How to open a rabbit farm. Rabbit breeding business plan. Rabbit diet, daily dose in grams

Meat is the most favorite food product for humans, and the dietary products of rabbit farms are in great demand.

And although the store shelves are full of a variety of meat products, the creation of animal breeding farms seems to be a cost-effective idea for starting your own business.

Despite the fact that the number of farms has increased significantly over the past ten years, Russia still has significant potential for the development of many livestock industries.

Among the most promising areas for the development of this area, leading positions are occupied by the idea of ​​​​opening a farm for breeding rabbits. There are a lot of rabbit lovers in our country, but it is not so easy to find the meat of this animal in the city.

In addition, it should be mentioned about the features of the products of the rabbit farm:

• Meat contains a lot of protein and very little cholesterol.
  Due to this ratio, it is positioned as a diet. Doctors recommend its use to people with kidney, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases. Rabbit meat is also useful for children and people suffering from overweight.

• Fur animal is highly valued among clothing manufacturers.
  The low price of skins and the quality of the fur, which is not inferior to mink, makes this raw material very popular.

• Also available decorative rocks that are bred for the purpose of resale as a pet.
  They have a docile nature and are not demanding in care.

Preparatory stage of the project

Rabbits breed very well. During the year, one female brings offspring 5-6 times, and in each litter there can be 8-15 cubs, so their breeding, with the right organization of the economy, can become a very profitable type of business.

A novice entrepreneur will be pleased with the fact that in this field they will meet little competition and a great demand for manufactured products.

For the effective implementation of the project, it is necessary to take the planning process seriously, conduct market analysis and draw up step by step business plan setting up a rabbit farm. When making a plan you need to pay attention to the following points:

• Getting basic knowledge for breeding animals.
  You need to read specialized literature. You can also get practical advice from experienced rabbit breeders by contacting them through the forums.

• Farm Registration and obtaining permits.
  Usually, novice entrepreneurs are registered as an individual entrepreneur and draw up a personal subsidiary plot. You do not need a license to breed rabbits, but you need to obtain permission from the sanitary authorities.

• Selection of a site with a room and purchase of equipment.
  To organize a mini-farm for 1,000 heads, you need a plot of at least 6 acres.

• Breed selection for breeding.
  The potential and possible directions for the development of your project depend on this.

Let's look at some of these points in more detail.

Arrangement of the premises

To organize a business, you need a plot that you can both buy and rent.

The land for the farm should be away from residential premises. The ideal option would be to rent a summer cottage located in the countryside.

Cannot build farms in swampy areas and places with high humidity. The area around, if possible, needs to be asphalted.

When organizing a farm, the following types of premises should be provided on the site:

• sheds- areas where cages with animals will be located.
  If cells are arranged in two tiers, then about 60 cells can be placed in one shed.
• Barn where the feed will be stored.
  To reduce costs, it is recommended to purchase compound feed and grains in bulk. In this case, you will need a place to store it safely.
• Room for inventory.
• slaughter for rabbits with the presence of refrigerators for storing meat.
• Pit in which excrement will be stored. Manure is a very good fertilizer, which can be easily sold to agricultural enterprises.

The main habitat for rabbits will be cages. Depending on your budget, you can buy materials and build the cages yourself according to the drawings, or purchase ready-made cages. It is better for beginners to invest in industrial structures, the design of which takes into account many factors.

There must be a feeder and a drinker in the cages.

The cage room must be provided with water supply, electricity, heating and climate control.

Also in the process of drawing up a business plan it is worth considering the purchase of special equipment.

Breed selection

Today, about 200 breeds of rabbits are known, which are usually divided into 3 groups:

• meat skins,
• meat
• and downy.

Among the whole set, a maximum of 15 breeds are suitable for breeding at home.

You can see in the next article.

How to achieve profitability of breeding crayfish in an aquarium, we will tell. When can I expect the first profit?

We will talk about the prospects for the development of a dairy farm at. What should be included in a business plan?

Better for a budding entrepreneur opt for breeding meat-and-skin rabbits.

The most famous representatives of this group are:

• white giant
  Gross - 5-6 kg, net - up to 54% of the weight. The average fecundity is 8 rabbits per litter.
• Gray giant
  Gross - 5-5.5 kg, net - up to 58% of the total weight. On average, it brings out 7-8 rabbits per litter.
• Chinchilla
  Gross - 5 kg, net - up to 63% of the total weight. Average fecundity - 7 - 8 rabbits per litter.
• black brown
  Gross - 5 kg, net - up to 58% of the total weight. The average fecundity is from 8 or more rabbits per litter.

Organization of the process

Big Mikhailov's method is popular among rabbit breeders. Based on the physiological nature of animals, a scientist from St. Petersburg has developed a special method for breeding rabbits in cages.

This breeding system, considering all key features breeding animals, allows you to bring the average weight of young animals to 4-5 kg ​​within 4 months.

Thus, the offspring of one female ensures the receipt of 30 kg of meat products within one year. You can get detailed information about the opening of Academician Mikhailov at the link http://fermerskii-dvorik.ru/25-mini-ferma-mihaylova.html .

For the success of the enterprise, it is worth paying attention to the following factors:

• Comfort.
  In order for rabbits to mate with high quality and often breed, it is necessary to properly equip their habitat.
• Food.
  According to the Mikhailov system, it is necessary to provide animals with free access to food. They should eat frequently and be able to eat up to 80 times a day.
• No stress.
  It is necessary to eliminate all irritants and minimize the risk of stress in rabbits.

What expenses should be included in ? The minimum profitability of the project.

In the video for the next one, we will talk about how to grow champignon mushrooms at home.

How to organize a pig breeding business, we will talk here. Example financial plan for the development of farming.

reproduction

Rabbits reach puberty relatively quickly. It takes them a maximum of 4 months. However, experts categorically prohibit allowing young animals to mate during this period. The mating with the male is arranged for the female only after reaching full maturation.

The process should be repeated at intervals of 1 week. When fertilization occurs, the female will no longer allow males to approach her, which means it's time to transplant her into a separate cage, where she will take care of the new offspring.

The young will feed on their mother's milk for 60 days.

Feeding

In conditions of auxiliary breeding of rabbits, they should be fed with special compound feed. It contains the nutritional components necessary for animals and meets all the requirements of the diet. In addition to feed in summer time it is advisable to give animals purified green grass from pastures, in winter you can limit yourself to hay.

For pregnant females, the diet should be diversified - this will allow you to get strong and healthy offspring. As additions to the main feed, it is necessary to use special vitamin and mineral supplements, including succulent feed.

To optimize costs and ensure food security, you need to stock up on feed for 2-3 months in advance.

The rabbit, during the year, brings offspring in the amount of 24 cubs:

• The female consumes up to 45 kg of compound feed per year.
• For a cub, the feed consumption rate will be approximately 12-13 kg.

Total 1 female with offspring accounts for about 0.34 tons of feed per year. The maximum price for it is 9 rubles per 1 kg.

An example of organizing a rabbit farm, see the video:

Financial calculations

We give approximate calculations for creating a subsidiary farm.

Expenses- 493 050 rubles. (at the beginning of the business and the first year of operation)

Investment - 164,000 rubles.

• Room equipment - 50,000 rubles.
• Registration - 10,000 rubles.
• Acquisition of cells - 50,000 rubles.
• Acquisition of livestock - 54,000 rubles. (60 animals maximum for 900 rubles)

Current costs - 329,050 rubles. (in year)

• Plot rent - up to 80,000 rubles.
• Feed costs - 157,050 rubles.
  (50 females with offspring * 340 kg * 9 rubles and 10 males * 45 kg * 9 rubles)
• Hay costs - 7,000 rubles. (2 tons * 3500 rubles)
• Expenses for a veterinarian - 15,000 rubles.
• Utility expenses - 50,000 rubles.
• Other expenses - 20,000 rubles.

Income- 863 400 rubles.

On average, by breed, by slaughter age, rabbits weigh 5.1 kg.

From one animal, an average of 2.9 kg of meat will be obtained (58% of the total weight).

Also, from one carcass, you can get fat up to 0.07 kg. Animal fat is actively used in medicine and perfumery.

We do not take into account the sale of manure and internal organs.

Based on this:

• Income from the sale of meat \u003d 1200 * 2.9 * 210 rubles. for 1 kg at the wholesale price = 730,800 rubles.
• Fur - 1200 * 100 r. (average price per skin) = 120,000 rubles.
• Fat - 1200*.07*150 r. = 12 600 rubles.

Profit before taxes will be - 863,400 rubles. - 493 050 rubles. = 370 350 rubles per year or 30,862.5 rubles per month.

With the decline in popularity on the reference Agriculture there is much less natural and edible products. Everything that is sold in stores, as a rule, is of dubious quality. In addition, it becomes more and more difficult to buy any delicacy every time. That is why, in a new form and with increased intensity, private farms began to revive, the hallmark of which is the production and sale of completely natural products. Today we will talk about one of the areas of farming, rabbit breeding, as a business: is it profitable or not to start this enterprise, and whether it is profitable.

Of course, every agricultural business has as its goal the production of some basic product. Let's see what we are talking about in the case of rabbit breeding.

Table 1. What makes money on a rabbit business?

Product	Description
	In every business there is a main product that is planned to be implemented. In the case of rabbits, it is undoubtedly meat - a dietary food product with pleasant specific taste qualities. Since rabbit meat is not found in supermarkets, people who prefer to eat this type of meat are happy to turn to farmers to buy it.
	In addition, they give rabbits and skins, which are used for the production of such products as: coat; fur coats; collars; trim for gloves; other fur products, so popular in the post-Soviet space. Purchases of skins are carried out by various companies that are engaged in tailoring the above products.
	Not only that, you can sell not only the final product, but also live individuals, which, due to the fact that rabbits breed very quickly and actively, also bring excellent profits. Depending on what breed of rabbits you choose, the price of rabbits will also vary. You can earn really good money on them.

However, like any other business, raising rabbits comes with its own challenges. What exactly we are talking about, we will talk further in the presented material.

Requirements for keeping rabbits

So, you have decided to become a livestock breeder, and come to grips with the issue of studying the business of breeding rabbits. The most important thing to remember is to take your time. To begin with, let's find out what living conditions you need to provide with ears so that they help your business develop.

1. Dry rooms- the first and most important thing you should equip for rabbits. These creatures cannot stand the cold and humidity, so if you do not want all your livestock to die overnight, try to provide them with a decent shelter from the very beginning.

In this case, a worthy shelter will be understood as a structure:

• capital character;
• heated;
• refurbished;
• equipped with rabbit cages.

In the room you have chosen, before the entry of the eared, you will have to carry out repairs:

• insulate walls;
• cover up cracks;
• treat surfaces with special non-toxic substances that kill insects and other pests, etc.;
• concrete floor;
• install storm drains.

2. Comfortable houses. As you know, you can breed rabbits:

• in cells;
• in the pits.

Table 2. Advantages and disadvantages of breeding rabbits in cages

Advantages

Flaws

Content in cells, like any phenomenon in the world, has its pros and cons. Yes, to positive aspects the following applies: cages are elevated, which helps protect pets from insects, rats, as well as humidity and drafts; cages can be both bought and designed by yourself, while making the structure as “multi-apartment” as you want; ready-made drawings or self-used ideas allow you to equip cages automatic systems collection of rabbit feces; living in cages causes a reduced motor activity of rabbits, and their weight gain; mating of individuals in cage conditions occurs in a controlled manner; in a cage it is easy to catch any rabbit, for example, during the vaccination period; cages reduce the risk of rabbit fights, as males can be kept separately.

cages built according to an outdated model force breeders to spend a lot of time cleaning them out; if you do not want to spend a lot of money to buy a cage, you will have to build it yourself, and this requires not only at least basic carpentry or building skills, but also time and effort; feeding rabbits in cages will take a lot of time.

Table 3. Advantages and disadvantages of breeding rabbits in pits

Advantages

Flaws

Keeping in pits is a style of breeding close to the natural way of living for rabbits, which has many supporters. Here are the main points that are considered an advantage regarding it: arranging a hole can be done absolutely in any case, since all that is required of you is to dig it; in conditions of pit living, rabbits become much stronger and their muscle structures develop more actively, as they will dig holes; the pit, like the cells, requires regular cleaning, however, much rarer than the cells; saving space, since the pit will expand with rabbits, and even if not, approximately 200 individuals can be placed in one 2 by 2 meter pit, while up to four times fewer animals can be kept in a cage of this size; since the living conditions in the pit are as close as possible to natural, rabbits breed much faster than in cages; the taste qualities of the meat of rabbits that live in pits are much more valuable and palpable, because due to constant physical activity, these animals provide the flesh with a constant supply of nutrients.

However, the pit also has serious disadvantages that should also be considered: a pit, like a cage, for rabbits to live in must be insulated and waterproofed at least partially; it will be quite difficult to catch a rabbit in a hole, especially if the animals dig their own passages; the pit is not so easy to clean from the waste products of rabbits; raising rabbits in pits is not suitable for breeding fur or heavy breeds; the occurrence of related incest is another pit problem, since it is difficult to separate relatives from rabbits that are strangers to each other under such conditions; unfortunately, the main disadvantage of the pits is that diseases spread instantly inside them, since all the rabbits are in a heap and are constantly in contact with each other. However, all the disadvantages listed above can, with proper skill, be stopped and reduced to nothing.

In addition to deciding how you will keep your rabbits, you will also need to decide on the creation of a special room in which your rabbits' food will be stored:

• hay;
• cereal crops;
• compound feed;
• vegetables, etc.

By the way, harvesting hay, as well as the purchase of all other types of food, lie on your shoulders.

In addition, it is also necessary to have a separate room for slaughtering rabbits. That's what it's called - the slaughter shop. Equip this workshop, according to sanitary rules, necessary:

• plumbing;
• ventilation system;
• bloodstream into which the blood of rabbits will drain.

All surfaces of this room, i.e. floor, walls, ceilings, must be covered with materials that:

• cannot be subjected to corrosive changes;
• not overgrown with fungus.

Materials such as:

• metal;
• plastic;
• tiles, etc.

In addition, the slaughterhouse must be equipped with refrigeration units in which you will keep skinned animal skins.

To be able to trade also the fur of these animals, you will need to acquire a room for:

• drying skins;
• their proper storage.

Note: the activities associated with the breeding of rabbits also involve working with the waste remaining from them. So, they can be partially burned in special furnaces, and rabbit manure can be stored in a special pit, the dimensions of which will be approximately 3 by 3 meters. The contents of this pit can be used independently as garden fertilizer, and you can also sell it, earning money on almost everything that a person can get from a rabbit in one way or another.

Be sure to also take care of finding the contact of an intelligent veterinarian, since farming is closely related to such a phenomenon as the fight against livestock diseases. Very often, even very successfully starting enterprises for breeding these animals become bankrupt, because they did not take into account earlier that the death of animals occurs very quickly: one got infected and after a few days they all died. Therefore, regular check-ups and the help of an intelligent veterinarian can help your business like nothing else.

It doesn’t matter what you choose, a pit or a cage, as the main territory for keeping rabbits, in addition to a veterinarian, to prevent diseases, you will need to acquire a cage-zone for quarantine, in which diseased animals will be resettled for a while.

Sales channels

Anyone, even the most good business, implies that the product must find its buyer. On the territory of our country, rabbit meat, as the main product of this business, unlike the same European countries, in which it is sold in almost every supermarket, is not so popular, but, nevertheless, shops selling products from private farmers are ready to buy or sell meat.

However, you can sell carcasses yourself by opening a point of sale or standing behind the counter in the market.

As for the skins, this product is already a by-product. It can be used like this:

• valuable fur is used to create rather expensive fur products, for example, fur coats, collars, hats, etc .;
• skins of lower quality are made into shoes for children and gloves;
• rabbit down is often used to create insulated wardrobe items;
• felted products are made from short rabbit wool.

Most likely, workshops or large manufacturers of such products will purchase skins, of which there are many today, but you still have to look for them.

As for the young, it is perhaps the easiest way to sell young rabbits. This direction is very, very profitable, because with average price a rabbit at 400-600 rubles, the female is able to produce 40 pieces per year. We multiply, and we get a good annual profit from one rabbit, and provided that you have, for example, 40, very soon you will start earning about half a million rubles.

If you breed rabbits only to sell them, you can save yourself from the need to participate in the brutal killing of animals, and at the same time from the expenses that were originally planned to be made due to the need to equip the workshops:

• for slaughter and storage of meat;
• for drying and storing skins.

In addition, if you do not sell meat, then you do not need to rack your brains about obtaining approval certificates of quality. However, you will have to understand the following subtleties:

• how to conduct a rabbit mating;
• how often rabbits can mate;
• how to feed pregnant females;
• how to care for newborns, etc.

The sale of grown rabbits is carried out at the age of 2-3 months. At this age, an individual, with proper care, will have a weight of 2-3 kilograms, and the achievement of puberty occurs, as a rule, somewhere around 4 months.

rabbit breeds

It is very important to determine the purpose of breeding and future distribution channels even before you start breeding, since it is on them that the choice of the breed that you will begin to grow should depend. In total, three categories of breeds can be distinguished.

name of category	Category Description
Meat	This category represents a breed of rabbits whose wool is not suitable for sale and use, however, at the same time they are heavy individuals and give a lot of tasty meat, for which, in fact, they are bred.
Meat and selfish	Members of this category may equally serve as a source of both meat and skins, since both their flesh and fur are highly valued. Representatives of such breeds are especially profitable, however, they must be carefully monitored, avoiding, for example, fights, since a damaged skin immediately becomes a marriage and depreciates.
skins	Skin breeds offer long, soft and thick fur, however, their meat is not highly valued. However, they are often indulged in, as fur is not cheap, and is usually required in large quantities to create fur coats and other products.

So, for example, the following breeds of rabbits are highly valued by livestock breeders:

1. , whose weight reaches 6 kilograms per individual, while representatives of this breed are unpretentious in care and are suitable for keeping in areas with a cold climate, and their skin and meat are of good quality.

   

2. « » , whose weight also reaches a maximum of 6 kilograms, while one female brings about 12 individuals, quickly gaining weight under cellular conditions that are most preferable for this breed.

   

3. - the weight of this individual is approximately 7 kilograms, the female brings rabbits in 9 pieces, unpretentiousness is very high, while growth is fast.

   

4. - a heavy breed, one individual can reach 12 kilograms, you will have to tinker with breeding, however, it's worth it.

   

5. « » - meat-skin breed, of excellent quality, provides each of the products mentioned, while the weight is small, five kilograms, but the taste of meat is really pleasant.

   

6. - the weight of these individuals can reach 6 kilograms, the maximum number of rabbits born is about 8 pieces, while the meat is of average quality, but the skins are large and highly valued.

   

To begin with, you can take several individuals, for example, two or three breeds, and, experimenting with them, understand which one is right for you. Remember that only cages are suitable for raising animals for skins, pits are perfect for meat, and you will also need to acquire equipment appropriate for the breed.

What to feed

The better the rabbit is, the better the livestock breeder lives - remember this rule once and for all. There are several groups food products that are suitable for your eared pets.

Table 4. What are rabbits fed?

Group	Description
Green feed	This category is literally represented by green fodder, that is: grass; fodder greens; tops, etc. Not allowed for rabbits wild herbs, therefore, they are fed, as a rule, with seeded crops, for example: clover; alfalfa; carrot tops; beet tops, etc.
Roughage	This category also includes plant foods, however, coarser, such as: branches of garden trees; hay. Hay is usually produced from the same plants that are part of the green fodder category. According to available data, one rabbit eats 40 kilograms of hay during the winter period! As for tree branches that are used as food for rabbits, as a rule, we are talking about garden trees, however, they can also be used: Rowan; ash; willow; Linden; maple, etc.
juicy	This category includes foods such as: roots; silage. The following root crops are used as food for rabbits: potatoes; beet; cabbage; pumpkin; zucchini, everything else is better not to give. Silage is a mixture of vegetable waste and grass.
Concentrated	This category is represented by such nutritious foods that are suitable for feeding rabbits, such as: compound feed; cereals.

It is also important to give rabbits additional vitamins and other supplements, for example:

• vitamin E;
• vitamin A;
• bone meal;
• table salt.

In addition, it is important that animals always have access to a large amount of water, since it takes about half a liter per individual per day.

Advantages and disadvantages of a rabbit business

Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of a rabbit business.

Table 5. Positive and negative aspects of the rabbit breeding business

With the right approach, the costs that you made to organize a business will pay for themselves in about 10 months after the start, and then you will already be gaining momentum. However, this will only happen if:

• you will learn how to choose the right breed;
• properly equip a house for rabbits;
• find out their biological features;
• learn how to properly feed, chance, treat rabbits, etc.

As you can see, there is a lot to learn.

Summing up

Breeding rabbits is a business for the stubborn. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is associated with a large number of different risks that seem to appear out of nowhere. If you can adequately handle them, be sure that the business will go up. However, we advise you to think about the fact that this business, one way or another, is built on exploitation and cruelty to animals. Not every person can handle this. Perhaps you should think it over and choose another direction of activity. But if you decide to go all the way, start studying the relevant literature.

Video - Breeding rabbits as a business: profitable or not

Igor Nikolaev

Reading time: 7 minutes

A A

Rabbit breeding as a business is both simple and complex at the same time. Its profitability depends on the volume of the sales market in your region. There is no rush demand for rabbit meat in our country, since the population is not sufficiently aware of the valuable qualities of this meat.

The success of this enterprise will depend on how carefully and competently approach the search for buyers. According to statistics, the payback period for such a business is from two to four years.

The prospect of rabbit breeding as a business

Abroad, rabbit meat is a very popular product, due to its nutritional value. For example, in America, large-scale scientific work is underway to breed new rabbit breeds and increase the nutritional value of this type of meat. In the era Soviet Union, especially in the 70s of the last century, there were large fur farms that specialized exclusively in breeding rabbits. New breeds were imported, active breeding work was carried out. However, in the 90s of the twentieth century, all the efforts of domestic rabbit breeders were brought to naught.

At the moment, rabbit meat is poorly represented in the meat balance of our country, because of this, the demand for it has fallen.

However, given the dietary properties of rabbit meat, this situation tends to improve. At present, the shortage of domestic rabbit meat is compensated by foreign supplies, which means that in the conditions of the course towards import substitution, there is still a prospect.

If you do rabbit breeding wisely, then its profitability can be very worthy. The main thing is to take into account the main risks, which include:

• low level of labor productivity;
• sharp temperature fluctuations in the Russian climate;
• the risk of mass mortality of animals from infectious diseases.

In favor of the prospects of rabbit breeding as a business, the fact that within one year one individual is able to reproduce a mass that is 50 times its own weight speaks.

Advantages and disadvantages of rabbit breeding as a private business

In this business, as in any other, there are both certain advantages and disadvantages.

Experts' benefits include:

• relatively fast payback period;
• good profitability of rabbit breeding;
• useful properties of the resulting products;
• mating can be carried out all year round;
• the versatility of this business.

The disadvantages include the following points:

№	Useful information
1	the cleanliness of rabbits requires constant and regular cleaning of their places of detention, otherwise the risk of animal disease increases
2	these animals get used to the owners quickly, but not to strangers; they are very shy, afraid not only of strangers, but also of unfamiliar smells and sharp sounds, and this negatively affects their physiological state; known cases of death of rabbits from fright
3	caring for rabbits requires constant attention; for example, many novice farmers complain that a rabbit eats her rabbits, but in fact it turns out that immediately after giving birth, they forgot to pour water into her drinker

Legal registration of business on rabbits

It should be noted right away that this business does not require significant initial investments. For example, a farm for 1000 heads can be organized on a standard summer cottage of six acres. Additional savings will be provided by hand-made cages, feeders and drinkers. But before you start work, you need to choose the legal form of your future enterprise.

Usually, a novice rabbit breeder chooses between the form of “personal subsidiary plot” (abbreviated as LPH) and “individual entrepreneur” (abbreviated as IP).

You need to choose based on who and how you plan to sell future products. If your circle potential clients is limited to relatives and acquaintances, as well as buyers of agricultural markets, then the form of private household plots will be the best choice, since it is not taxed. However, if later you decide to expand your business and, as a result, enter new markets, then you will need the legal status of an individual entrepreneur. This is a more expensive form in terms of organization, taxation and reporting, which requires obtaining appropriate permits to engage in private business in your chosen field. The supervisory authorities that monitor the work of private household plots are the city or village administrations, and the individual entrepreneur already controls such a state body as the Rosselkhoznadzor.

Rabbit breeding for beginners. Where to begin?

The answer to this question is quite simple - you should start with obtaining the necessary knowledge.

Before you start breeding these animals, you should learn more about their lifestyle, diet, the conditions they need, how they breed, how they get sick, and so on and so on ... These, albeit purely theoretical, the foundations of rabbit breeding are strong will help you in further practical work.

And remember - breeding and keeping rabbits, like any other pets, is not entertainment, but everyday painstaking work.

At the beginning of your farming journey, you should be patient. Beginners tend to make mistakes, but in rabbit breeding, as in any other business, experience comes as a result of real work.

You can start breeding rabbits at any time of the year, as these eared fidgets are ready to mate all year round.

It also does not hurt to get acquainted with the main characteristics of the most popular and productive rabbit breeds.

After you decide on the breed, equip places for keeping animals and purchase the necessary feed. It is better to settle rabbits in cages specially adapted for this, which can be placed outdoors. It is best to buy young rabbits from experienced rabbit breeders with a good reputation, who, in addition to selling you quality and healthy rabbits, can also help you with advice at the beginning.

A successful rabbit breeding business begins with the choice of breed, in which special attention should be paid to:

• quality characteristics of the resulting meat,
• growth rate (live weight gain);
• feed conversion indicator, the essence of which is as follows: how much feed an animal eats to gain one kilogram of weight.

Most often, they start with hybrid breeds, which are cheaper than purebred animals. Particular attention is paid to the breeding stock, the main characteristic of which is how many rabbits can give birth and feed one rabbit.

There are no rabbit breeding centers in Russia, so you should focus on foreign breeding farms, which, as a rule, have their own distributors in our country. In addition to the animals themselves, such enterprises usually offer high-quality equipment for this business, as well as provide training services for beginner rabbit breeders.

Equipment for rabbit breeding

Currently, there are the following systems for keeping rabbits:

• aviary;
• semi-aviary;
• cellular.

Feedback from practicing rabbit breeders suggests that the first two systems are quite rare, so you should focus on the cellular system of keeping these animals. It allows you to organize competent mating and proper feeding of rabbits, and also makes it possible to organize timely mating.

In addition, such a system allows you to keep rabbits outdoors all year round, which can significantly increase the body's resistance to various diseases and improve the breeding and productive qualities of rabbits. The disadvantages of the cellular content can be attributed, perhaps, only to the fact that under such conditions it is problematic to obtain offspring in the winter.

Single-tier cages should be placed on wooden poles. The height from the floor of the cage to the ground should be 80 centimeters. It is best to use double cages. Hay mangers made of metal nets usually act as partitions between cells. The floor and walls of the nesting compartment must be made of simple plank, and the stern - of metal mesh. The roofs of the cages must be made of well-bent boards. Which should provide a slope of 15 degrees. You also need to provide for 20-centimeter visors. From above the roof is covered with roofing material. When installing the floors, it is also necessary to provide for a slope of 5 degrees. This will provide a natural drainage of the urine of the animals. Young rabbits can be planted in one cage for three or four individuals. One paddock, which is a wooden frame covered with a metal mesh, should fit 10 young rabbits.

This system greatly facilitates the care of animals and makes it possible to mechanize the processes of watering and distributing feed, which makes it possible to double labor productivity. With such a content, the rabbit breeder is able to simultaneously serve up to 130 females and up to 1,200 rabbits that have not yet been separated.

The size of sheds can be up to 120 centimeters and up to 270 cells. The floor in the passages is usually concreted with a slope device on both sides. The width of the intercellular passage is 130 centimeters.

The length of the cages in the sheds is 140 centimeters, the depth is 70 centimeters, and the height: the back wall is 36 centimeters, the front wall is up to 55 centimeters. Cells are arranged in two rows in two tiers. The bottom row is for the animals of the main row, the top row is for the stocked young animals.

For fattening young animals for meat, bilateral sheds are used, with mechanized distribution of feed and water. Cleaning of faeces is also mechanized. Such sheds can accommodate up to 600 juveniles. The cage itself is a wooden frame covered with a metal mesh. For mechanical watering, automated float type drinkers are used.
On meat and skin farms, with a minimum number of breeding stock of 1200 individuals, two-tier one-sided sheds are used.

How to start organizing your mini-farm?

Before starting the construction of a rabbitry, it is necessary to coordinate its location with the local administration, since there are norms for its remoteness from residential sectors. Violation of these norms entails administrative liability.

For starters, you can take ready plan rabbit farm and adapt it to your needs. It is best to place the rabbitry on a hill so that when it rains or when the snow melts, water does not accumulate around it. The optimal solution is the concreting of the earth under these structures. This will prevent water stagnation.

Feed is stored in a separate room, which should not be forgotten either.

It is better to buy concentrated feed in bulk. This results in significant savings.

In the feed storage itself, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of observing the temperature regime and a certain level of humidity in order to prevent the appearance of mold on the feed.

The place for the slaughter of animals must be equipped with a blood drawer and a stove for the destruction of slaughter waste in it. It is advisable to locate refrigerators for storing the received products not far from this place.

To store rabbit manure, a cesspool should be equipped with a depth of at least three meters.

The walls of this pit must be concreted, and to protect it from snow and rain, a canopy should be arranged over it.

To avoid gross mistakes when choosing a purchased animal, experienced rabbit breeders give the following advice:

Difficulties encountered in breeding and keeping rabbits

The main problems faced by beginner rabbit breeders are:

1. nutrition problems. Rabbits are extremely sensitive to rotten and moldy feed, from which they often get sick. On the other hand, they choke on very dry food. You should also add the necessary vitamins. Properly selected and balanced diet is the key to health and productivity in rabbit breeding;
2. vaccination. These animals need to be vaccinated periodically. If the conditions of detention correspond to all necessary requirements- the animals should not get sick. But it's still better to be safe. The main vaccination is carried out against myxomatosis, pasteurellosis and VGBK;
3. problems with cellular content. These animals are very fond of chewing on everything, so the material for the cages must be of high quality;
4. temperature regime. The optimal temperature range is the interval from +2 to +30 degrees. For breeding and fast fattening, the temperature should be from +13 +26 degrees Celsius.

Where to sell products?

Usually forming client base begins with a close circle of relatives and friends, and then " word of mouth» attracts their acquaintances, acquaintances of their acquaintances and so on into the circle of your customers.

Don't skimp on advertising. Especially in advertising materials, pay attention useful properties dietary rabbit meat. It is now fashionable. Don't overprice! In conditions of low purchasing power of the population, the price should be affordable, which will allow you to expand the circle of your customers.

To sell meat to acquaintances, veterinary documents are not required.

They willingly take rabbit meat in restaurants, but they definitely require a veterinary certificate for products (form No. 2).

Selling rabbit meat through stores with small volumes of products is unprofitable. Lots of expenses for annual permits and quality certificates. In addition, large retail chains usually give a very low purchase price.

In addition to meat, you can also sell rabbit skins. They are purchased by enterprises for the manufacture of fur products. In fairness, it is worth saying that the prices for them are not very attractive.

Rabbit droppings can also be sold as organic fertilizer.

The main source of income is the fertility of rabbits. With the proper level of maintenance, feeding and care, one female is able to bring offspring up to 10 times a year, which allows you to get up to 60 rabbits from one uterus.

For example, let's take a farm with 120 females. We get 7,200 cubs a year. This is an average of up to 14 tons 400 kilograms of rabbit meat.

At a selling price of 200 rubles per kilogram, the average annual revenue may amount to 2 million 880 thousand. Costs account for approximately half of all revenue, or 1,440,000 rubles. These funds go to:

• purchase of feed;
• fare;
• payment for electricity;
• wages of hired workers (if any);
• purchase and repair of cages;
• payment for veterinary services and vaccinations.

Some of the costly items can be removed if, for example, you do not hire outside staff and vaccinate rabbits yourself.

Based on the above figures, we find that profitability can reach up to 100 percent (but this is ideal).

Starting rabbit breeding from scratch, you need to draw up a competent business plan. Rabbit farming, like any other business, requires accounting for estimated costs and income.

This business plan, on the one hand, should include all initial material investments, one-time and regular expenses. On the other hand, the planned revenues from the main and secondary products are taken into account. In this second part, you should definitely take into account the specifics of your particular region, since prices in different regions of our country vary significantly.

Initial costs include:

• buying or renting a land plot for a rabbit farm (you can start from the land you already have);
• expenses for legal registration and preparation of the necessary documentation;
• expenses for landscaping;
• expenses for the purchase of materials for the construction of the rabbitry, feed storage and the purchase of cages;
• purchase necessary inventory and equipment;
• the cost of buying animals (you can start with 50 pieces).

Of course, organizing your own rabbit farm does not require any crazy spending. You can get by with small investments, gradually increasing the scale of your activities. Plan your work so that you allocate at least three to four hours a day for caring for animals. Over time, this can become the main source of income.

Rabbit breeding is a promising and very profitable area of ​​animal husbandry in Russia, characterized by high resource and labor intensity. To understand whether breeding rabbits as a business is profitable or not will allow a business plan.

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Business Description

The rabbit business in Russia is an underdeveloped niche and is in its infancy. A small number of market participants and a high demand for fresh rabbit meat allow entrepreneurs to start their own business and achieve significant results.

You can earn on rabbits by selling:

• fresh meat;
• rabbit skins;
• litter and biohumus (this is a natural organic fertilizer);
• inventory (for example, feeders, cages, animal watering systems);
• rabbits.

A rabbit mini-farm will provide the farmer with a year-round source of income.

To organize a mini-farm, it is not necessary to look for multimillion-dollar investments, the business can be developed gradually. To get started, just put a few cages and buy young rabbits of the desired breed.

This business is ideal for those who have:

• free land;
• personal subsidiary plot;
• access to forage.

Relevance

It is worth doing a rabbit breeding business in Russia for the following reasons:

• the demand for rabbit meat on the market is only 50 percent satisfied;
• the product has high taste and dietary characteristics that are superior to pork, beef or, for example, turkey;
• state support for Russian farming (including tax holidays, soft loans, subsidies and grants for start-up entrepreneurs);
• low cost of meat, compared with the production costs of most other types of meat;
• the high price of rabbit meat, this situation is due to the fact that demand is higher than supply;
• profitable type of activity;
• a wide range of distribution of rabbit farm products, including restaurants, individuals, sausage, canned and semi-finished products, hospitals (patient nutrition);
• the rapid rate of increase in the number of rabbit herds, due to the peculiarities of the breeding process of pets (one rabbit is able to bring offspring six times a year);
• the rapid growth of rabbits (at four months the rabbit is ready for slaughter, at this age it weighs four to five kilograms);
• if the farmer does not have a large start-up capital, then you can start a business by buying several pets;
• the main part of the feed can be harvested independently (hay, straw, grass);
• breeding rabbits does not negative impact on ecology.

What breeds to choose for breeding

At the business design stage, it is important to decide on a suitable breed of rabbits that will be profitable to breed in a particular region. Since the main product of the rabbit farm is meat, when choosing a breed, preference should be given to those that grow faster and gain weight.

Rabbits are:

• meat;
• downy;
• meat skins;
• decorative.

Breeds of meat rabbits:

1. New Zealand red. Such animals grow very quickly and reach a mass of 4.5–5 kilograms.
2. New Zealand is white. These pets are also precocious, vigorously growing and fleshy. At three months, they reach a mass of 2.7-3.5 kilograms.
3. California. A young rabbit of this breed adds up to 45 grams per day, and by five months reaches a weight of 4.5 kilograms.
4. French ram. Usually they are slaughtered when the individual reaches three to four months. Luxurious fur is also highly valued in this breed.

The best place to buy pedigree young rabbits in Russia are agricultural exhibitions and large farms.

Breeds of meat-hide rabbits:

• gray giant (bred in Ukraine);
• white giant;
• German giant (Riesen);
• Soviet chinchilla;
• European and Poltava silver;
• Viennese blue.

Breeds for industrial breeding:

• Russian ermine;
• angora english rabbit;
• angora french rabbit;
• rex;
• blue;
• white;
• Russian;
• black;
• fiery.

The breeds of rabbits that are best kept at home in Russia are described in the video presented. Filmed by the channel: "Smart City".

Types of rabbit business

By size, rabbit farms are divided into:

• mini-farms (up to 100 individuals);
• medium (from 100 to 500 individuals);
• industrial (more than 500 individuals).

Rabbit business can be classified according to the method of breeding:

1. Keeping animals in enclosed spaces with a controlled microclimate. Such a farm usually consists of several hangars (or one hangar), which is equipped with a heating system, artificial lighting and ventilation. A novice farmer can equip a garage, barn or other outbuilding.
2. Creation of a mini-farm according to the technology proposed by Mikhailov. It involves the complete automation of the process of keeping animals. In this case, the entrepreneur will need to fill the feeders personally or by hired personnel once a week. It is also necessary to pour water into the drinkers and clean the hopper with accumulated waste. The cages in which the rabbits are located are equipped with heating.
3. Creation of a mini-farm using multi-tiered cages developed by Zolotukhin. Aviaries need to be made up in several tiers (two or three) in buildings with a canopy, called sheds. This design greatly simplifies the processes of animal care and feeding. The classic industrial-scale shed building is three meters wide and 60 meters long. Up to 500 mature rabbits can be kept here, but for a mini-farm, designing smaller sheds is acceptable.
4. Keeping rabbits in a pit. In this case, ground buildings for breeding rabbits will not be needed. For the proper arrangement of the home of pets, you will need a dry place, on a hill, where a hole is dug (1.5-2 meters) and lined with bricks. However this method not the best, since the animals are in close contact, diseases spread very quickly. Also, in such conditions, it is impossible to grow rabbits to obtain high-quality fluff and skins.

The most convenient and cheapest option for organizing a rabbit farm in Russia is the construction of enclosures under a canopy. On the street, animals develop and grow well. Getting food and water is best done through long trays and drinkers, which should be placed along the walls.

Market analysis and target audience

Trends Russian market rabbit meat:

• market capacity for 2015 amounted to 17.5 thousand tons of products;
• a larger volume of production is observed in the households of the population (13.5 thousand tons or 82.8 percent);
• the share of agricultural organizations - 11.3 percent;
• share individual entrepreneurs and KFH - 5.79 percent of the total livestock;
• from year to year there is an increase in sales volumes;
• the number of rabbits is growing, according to data for 2015, it exceeded 3,700 thousand;
• demand exceeds supply, there is a shortage (unsatisfied demand is about 320 thousand tons);
• according to experts, the domestic market is at the stage of formation, demand growth is predicted;
• the main importer is China;
• the largest production of rabbit meat is observed in the Volga Federal District;
• the largest consumption of rabbit meat is observed in the Volga Federal District;
• the payback period of invested funds in this business area is shorter than in poultry farming;
• low entry barriers to the industry;
• low competition.

Dynamics and structure of the rabbit meat market and forecast until 2025 Structure of rabbit meat production by federal districts Number of rabbits in Russia (thousand heads) Number of rabbits in Russia by types of farms (thousand heads)

The rabbit farm has the following target audience:

• visitors to agricultural markets;
• meat processing enterprises;
• supermarkets;
• butcher shops;
• restaurants and other catering establishments;
• hospitals;
• sanatoriums.

Most often, rabbit meat will be bought by people with medium and high incomes due to its significant price (500 rubles per kilogram).

Step-by-step instruction

In order to understand how to start a business in the field of rabbit breeding, you should read the step-by-step instructions:

1. The method of growing livestock is determined.
2. The area for the farm is selected.
3. The appropriate breed of rabbits is determined.
4. The business plan is calculated.
5. The farm is registered.
6. Aviaries, pens, cages, sheds and other structures are being built/purchased.
7. The farm area is being improved.
8. A place is being prepared for settling rabbits.
9. The staff is selected.
10. Young animals are bought and distributed among the cells.
11. A place for storing feed is thought out and prepared.
12. Thinking and preparing workplace under slaughter and storage of products.
13. Buying food.
14. The farm starts up.

Business registration

To conduct business, the farmer has the right to choose one of the two most acceptable forms of its legal registration:

• peasant farming(KFH);
• individual entrepreneur (IP).

A peasant farm is similar to an individual entrepreneur, but differs in that it can include several citizens who jointly own the property of the farm. Having issued a peasant farm only for himself, the farmer, in fact, becomes an ordinary individual entrepreneur. The indisputable advantage of a peasant farm is that it can qualify for state support (subsidies, tax breaks). On the other hand, the legal field of KFH is somewhat blurred, in contrast to individual entrepreneurs. KFH does not have statutory documents and memorandum of association, which are created during the registration of an LLC or OJSC.

Farmers can choose one of two methods of taxation:

• simplified taxation system (according to the income “minus” expenses scheme);
• single agricultural tax.

When registering, the following types of activities are indicated according to the current classifier:

• 01.49.2 "Breeding rabbits and other fur-bearing animals on farms";
• 01.49.21 "Rabbit breeding, production of fine rabbit hair on farms."

Breeding rabbits at home can be done without registration. In this case, you do not need to pay taxes, but selling products is available only among acquaintances, relatives, friends and visitors to collective farm markets.

Both a personal subsidiary farm and a full-fledged farm must issue:

• sanitary books for staff;
• veterinary certificates about the health of rabbits and their vaccinations;
• conclusions on the laboratory analysis of meat with permission to sell it;
• sanitary passport vehicle used to transport meat.

Room and location

Farm location requirements:

• no more than 20 individuals are allowed to start 20 meters from the house;
• to accommodate a large rabbit farm, you need a plot that is 1000 meters away from the nearest houses, as well as landfills, industries, swamps, etc.;
• distance from motorways and railways the first and second categories - 300 meters;
• to accommodate a farm for 1000 rabbits, you need a plot with minimum area ten to twelve acres;
• the availability of free space will allow growing fodder crops on it (for example, corn, alfalfa, beets, barley, clover);
• the land plot must be protected from the wind, located on a hill or in an area with a slope;
• a site in a lowland or a place with high humidity will not work;
• it is better to cover the area circled under the enclosures with gravel, asphalt or concrete, and build a storm sewer with a water drainage system;
• availability of good access roads;
• living nearby people who will work on the farm;
• availability of communications: water, electricity;
• lack of large rabbit farms in the region.

A farm with an annual output of 1,500 rabbit carcasses will require:

• area - about five to six acres;
• sheds - 2 pieces, with a total area of ​​​​180 square meters;
• feed shop (for storing feed, grain, hay, etc.) - 200 square meters;
• utility room (for storage of inventory, building materials, equipment) - 50 square meters;
• slaughterhouse - 20 square meters;
• storage rooms finished products, with refrigeration equipment - 20 square meters;
• area for manure storage - 20 square meters;
• warm room for staff.

Necessary equipment

Equipping a rabbit farm for the simultaneous maintenance of 500 individuals.

Name	Approximate prices in rubles
Cages for keeping rabbits (500 pieces)	500 000
Drinkers and feeders	50 000
Devices with hooks for hanging carcasses	15 000
Stainless steel tables and sinks	15 000
Knives and cutting boards	20 000
Refrigerators for meat	60 000
Offal and waste cremator	120 000
Crusher	20 000
Granulator	65 000
Mototechnics	350 000
Automobile	500 000
Tools (including shovels, buckets, rakes, pitchforks, carts)	15 000
Well equipment	40 000
Warm room equipment for staff	100 000
Other equipment and inventory	30 000
Total:	1 900 000

For self-preparation of feed from grain, an entrepreneur can purchase a crusher and a granulator.

Cremator - 120,000 rubles Grain crusher - 20,000 rubles Granulator - 65,000 rubles Chest freezer - 35,000 rubles

Staff

To organize the stable operation of the farm, the entrepreneur needs to form a permanent production team.

For a large farm, it should consist of:

• farm manager;
• workers-operators for maintenance of the main herd of rabbits (at the rate of 1 specialist for 250 individuals);
• workers-operators for servicing young pets for fattening (at the rate of 1 specialist per 3000 individuals);
• zootechnics;
• veterinarian;
• engineer;
• worker.

The farm manager performs the following functions:

• controls and organizes the production process;
• maintains a time sheet for the work of farm personnel;
• Accounting;
• manages feed procurement processes;
• manages the sales processes of products, etc.

The zookeeper performs the following functions:

• maintains zootechnical records;
• controls the implementation of the mating plan of animals and corrects it;
• qualifies rabbits;
• forms the breeding core and determines the replacement young;
• establishes the norms for the needs of animals in feed;
• controls the process of using feed;
• controls the implementation of the mating plan, repair of females;
• organizes the supply of breeding individuals;
• conducts briefings for working operators.

The veterinarian performs sanitary and veterinary procedures, and also conducts briefings with operators on veterinary issues.

The engineer is responsible for the timely implementation of overhaul, preventive and forced repair work with the equipment.

The worker-operator, who is engaged in the basic care of the herd, performs the following functions:

• examines rabbits;
• removes dead individuals;
• produces feed supply;
• cleans cages, feeders and drinkers;
• cleans work and office premises;
• organizes and controls the mating process;
• observes the offspring and transfers it to fattening;
• selects rabbits for sale;
• participates in carrying out veterinary procedures on the farm (for example, veterinary treatment);
• maintains primary zootechnical records.

The worker-operator for servicing young pets on fattening, performs the following functions:

• examines the young;
• produces feed supply;
• removes dead individuals;
• selects young stock for sale;
• Participates in the loading of goods onto the vehicle.

The worker performs the following functions:

• carries out the slaughter of animals;
• delivery of rabbit meat to the meat processing plant and to buyers/partners;
• feed delivery;
• fodder preparation;
• loading and unloading operations (raw materials and finished products);
• processes empty cells, etc.

Promotion and advertising

• placement of ads on electronic trading floors online;
• banners on forums popular in the region and in social networks;
• creating your own website with information for partners and ordinary buyers about the farm and its products;
• participation of the farm in agricultural fairs and exhibitions;
• organization of excursions around the farm;
• offering farm products to potential partners by phone and in person.

Financial plan

Whether or not rabbit breeding is profitable as a business will become clear after a thorough calculation of all costs.

Financial planning is based on the opening of a rabbit farm in the central region of Russia on its own land plot with an area of ​​100 acres.

Starting investments

The initial capital for the implementation of the farm business idea from scratch will be directed to cover the following cost items.

Expenditures	Approximate prices in rubles
Farm Registration	5 000
The cost of the land	500 000
Construction of the required premises and structures	500 000
Purchase of a breeding herd (100 heads)	50 000
Territory planning	100 000
Procurement and installation of equipment	1 900 000
well drilling	50 000
Organization of storm sewers	100 000
Advertising	40 000
Raw materials	30 000
other expenses	30 000
Total	3 305 000

Recurring expenses

Calculation of monthly investments in the farm.

Expenditures	Approximate prices in rubles for the first year	Approximate prices in rubles for the second year
Communal payments	5 000	6 000
Staff salaries (based on 3 people in the 1st year and 4 people in the 2nd year), taking into account contributions to the funds	55 000	70 000
Expendable materials	30 000	40000
Fare	3 000	4 000
Advertising	3 000	3 000
Insurance	5 000	6 000
other expenses	4 000	4 000
Total	105 000	133 000

Income

Initial data:

• the size of the breeding herd is 100 individuals (including 80 females);
• the average number of rabbits in one litter is 6 pieces;
• the number of rounds for the first year - 2, the second and further - 3-4;
• the average weight of a rabbit is 4-5 kilograms;
• the yield of the finished product from one carcass is 60 percent (2.4-3 kilograms);
• price per kilogram of rabbit meat - 500 rubles;
• price for one skin - 200 rubles;
• price per ton of manure - 1000 rubles.

In total, for the first year of operation of the farm, about 950 carcasses can be sold, with a total weight of 2,850 kilograms.

Earnings are as follows:

• the annual income from the sale of this volume of meat will be 1,425,000 rubles;
• from the sale of skins - 190,000 rubles;
• manure - 30,000 rubles;
• other income (from the sale of equipment and rabbits) - 100,000 rubles.

Total at the end of the first year, earnings will be - 1,745 thousand rubles.

During the second and subsequent years, about 1,500 carcasses can be sold, for 4,500 kilograms of meat. In this case, the annual revenue will increase to 2,750,000 rubles. Monthly profit will be about 100 thousand rubles.

Risks and payback

Experienced rabbit breeders testify that the greatest business risks are veterinary and zootechnical.

Breeding rabbits as a business has the following risks:

1. Wrong breed of rabbits for breeding. It is important to carefully study all the information available about the types of animals of interest to the entrepreneur and make right choice. The main selection criteria: large mass, rapid weight gain, fertility, disease resistance.
2. High pet mortality. All livestock should be vaccinated on time.
3. Animal diseases. The most common diseases are fascileosis, scabies, cysticercosis, pasteurellosis, listeriliosis, worms, tularemia, etc. To prevent this risk, vaccination is required, as well as proper maintenance, feeding and care of rabbits. It is advisable to keep animals in separate cages.
4. Decreased solvency of potential buyers. Since rabbit meat is quite expensive, with a decrease in the income level of the population, demand will shift towards cheaper products.

The payback of the described business (including the purchase of a land plot) will be 36-40 months. To a greater extent depends on the scale of the farm, how much you can earn.

Pros and cons

Strengths of the idea:

• low cost of keeping rabbits;
• a business can be started at home with the purchase of several rabbits;
• high fertility of rabbits and their rapid growth;
• profitability and profitability;
• high demand;
• you can sell not only meat, but also skins, manure, offal, rabbits;
• very low competition;
• low taxes;
• it is possible to receive state aid;
• the business can be developed towards the creation of its own processing industry (for example, the manufacture of semi-finished products or the tailoring of fur products).

Weaknesses of a business based on rabbit breeding:

• organizing a large farm will require significant start-up capital;
• exactingness of animals to the conditions of detention, there must be free cages, the absence of high humidity and drafts;
• high mortality of young rabbits;
• high sanitary requirements for keeping animals (vaccinations must be made on time and regular examination of rabbits by a veterinarian should be organized);
• it is necessary to have all the required documents for meat for its implementation.

This business has its pros and cons, but the reviews of experienced farmers indicate that its advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

A rabbit farm is a type of farm that people have been doing since ancient times. Until now, the relevance of this occupation does not fall, and people continue to raise rabbits on their farms. This is also explained by a good payback, because rabbit meat is dietary and the demand for it is high. In addition, if you breed fur-oriented rabbits, this will be an even bigger plus - then the farm makes a profit from the sale of both meat and fur. Every specialist probably knows all the intricacies of maintaining a rabbit farm, but if you just decide to do this business, our article is for you.

The goal of each farmer is to achieve great results in production, and to take the maximum from each of his individuals. Breeding animals such as rabbits is a great option for this. This is explained by the following points:

• unpretentiousness in care. Rabbits can be kept in almost any conditions without spending large sums;
• high productivity. The whole herd grows very fast and develops well;
• demand in the market. Meat and fur are always enjoyed in great demand regardless of time and season.

Rabbit products:

1. Meat. It is considered the main source of income. Most farmers breed rabbits for this particular product. Farmers usually sell meat not only at retail, but also in bulk, especially if you find stable customers from restaurants and cafes. About half of the meat is obtained from the total weight of rabbits.
2. Fur. It is used for the production of various fur coats and other wardrobe items.
3. The rabbits themselves. They are highly valued as pets. Of course, in most cases this applies to thoroughbred individuals.
4. Rabbit excrement. They are excellent fertilizers for various agricultural crops.

The percentage of profitability of keeping rabbits is 80%. This is a fairly high figure, indicating the success of the farm. The fertility of rabbits is well known to everyone: in a year, each rabbit is able to bring 30-35 rabbits. This fact is a guarantee of a quick payback for the business. Rabbits gain weight very quickly: in 4 weeks, the mass can increase 10 times, and after another 8 weeks, its weight is already 2.5-2.8 kilograms.

How to start your own rabbit breeding business?

If you're organizing it from literally nothing, you'll need some resources:

• the place itself for setting up a farm and keeping animals. This should be a fairly large area on which you can place the room. Its minimum size is 15-17 acres. It is important that there are no residential buildings in the vicinity, as this is prohibited by law;
• water, heating and electricity. Like all other animals, these components are vital for rabbits for full development and good health;
• equipment. This includes drinkers, feeders, and various cages for keeping rabbits;
• slaughter. It will be needed for the meat production itself;
• feed. Everything is simple here - rabbits will need to be fed with something. You can buy food from trusted suppliers, or make your own.

All these resources are necessary even if you decide to set up a small trial farm. Farm workers can be added to this list if you do not want to do it alone.

A huge part of the costs will be occupied by combined feed. Plus, it takes up a lot of space to store it. Some advise to buy food for 2-3 months, but the best option is to store food for only one month in advance. So the food will not spoil, and you will not regret the money thrown away. The food itself is quite expensive. However, if you buy it in bulk, it will cost you much more.

All rabbits prefer such feeds as hay and cereals. Experienced farmers warn that many individuals refuse crushed cereals. Therefore, experts strongly recommend the use of various mixtures of crops.

If you are just starting out in this business, then the best option would be to create two or three farms and deal with them. For them, literally 3-4 rabbits and one rabbit will be enough for you. If we calculate the entire material volume that will be spent on building a farm, purchasing equipment and feed, then the amount of start-up capital will vary from 80 to 130 thousand rubles. However, small farms will require less investment, and all your risks will be reduced to zero.

It is believed that in order for the enterprise not to go bankrupt, but, on the contrary, to develop, about 16 females are needed. This amount is enough for good productivity, especially when you consider that each of them will bring about 30 rabbits per year.

Table 1. Sample business plan

The legal side of rabbit breeding

You can organize a farm in two ways: IP or LPH. To understand these forms and understand their differences, pay attention to the table.

Table 2. Comparison of individual entrepreneurs and private household plots

What to choose from this? A personal farm can be used if you are not going to create a large farm. But then you should understand that the most expensive clients choose individual entrepreneurs more often. In addition to these two forms, you can also choose KFH. This form is practically no different from IP, but there are two distinctive features: the laws that apply to this form are rather vague, and you can get financial or any other support from the state itself.

What to choose from this is up to you. However, to participate in the market, it will be much better if you give preference individual entrepreneurship, but if you are starting a small business, other forms can be used.

How to buy individuals?

In the first stages, the farmer needs to think about the sex ratio of rabbits. The most common ratio is 1 rabbit for 8-10 rabbits. It is not difficult to determine the sex: you need to put the rabbit on its back, and lift the tail up. If you notice a small process in the form of a tube, then this is a male, and if it is absent, this is a female.

Where to get rabbits? It is best to take rabbits from private organizations. It makes no sense to buy animals in a simple pet store - you can very rarely find them there. There is another way: find professional farmers who sell rabbits. You can find them through various Internet sites, newspapers, advertisements and people you know. Rabbit breeders are present in every locality and therefore shouldn't be a problem.

When buying rabbits, you need to pay attention to the following factors:

• the age of the animals. It is best to take small rabbits that are no more than six months old. So you can save money, and in a couple of months the rabbits will still grow to a decent size;
• rabbit appearance. Carefully inspect the eyes, coat and muzzle of the rabbit. If they are respectively cloudy, disheveled and wet, then most likely the rabbits are sick. The fur of rabbits should be thick, fluffy and uniform. Ears should always be clean and tidy;
• rabbit weight. Do not choose individuals that are overweight - they are bad at breeding rabbits;
• family relationships. Do not take a female and a male from the same nest. You can choose two nests, where you will take females from one, and males from the other. But never cross related individuals.

How to sell products?

After good development farms, it is worth thinking about where to sell meat and fur. Usually the farm gives the first income a year after the start of work. Before you sell products, you need to analyze the market of the area in which you are located and determine the demand for it. Basically, the demand is high, but the competition, on the contrary, is low.

Ways to sell products:

• through advertising in online resources or local newspapers and magazines;
• calling some shops, restaurants and cafes. Rabbit meat is a delicacy, and therefore most will be happy to cooperate;
• posting advertisements in crowded places.

The most effective will be the use of all three methods at the same time. The main thing is that you should not sit idly by. You need to act, look for customers. Contact all the shops in your city - for sure you will find those who want to cooperate with you. You can also contact the meat processing plants.

The device and features of the farm

A mini-farm is a kind of arrangement of rabbit cages, which are made up in one design. This helps to occupy a small area and at the same time fit a large number of individuals on it. For example, on a small such farm measuring about 2 square meters. m. you can accommodate about 45 rabbits.

There are several types of mini-farms:

• decorative;
• mini country houses;
• backyard;
• industrial.

The most common option is backyard farms, as ornamental farms can only be used in the summer, and large farms will require an equally large investment. Homestead farms are very compact and capacious, besides they do not require large investments.

Homestead mini-farms are of two types:

• single-tiered;
• multi-tiered.

You need to choose a mini-farm based on your own preferences, the size of the plot and the number of your livestock.

The design of each mini-farm includes the following items:

• stand;
• the cage itself (it is better if a department for walking animals is attached to the cages themselves);
• feeders and drinkers;
• nest compartment;
• litter box;
• upper tier.

For high efficiency, it is necessary to install a hopper feeder. She will comply with all sanitary standards. Feed will have to be loaded only once a week, which is also a good time saver. The main feature of such mini-farms is good functionality and high autonomy. Thanks to this, the number of rabbits and meat will grow, and you will not spend much on their maintenance.

The designs of mini-farms are completely different, however, the most common is the Mikhailov farm, which is quite justified. To date, the farm, drawn up according to the plan of Mikhailov, is considered a classic.

The structure of the Mikhailov farm

In order to build this farm, you will need the following materials and tools:

• lumber. The bars should be simple, regular sizes (about 20-40 mm);
• plywood;
• iron;
• hacksaw;
• jigsaw;
• drill;
• a hammer;
• scissors;
• pliers;
• nails;
• grid;
• roof.

Mikhailov's farm is a construction system that consists of three elements: the upper and lower tiers and a stand. The upper one is complemented by a compartment for walking animals, the lower one - with items for feeding and watering. The second tier is also made jigging or master. In one, rabbits are raised, and in the other, a rabbit is crossed with a male.

Each cell should be approximately 1.5 square meters. She is able to intervene in herself about 18 rabbits. Mikhailov's farm, in general, means multi-tiered. Basically two-tier farms are used.

Advantages of the Mikhailov design

• offline cleaning. All rabbit excrement falls into a special garbage compartment on its own;
• unlimited food and water. Feed enters the feeders independently as they become empty;
• the heating system guarantees the maintenance of a constant air temperature even in winter;
• absolute satisfaction of instincts. The farm itself is like rabbit holes and manholes;
• functionality. Rabbits can be removed in a separate compartment without damaging them.

Table 3. How to make a farm according to Mikhailov's design

Illustration	Description
	Step one: make a stand for the farm. She will serve as a frame attached to the 4th bars.
	Step Two: Install the Walkout. It is located directly above the stand. Set the bottom tier on four bars.
	Step three: make the floor from a slat laid at an angle of 45 degrees. Lay a metal plate over them so that the animals cannot damage the soft material. Important point! In the department for young animals, a solid floor must be installed. It is desirable to make this compartment retractable and cover it with fluff or straw. The front side of the nest must be hinged.
	Step Four: Install and so that you can refill them from the outside.
	Step Five: Take care of ventilation. To do this, you can simply raise the roof of the farm by 1-2 cm. Take the upper tier of the farm for growing rabbits.

You can put the finished farm anywhere. It is very compact and therefore does not take up a large area. Experienced farmers recommend setting up the farm outside so that the rabbits can breathe fresh air. But at the same time, you will have to think about how a draft does not penetrate into the cages.

Video - Mikhailov's mini-farms. Assembly.

Features of the technique

Igor Nikolaevich Mikhailov was an experienced rabbit breeder. He made a technique for breeding animals, which later became classic version. Mikhailov worked on this design for a long time, but in the end he was able to create an acceleration technique that can provide good productivity.

Features of the technique:

• the need to use his mini-farm. Without it, you will not be able to properly breed rabbits;
• ensuring joint stay of rabbits and their mother. This is necessary for the proper growth of rabbits and increase their immunity;
• rabbits will not be able to eat waste;
• micraxel. Obtaining fur according to the Mikhailov method guarantees high value.

As a result of following this methodology, the farmer will be able to obtain about 110 kg of meat and 45 skins in one year. Thus, good profit and regular customers you will be provided.

Conclusion

The design of the mini-farm is very important in order to keep the rabbits in good conditions. To date, there are a large number of designs, however, Mikhailov's technique is the key to the successful prosperity of your farm.

Video - Breeding rabbits as a business: profitable or not?