JUBILEE On the farm
CLARE N
The director Musemakweli rabbit farm Ibale – Fort Portal tourism city Stephen Kamusuka, has appealed to people willing to venture into rabbit farming to proceed with the project, saying they can reap a lot of money if they venture into it.
During Jubilee radio to their farm on Thursday, Kamusuka said he started with 6 rabbits and constructed a cage for a family rabbit project, but ended up expanding it due to its profitability.
Why rear rabbits?
Kamusuka, explains that profits from rearing rabbits come in many ways including; Selling rabbit urine to farmers who use it as an insecticide and their manure as organic fertilizers .
He adds that rabbit meat’s demand is exclusively growing worldwide, given the fact that it is served as a delicious rare meal in several hotels and restaurants. According to him, it takes rabbits 70 days from birth to reach market weight.
Kamusuka , states that less capital is needed to start this project. For a family that lives on a small piece of land, rearing rabbits do not require a lot of space because they can favorably live and survive in cages.
Kamusuka, also says one can buy 6 rabbits and construct cages for the family to enable them start up the income generating activity. He notes that there is always ready market for the rabbits because some factories use rabbit meat for making sausages.
READ ALSO:
Banyatereza yielding a lot from their dairy farm
According to him, rabbit meat is white meat which is recommendable by doctors who discourage consumption of red meat from most livestock animals, saying it is not healthy.
He adds that daily food and clean drinking water are a basic need for rabbits, the rabbits can eat mash, banana peelings, Irish and sweet potato peels as well as grass which is readily available in the community.
Common Rabbit Diseases:
While rabbits are adaptable and hardy animals, their diseases often prove fatal due to the lack of drugs dedicated to their treatment, lack of veterinarians with any rabbit-specific background, and a shortage of information on their treatment.
As a result, easily communicable ailments such as colds and diarrhea can easily wipe out your entire colony and most of your investment with it. But these common rabbit diseases can be simply treated on the farm, as detailed below.
Fevers, cold and coughs
Symptoms:
• Coughs.
• Nasal discharge.
• Ears are warmer than normal.
Treatment
According to MSD veterinary content, rabbit treatment is as follows;
• Enrocin type antibiotic drops administered for three to four days orally.
• Daily Gentamicin injection to thigh for 3 days (severe cases).
Facts about rabbit projects in Uganda.
In the local market (Uganda) one will easily find market demand for a minimum of 1 ton of rabbit meat which translates to 350 rabbits (average weight 3 kilos dressed) per day.
Currently in one month the demand is averagely 10,500 rabbits. Demand from the export market is insatiable. China, Australia, Denmark, Germany and South Africa require high quantities of rabbit meat.
The export contracts available are for a period of 5 years. If it is to export, Uganda will therefore be required to produce 630,000 rabbits per year for a single contract.
The country has been able to export barely less than 1% of the total export demand. As currently the country and farmers at large are engaged in other agricultural ventures ignoring Rabbit farming.
Steven kamusuka who has tasted the profitability of the project however encourages farmers to consider the business alongside their other domestic animals.
I need your help because I have rabbit urine and your watsup
I have my farm
and I want to sale rabbits