Breeding rabbits as a business at home
Raising rabbits as a business is considered a very responsible business. But is it worth it for a budding entrepreneur? Is this business profitable? Before breeding rabbits, you need to think carefully about what exactly they are needed for: to obtain meat, skins or valuable fur.
Rabbit breeding as a business
It is necessary to weigh all the pros and cons, calculate whether it is profitable or not, and also think about whether the desire to do this business will continue in 5 or 10 years, whether the forces will be able to cope with such a large farm.
At the same time, one must be aware of the responsibility entrusted to the farmer. It is advisable to have pets only if you love animals and are willing to pay attention to them. Those who want to throw rabbits into cages and try to get a decent income from this will be severely disappointed: nothing will work out that way. The farmer must love his work and treat his charges with respect.
Advantages and disadvantages
Raising rabbits as a business has a quick payback as rabbits are highly valued. Rabbits, both in business and in the wild, reproduce rapidly. Their good fertility allows with the trinity to return the money spent on the purchase of new rabbits and equipment.
Rabbit breeding is a business that does not require a large start-up capital to create. Keeping animals is simple and inexpensive, and during the summer, costs are reduced. Also, this type of business in our country is not very developed, so there is practically no competition.
The main disadvantage is the high mortality rate of young rabbits. It is necessary to comply with the sanitary requirements for keeping animals. Also, do not forget about the documentation for meat.
Choice of the legal form of the enterprise
Anyone who has carefully weighed everything and decided to start doing such a business must decide on the legal form of the enterprise. Here the choice is between individual entrepreneurship (IE) and personal subsidiary plots (LPH).
When choosing the form of an enterprise, it is recommended to contact a lawyer: he will tell you more about all the nuances from a legal point of view.
IP registration is carried out through the tax service. To do this, you must have a certificate for the farm, obtain a GOST-R declaration and issue a phytosanitary certificate. This form of enterprise will suit people with a large production volume.
With a personal farm, breeding rabbits for business somewhat simplifies the existence of such an activity: you do not need to pay a percentage of sales.
To conduct business activities, you must have a certificate of the availability of a land plot. A private household is well suited for those who have a small production volume, and the rabbit will go to the sale of meat through their friends.
A rabbit home business is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance, but in order to profit from your labor, you need to follow certain rules. A business for raising and breeding rabbits at home is possible, you just need to get pets and draw up all the necessary documents.
How to start a rabbit business
Breeding decorative rabbits at home primarily involves determining the type of activity. Next, you need to think over a breeding room. If there is no such house, then it must be made independently, taking into account all quality standards. It is also necessary to take care of the sanitary conditions of keeping the rabbits.
Each rabbit breeding room has its own pros and cons. Some farmers breed pets outdoors in burrows and greenhouses, while others keep animals in their apartments.
To create a rabbit business from scratch, you can first have several individuals, always paired.
- The rabbit business is suitable for those who have a country house, cottage or a house in the countryside. It is necessary to select a certain area and build several convenient cells on it. Rabbits should live in them in comfort and coziness. You also need to make an uninterrupted supply of water, do not forget about feeding and cleaning manure. Do not allow dampness: animals do not like it. It should be borne in mind that rabbits often breed, so it is recommended to allocate a separate place for young animals.
- To keep hay and grain to feed the rabbits, you need to build a shed next to it, in which the feed will be protected from the rain. You should also feed the rabbits with compound feed.
- It is necessary to take care of the manure: make a hole in the area where the waste will go in the future. Such a hole should be made approximately 2-3 m deep and diagonally. Animal excrement can be used as a natural fertilizer or sold to summer residents.
- A special room should be made where the mass slaughter of rabbits will be carried out. After the room must be carefully cleaned. Good ventilation must also be installed.
- You need to stock up on food for several months in advance. In the summer, you can feed the rabbits with grass to reduce costs.
Growing from scratch involves following all the rules for the care and breeding of animals. Sanitary rules must be followed carefully. The rabbitry must be kept clean and regularly disinfected to reduce the chance of animal disease.
Rodents or insects must be exterminated: they are carriers of diseases. Infected rabbits are taken to a special quarantine area where they are treated.
You can learn more about breeding rabbits for beginners in the video.
Rabbit keeping
The most effective way to keep rabbits is the shed system. It uses a tiered installation of cells, growing in them is more than effective. The cells are placed on top of each other and in a row. A sewer canal is installed under them, which makes cleaning easier. Thanks to this system, it becomes easier to feed and care for animals. It also saves time.
There are also disadvantages: the animals are kept in a closed space and walk a little. Basically, this content is used for breeding rabbits for meat. Pets are actively fattening and moving little.
Rabbits can also be kept in burrows: they dig a small hole that is protected from dogs or other animals. You also need to take care of the roof so that precipitation does not fall into the hole. One male and several females must live inside. They will also breed there.
Breeding and raising pets in burrows is close to natural living conditions and the disadvantages with this method of breeding have not been identified. When rabbits are kept in burrows, pets have a more developed and strong immunity, as well as an increased lifespan.
Keeping in a pit has a bad effect on the fur of animals: it becomes dirty and rough, and therefore those who are going to breed eared for the sake of skins should abandon this method of growing.
Purchase of animals
Large breeds such as the Belgian Giant or the Gray Giant are the best choices for meat.
To purchase, it is best to go to a farm where rabbits are bred: this way you can independently check the conditions in which the animals were kept and what kind of parents they had. Before buying, you should make sure that the pet is active and does not have external signs of illness.
It is better to refuse to purchase if at least one of the following signs is observed:
- the wool stands upright and does not shine;
- the rabbit is inactive or, conversely, too groovy;
- dull look;
- unnatural behavior;
- the rabbit is not given in hand, eats and drinks little.
When buying, you need to ask the breeders about their fertility, how often they die, the quality of the fur, etc. It is worth paying attention to their maximum weight. It is necessary to take rabbits so that there are about 30 females per male.
Difficulties of content
One of the most frequently encountered difficulties is the increased mortality of animals. To avoid such situations, veterinary examinations should be carried out frequently. You should also wash the cells as they become dirty, feed the eared ears with high-quality food, always give them fresh water.
During autumn beriberi, you need to add a large amount of vitamins, fresh greens and mineral supplements to the rabbits' diet.
It is not worth saving on feed, because this directly affects the quality of meat, skin and health of the rabbit. Many farmers prepare compound feed at home on their own.
The best advice for farmers starting a business from scratch is to study as much information as possible about rabbits, to establish connections with experienced entrepreneurs or farmers: they will answer all your questions.
Product distribution
Before you start selling rabbits, you need to research the market. In places with a large number of suppliers, it is easy to burn out. You should not delay the sale, as meat tends to deteriorate, and rabbits age. It is recommended to find profitable shops or individual entrepreneurs that sell meat in order to conclude a sales contract with them. We should not forget about the certificates confirming the health of the rabbits and their belonging to a particular farm.
Animal fur can be sold to various factories for the production of fur coats and other fur clothing, or in the atelier.
You should not be afraid to set the price yourself, however, it is not recommended to overestimate them, especially at the beginning of your career.
Searching for buyers usually takes a long time, and this can negatively affect the budget, so it is recommended to save all contacts. The products should be delivered on time and in the required quantity with all the necessary documentation. Every businessman should prove himself well from the first day of activity. He needs to prove his efficiency and reliability.
Business costs
You need to draw up a rough business plan. You need to calculate how much you need to spend to start rabbit farming. Materials for making cages should be considered. On average, it comes out about 50 thousand rubles. The average number of cells that are involved in production is taken into account: main and additional cells.
Then the purchase of young rabbits is made. Usually a small business involves the purchase of 100 heads at a time. It takes 30 thousand rubles. Pricing may vary as different breeds are valued differently. Also, the price can be influenced by the region in which the purchase is made.
Feed is purchased for several months at once. Special expensive compound feed is also bought. On average, it comes out from 70 to 150 thousand rubles. It remains to take care of veterinary services, water supply, heating and other services. It takes about 20 thousand rubles a year.rub.
These are the main costs at the start. It is also worth taking into account various emergencies, it is worth putting money in the budget for such an event.
Is it profitable to breed rabbits
To find out whether it is profitable to conduct such a business or not, what is its profitability, it is worth calculating the income and estimated expenses. First, let's calculate the average income for the sale of meat. About 2 thousand kg of meat product can come out of 100 rabbits. If we take the average price of 200 rubles per kilogram, it turns out that the profit will be 400 thousand rubles. in year. In addition, there is still fur, which can be sold to factories or in an atelier for 200 rubles per skin. A total of 1400 skins will bring another 280 thousand rubles.
Taking into account all expenses, the net profit will be 500 thousand rubles. in one year. Costs will decrease over time, which will translate into higher incomes, so rabbit farming can be considered a profitable business.
Everything pays off in about six months. But this should only be done by those who really like the idea of starting a farm, since there are many difficulties that not everyone can cope with. Subject to all aspects of raising and breeding rabbits, even a novice farmer will be successful.