize germ – Sh480

Rice bran – Sh240

Cow pea - Sh969

Minerals – less than Sh50

Total: Sh2079

This represents a saving of 17 per cent on food costs when compared with buying commercial feeds.

Depending on how one mixes the concentrate, this mixture is meant to last for a month or more.

Preparation

All of the ingredients should be ground.

They’re then soaked in clean water and fed to rabbits whilst coarse in a semi solid state.

To this mixture, add a little salt and 20 grams of mineral mixture for every kilogram of feed. A mineral mixture is essential for proper growth.

Feeding should be rationed at 50 grams daily for small rabbits, and 100 grams for the bigger ones.

It’s paramount to feed rabbits at predetermined intervals daily, preferably in the morning or evening as this fits in with rabbits’ natural feeding pattern.

Additionally, farmers can also feed their rabbits with fresh fruit – at not more than two tablespoons for a five-pound rabbit. And farmers should provide constant hydration of the rabbits. Rabbits weighing less than a kilogram should have at least 100ml of water per day and for rabbits of more than 1 Kg, water should not exceed 600ml per day.

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: 19 February 2020; Hits: 12884

Rabbit keeping opens route to organic farming, fertiliser and pest control

rabbits1 Rabbit byproducts, urine and manure, are taking off as alternatives and supplements to inorganic fertiliser and pesticides for farmers who are shifting to organic production to meet growing demand for chemical-free crops and livestock.

Rabbit byproducts, urine and manure, are taking off as alternatives and supplements to inorganic fertiliser and pesticides for farmers who are shifting to organic production to meet growing demand for chemical-free crops and livestock.
Rabbits are ideal farm mammals for smallholders and in urban setups: they occupy very little space, requiring just a 6×2×2 ft hutch; eat very little at ½ to a cup of pellets and a cup of greens for every 1.8 Kg of their weight; and, unlike most farm animals, such as poultry, rabbits stop feeding once they are sated. They also drink less water than almost all other domestic animals.

Overall, rabbits are hardy and easily adaptable to almost all environment types and extremes.

However, farmers are also now becoming more interested in their byproducts as consumer demand for organic crops raises new challenges in finding organic fertilisers and means of pest control.

When mature, at four months and older, a rabbit can produce up to ¼ liter urine in a day. The nitrogenous waste concentration in their urine is high, because they drink very little water in relation to other animals.

The waste of rabbits fed on greens are richer still in primary nutrients, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, which are all prerequisites for healthy plants.

However, in that rabbit urine is highly concentrated, its direct application can burn crops. A 1:5 urine to water ratio has been proved to be most effective.

To keep the urine as a fertilizer for longer use as molasses, leave the concoction to ferment for 3 weeks before diluting 1-part urine to 20 parts water.

Rabbit urine as an organic fertiliser also acts to ward off rather than kill plant insect pests such as mites, leaf burrowers and bugs.

RELATED CONTENT:Company contracting farmers to rear rabbits

For its part, rabbit manures’ odorless, compacted and dry making it an ideal fertilizer too. Just like the rabbit urine, it is high in nitrogen and phosphorus, which work to enhance plant growth. Moreover, unlike other dung, even when directly applied without composting from the hutch it doesn’t scorch plants.

Compared to cow dung, rabbit manure has four times the nutrients. It also adds double the value to soil that chicken manure does. Indeed, some companies, such as Kikaboni Aquaponics Farm in Kiserian, are now rearing free range rabbits solely to serve greenhouse grown crops.

Rabbits are additionally a cheap protein source. However, as a means of moving to organic farming. rabbit keeping enables cheaper production and with proper market research organic products can fetch a premium price.

Supermarkets Tuskys Karen and Carrefour outlets in both Karen and Two Rivers Mall now have organic isles.

Meanwhile organic markets are growing, including:Organic Farmers’ Market, adjacent Hillcrest Schools on Langata road; Kid Kenya Ventures Garden Estate; Karengata Farmers’ Market, Karen;US Embassy Organic Market, which is open on Thursday; andC-SHEP Farmers Market in Rongai.

Online organic stores such as Kalimoni Greens, Mlango Farm, Sylvia’s basket and Bridges Organic Restaurant now offer home deliveries for all things organic.

In addition, events such as The Kenya Organic Food Festival and Exhibition held annually offer organic producers an opportunity to showcase their wares.

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: 18 February 2020; Hits: 10722

Mombasa farmer builds rabbit business on discounts

rabbit farmer A farmer from Mombasa County is cashing on the rising demand for rabbit meat from high-end hotels at the coast by selling his animals at a discount to the market price, making faster sales that he says are boosting his profits despite the lower prices.

Justin Magiri said delayed selling of the animals added no significant value other than eating into the profit.

“Mature rabbits do not add value to the farmer by overstaying. Selling them after attaining four or five kilos gives a good return of investment. High prices make buyers look for alternatives or buy fewer rabbits,” he said.

With currently 380 rabbits, his main buyers are Bamburi’s Naivas Supermarket and high-end hotels on Mombasa’s North Coast.

His main input cost is for the Unga Feeds pellets he feeds his rabbits with, preferring them to traditional twig feeds because of the balanced nutrient, although he occasionally feeds his rabbits on twigs for supplementation.

But whereas farmers from Machakos, Kiambu and Kisii counties, who have spoken to Farmbiz Africa, sell one kilo of rabbit meat at Sh1,000, and Magiri’s competitors from Mombasa and Taita-Taveta counties-his home- do the same, Magiri is selling the meat for Sh700 per kilo.

The rabbit meat is used in making sausages by most of the supermarkets he sells to, while hotels tend to roast it (nyama choma) or boil it in sauces.

Magiri also sells pregnant rabbits at Sh5,000. The gestation period for rabbits is 28-30 days.

RELATED CONTENT:Company contracting farmers to rear rabbits

Rabbits mature after about five months, while giant breeds may go up to seven months, with Magiri selling 40 to 50 rabbits a month.

It costs Magiri Sh450 to raise each bunny (young rabbit) to maturity, when each four kilo animal earns his Sh2,800. This gives him about Sh580 of profit per kilo, which he argues is more beneficial than waiting another three or four months more to get Sh250 a kilo extra.

The business gain Magiri highlights is sometimes called the churn rate, which looks at how many times a business makes a sale each year, compared with the money locked up in production.

Magiri’s faster selling means that he is selling rabbits after about six months, compared to sales after nine months by his competitors. Thus, he makes 50 per cent more sales in the same period of time, but only discounts his price by 30 per cent – he ends up making more.

Magiri can be reached on +254726781242

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