Rabbits

Rabbits are well-suited for both rural and urban or suburban areas. Since they are not considered livestock by some governmental agencies, they may be permitted where other animals would not. Rabbits also make very little noise, making them more suitable for many urban settings than than chickens and other poultry. Rabbits are fairly easy to raise. The females take care of the young themselves, and no special equipment is required. Cages can be stacked, making efficient use of relatively small areas.

Backyard Rabbits Sungura in the Shamba References and Further Reading

Backyard rabbitries, or small-scale rabbit installations, are well suited to small farmers. The relatively small amount of space required to house and manage a small number of rabbits also means that they can be reared by "landless farmers", including those in urban areas.

The advantages of rabbit production are related to their reproductive and feeding behaviour. In addition, the species is both profitable (given enabling market conditions) and easy to integrate with other farm activities.

• As a small monogastric herbivore, the rabbit easily accommodates a fairly wide range of foods. If high produciton is not required, the rabbits can be fed at least partly on kitchen scraps and cut-and-carry forage.
  
• The rabbit is adaptable to a normal household diet and to food preservation techniques available on small rural and peri-urban farms. Butchering and preparation of the meat is relatively simple.
  
• The rabbit is highly productive in terms of numbers of offspring, and in terms of kg/year per breeding female.
  
• Rabbit meat is highly nutritious, has a low fat content and is low in cholesterol.
  
• It is easy to transport and market and the costs for maintaining animals are relatively low.
  
• Labour costs are low and the work can be done by family members, including women and children, as well as by aged or handicapped people.
  
• Investment is low: infrastructure and equipment can be constructed by the producer and only a small amount of space is required.
  

For more information on raising rabbits, see the FAO publication by Lebas et al. (1997), or click on the following chapter headings to go direct to those topics:

• Sungura is Swahili for a hare or rabbit.
• Shamba is a farm.

Sungura in the Shamba is one of a series of cartoon-style educational and extension leaflets aimed at primary schools. The books feature a young African girl, Wambui, who is involved in a number of storylines dealing with the improved husbandry of different livestock species - rabbits, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle and donkeys.

or view the pdf

Proverbs, G. (1992). Rabbits: a production guide. CARDI Factsheet AP-F/2-80. Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

Proverbs, G. and Quintyne, R. (1992). Rabbits: management. CARDI Factsheet AP-F/3-80. Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

Proverbs, G. and Quintyne, R. (1992). A guide to breeding rabbits. CARDI Factsheet AP-F/4-80. Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.

Proverbs, G. and Hutson, L. (1992). Rabbits: diseases and their control. CARDI Factsheet AP-F/5-80. Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute.