Igor Nikolaev

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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 there is a large-scale scientific work to develop 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 following points:

№	Helpful 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 significant initial investment this business does not require. 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 farming” (abbreviated as LPH) and “ individual entrepreneur"(abbreviated - 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 IP already controls such government agency like 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, what they get sick, and so on and so on ... These, albeit purely theoretical, the foundations of rabbit breeding are very 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 cell content can be attributed, perhaps, only to the fact that under such conditions, to obtain offspring in winter period problematic.

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 should be made of simple planks, and the stern compartment should be made 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 representing a covered metal mesh wooden frame, should fit 10 young rabbits.

This system greatly facilitates the care of animals and makes it possible to mechanize the processes of watering and distribution of 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 compliance with 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, the formation of a 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 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.

With a selling price of 200 rubles per kilogram, the average annual revenue can be 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.

Many copies have been broken on this subject. However, there was no clarity on this issue, and no. Opinions were divided. Optimistic theorists draw beautiful business plans and prove on paper that honor, fame and huge money await the rabbit breeder. Pessimistic practitioners laugh at the former and cite real (and, alas, common) cases from practice when the entire livestock of a rabbit farm died from myxomatosis or other diseases in two days. Many, full of enthusiasm, after a year or two, swore, give up this business. A group of realist practitioners who are purposefully and professionally engaged in breeding rabbits are in no hurry to share information about the size of their profits. Rather, they even modestly complain about low incomes, but they are building nice houses and buy new cars. Let's try to figure out whether it is profitable to breed rabbits in our time.

Reasons why it is profitable to breed rabbits

Rabbits are the fastest maturing pets. A three-month-old rabbit can weigh three kilos, a five-month-old - four. No pet is able to give such a weight gain. For flanders or rizens, even ten kilograms is by no means the limit, however, they need to be raised longer. If we recalculate the cost of feed for rabbits (grass, hay, vegetables, compound feed) by the average purchase cost of meat, it turns out that it is more profitable to breed eared than pigs and, especially, horned cattle. In addition, rabbits of many breeds are ready for mating as early as 3.5 months, they breed under favorable conditions all year round. One female can give 50-60 rabbits per year. Each will grow up to 3 kg. Total comes out 150-180 kg. You will not get such efficiency from a sow. And then there are the skins.

Today, only a quarter of the rabbit meat consumed is grown in Russia. Three quarters are frozen carcass exports, mainly from China and Hungary. Rabbit breeders have the best prospects in terms of import substitution. Moreover, domestic rabbit meat is better and better bought. The competition in this industry is still low, the prospects are very high.

Reasons why it is unprofitable to breed rabbits

Rabbits are subject to epidemics of infectious diseases with a very high mortality rate. A couple of bad days can cross out the many months of efforts of the rabbit breeder.

Despite the lack of dietary rabbit meat in the country, it is not always easy to sell. Today in the Russian Federation there are no structures that would be engaged in the procurement and systematic supply of rabbit meat. Many regions practically do not consume this type of meat. It is by no means always possible to attach skins.

What to do?

• First, to make compulsory vaccination, which is neglected by many. These costs should immediately be included in the budget and protective measures should not be neglected. The money spent will be returned a hundredfold.
• Secondly, to assess the prospects of the region in terms of product sales. Where and for what money it can be sold.
• Thirdly, to apply progressive systems for keeping animals and to engage in purebred breeding. Determine the breeds most suitable for a given type of economy and climate. Buy producers in the breeding farm. In the future, at least, supplement the herd with replacement individuals from other nests.

Breeding rabbits on a personal plot on a small scale

10-20 individuals in several cages cannot be considered a business. You can provide yourself and your relatives with tasty and healthy meat. Dressing skins is more difficult: there are no procurement offices, as in Soviet times. Rare fur processing companies today give a little money for a rabbit. On the other hand, many breeders breed breeds with valuable fur properties, find ways to make the skin and sell it profitably. It is problematic to hand over excess meat to the store to a private trader, the real way is the market. Going there to sell one, two, even five carcasses does not always make sense. However, fresh dietary meat and fur coats all family members will be happy. Rabbit breeders who find mutual understanding with eared ones move to a higher scale of animal husbandry.

Breeding rabbits on a farm on a medium scale

In this case, we are talking about medium-sized farms. It can be a private household plot or a farm aimed at making a profit. At proper organization can pay for itself in a year and bring to the owners good income. The livestock can be several hundred individuals. For such an enterprise, it is important to determine the sales market, to arrange the supply of products. Much depends on the breed that is successfully selected for local conditions and the market. An important factor is the provision of feed and its cost. By having a market for skins or even down, additional profits can be made. You can develop such an economy gradually, investing as much as possible.

As a business, it is quite a profitable business if you take it seriously. Dietary rabbit meat is in consistently high demand. The profitability of rabbit breeding is determined by its non-waste. In addition to meat, you can sell the skin, and even the insides of these animals. Oddly enough, it is unique and because it is the best fertilizer.

Before you decide to create a business for breeding rabbits, you need to solve several issues, namely: choose a method for raising them. Exist a large number of breeds and technologies, but the decision must be made independently, based on the available financial and labor resources.

Before starting the implementation of the idea, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the features of keeping, feeding and reproducing animals. The first step is to decide on the method of raising rabbits. It must be remembered that this is a complex matter that requires long and painstaking work to obtain good results.

Raising rabbits (business from scratch)

There are several methods for raising rabbits.

• Purebred - a mating of one breed of rabbits.
• Crossing - mating of different breeds.

The Mikhailov method and breeding animals in pits are also common.

In order to get an answer to the question “how to make a business on rabbits?”, You need to familiarize yourself with all the proposed technologies, choose the right one and gradually implement it.

Purebred growing method

This method involves mating rabbits of a certain breed. A female is selected for the male, as close as possible to his productivity and physique.
The purpose of such a selection is: fixing the desired type of rabbits in the herd, strengthening certain valuable qualities of young animals and increasing the number of highly productive animals.

Sometimes pairs of rabbits are selected with a certain outstanding trait in order to fix it in future offspring. At the same time, they also look at other indicators, especially the state of health: whether it has worsened. This method used to obtain meat, fluff and skins of rabbits of a certain breed. Along with the purebred breeding method, crossbreeding is used, that is, mating of different breeds of rabbits.

Crossbreeding

It is used to develop new and improve existing breeds of animals. Any rabbit breeding farm predominantly uses crossbreeding.

Compared to "pure" breeds, animals obtained as a result of this method are distinguished by accelerated growth, lower feed intake per kilogram of body weight, high fertility and viability.

There are several types of crossing.

• Reproductive - breeding new breeds of rabbits.
• Introductory - a change in a certain indicator of animal productivity (single crossing).
• Absorption - a radical change in an unproductive breed due to its absorption by a highly productive one.
• Industrial - obtaining marketable young animals, meat, fluff, skins and other things. Industrial breeding of rabbits by crossing is widespread on commercial farms.

Breeding in holes

Rabbit breeding as a business was originally practiced in pits. To date, this approach is practically not used. The breeding method in pits is relevant when owning a land plot or premises of a small area. It was used in the absence of the necessary time for feeding, caring for rabbits, as well as with limited finances, when there was not enough money to build or purchase equipment.

As the name suggests, rabbits are kept in pits. The depth of such pits is 1 m, the width and length are at the discretion of the owner. Up to 200 heads can be placed in one pit.

A metal mesh is placed on the floor of the pit, a mound of sand is made. The walls of the pit should be bricked up and a small area should be left near one of them, where a hole is dug 10-15 cm above the floor level.

The size of the hole should be large enough so that 3 rabbits can enter it at the same time. Placing the burrow above the floor is to prevent urine from dripping in as rabbits urinate at the entrance.

To protect against precipitation, the pit must have a roof. Life without light has a bad effect on the development and growth of rabbits, so you should make a glass window in it or illuminate the pit with an electric light bulb. A 40 watt light bulb, for example, is suitable for a pit of 10 square meters. meters.

Feeders and drinkers from various containers are placed along the walls of the pit, which should be wide enough and not very deep. This will avoid crowding and allow the rabbits to reach for food or water without effort.

Rabbits as a business are quite a profitable business, but the method of rearing in pits is far from the most profitable. The advantages of this technology: low financial costs, the ability to keep a large number of rabbits in a small area, no drafts, quick payback. Disadvantages: small weight of rabbits due to frequent illnesses, difficulties with breeding distribution.

Mikhailov method

This method is aimed at the formation of natural immunity. Mikhailov's method for raising rabbits leads to an increase in the quality indicators of animals.

The author of this method is not a supporter of classical breeding, since it does not make it possible to achieve the real genetic potential of these mammals. In addition, the rabbit breeding business involves keeping animals in cages, which leads to frequent stress and high mortality of young animals. The Mikhailov method avoids such undesirable moments.

The essence of the Mikhailov method

In the generally accepted version of raising rabbits, they are fed no more than 3 times / day, and according to the Mikhailov method - up to 80 times / day.

As a rule, young animals are fed with rabbit milk for about a month, and according to Mikhailov's technology, this should continue to be done up to 3 months. This innovative method minimizes the investment required to set up a rabbit farm.

The result of Mikhailov's approach is accelerated rabbits. On average, every 3 months they bring 10 rabbits. These features of breeding make it possible to significantly increase the profitability of the business, that is, increase its effectiveness. It should be noted that the skins and meat of accelerated rabbits are much better than those of animals of classical rearing.

Cages for industrial breeding of rabbits differ significantly from those proposed by Mikhailov. The latter are represented by three tiers. On the north side, such cells are equipped with a thick insulated wall, and on the south side, on the contrary, an open wall that lets in sunlight and fresh air. This favorably affects the growth and development of rabbits.

The cell area is 1.4 square meters. meters. It provides automatic mode for a long time. Within the tiers there are slatted floors, under which there are shafts resembling pyramids in shape. The operation of the cage is based on the principle of a stove: gases from the room with litter go up the exhaust pipe, while fresh air from outside enters in parallel. One such cage can accommodate up to 30 rabbits. On average, in practice, 13-15 heads are placed in cages.

Any profitable enterprise has a clear development plan. A well-thought-out rabbit breeding business plan is the key to successful and profitable work.

Production part

Breeding rabbits according to Mikhailov's method involves keeping them on special mini-farms. One mini-farm requires up to 500 kg of feed and about 250 kg of hay per year.

One accelerator rabbit eats about 14 kg of feed and up to 7 kg of hay per year. Output - 1 animal (5 kg) for 10 days. Turnover period money capital is 100 days.

There are various models of rabbit farms, among which there are also two-tier ones. The number of mini-farms on the farm depends only on the owner of the business, but it should be noted that they do not require large plots. For example, a rabbit farm of 16 mini-farms will take up only one hundred square meters of land. Such production can be serviced only once a week with a productivity of 10 rabbits per week.

Mini-farms require some heating at temperatures below +10 C with an energy consumption of 30 watts.

Rabbit breeding as a business is not limited to animal breeding. To achieve maximum production efficiency, it is necessary to organize a personal workshop for processing products, a workshop for tailoring, as well as a site for the production of vermicompost.

Expenses and income

The cost of making a mini-farm, without additional equipment, can vary in the range of 5-20 thousand rubles. If you decide to do it yourself, it will come out cheaper, if you decide to use the services of professionals, it will come out, respectively, more expensive.

For production to be efficient, at least 300 mini-farms should be organized. The costs in this case will amount to about 350 thousand rubles (excluding taxes and the farms themselves). Income will be about 1.5 million rubles.

Market analysis

This section of the business plan should contain a description of similar farms in your region, indicate wholesale and retail buyers and their purchase volumes.

Production plan

The first step in organizing a farm is finding the right land. The best option will be the plot with the lowest rent. At the same time, one should not forget that the minimum area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site for full-fledged work is 5 acres of land - it will be possible to place the cells themselves and ancillary buildings on it.

The next step will be the purchase or construction of cells, depending on your decision - to save or give in to the functionality of the finished cells. Next - the purchase of livestock.

This business plan assumes an initial herd size of 60 heads, including 20 males and 40 females.

Sales plan

In order not to be left with surpluses, a marketing plan must be thought out and calculated even before starting a business. The main buyers of rabbit meat are markets, supermarkets, private traders. Skins are often bought by fur ateliers and private fashion designers. An important factor in the success of sales is the proximity of megacities.

Financial plan

Rabbit breeding as a business requires careful design. Here are the costs that the production will incur and the income from it.

Expenses

Land lease - 20-80 thousand rubles.

Purchase (construction) of cells - 10-40 thousand.

Purchase of rabbits (60 heads) - 18-30 thousand.

Compound feed - 50-100 thousand.

The salary of the hired worker is 120 thousand / year.

Total costs - 218-370 thousand in the first year.

Income

Meat sales - 1.5 tons / year at 200-250 rubles / kg (300-375 thousand rubles). These figures are taken due to the fact that 40 rabbits, on average, bring 20 rabbits per year, 1.8-1.9 kg each. Total - 800 rabbits weighing 1500 kg.

Realization of skins - 160 thousand (200 rubles per skin, 800 skins).

Total income - 460-535 thousand rubles / year.

In the general case, the payback of such a farm will be no more than a year in time, if you take up business seriously.

What kind of ideas for organizing your own business can not be found in our time in print and on the Internet! Those who have at least a modest summer cottage (not to mention a spacious rural house with a backyard), are given in the form of recommendations a breakthrough of ideas - from growing oyster mushrooms in the basement to organizing an ostrich farm.

Among those who are thinking about starting their own business, the rabbit breeding business is becoming increasingly popular. But you should know that in order for your business to turn out to be truly profitable, a clear understanding of the specifics of such an industry is required. In this article, we will talk about what features the cultivation of these fluffy animals includes, whether it is profitable to breed rabbits or not.

Benefits of rabbit meat

On the shelves of supermarkets and grocery stores There are mainly three varieties of meat. We are talking about pork, beef and lamb. Meanwhile, rabbit meat has a number of advantages regarding quality, taste and benefits for the human body. That is, this market niche can still be considered relatively free.

The assimilation of rabbit meat by the human body is better and more productive compared to beef or pork. This indicator - the percentage of digestibility - in this case reaches 90% against the usual 60% in other types of meat. And thanks to the reduced fat content, rabbit meat is a wonderful dietary product.

Thus, if you have an excellent, tasty and healthy food product in stock, combined with low competition in this segment, you can confidently predict the high profitability of the chosen business. That is, the answer to the question of whether it is profitable to breed rabbits is definitely positive.

Characteristic signs of business

What are the features inherent in domestic rabbit breeding? The main one is the high ability of these animals to reproduce. The bearing of cubs by the female lasts 30 days, and almost immediately after childbirth, repeated fertilization is possible. The productivity of an adult rabbit during the year is about 200 cubs. In terms of a useful product, this is about 500 kilograms of rabbit meat.

They are bred for different purposes. Breeds of rabbits for breeding for meat are a gray or white giant, as well as a ram. In order to obtain fluffy fur, they choose rex, butterfly, white downy. It is also possible to breed decorative rabbits. There are also generic options. For example, Soviet chinchillas or gray giants are rabbit breeds for breeding for meat and obtaining skins at the same time.

In the breeding process, good care and proper nutrition are very important. The more comfortable the living conditions are, the more high-quality the mating will be and, as a result, the health of the little rabbits. You can increase the number of matings by minimizing the number of stress factors. And without a quality balanced diet, talking about the health of animals is meaningless.

Pros and cons of a rabbit farm

What are the advantages of this business compared to other livestock options? Its main advantages are high profitability, short payback period, minimal competition and stable demand. The combination of these factors looks very attractive, but at the same time, some negative aspects should be taken into account.

So, for the quality maintenance of these clean little animals in cages, regular (that is, daily) cleaning is required. Otherwise, the entire livestock may be susceptible to disease. Shy animals grow well and breed only in a calm, favorable atmosphere without even minimal stress.

Rabbits need constant monitoring. In the absence of food and even water, the rabbit is able to eat her own offspring. Breeding rabbits at home for beginners may seem troublesome and difficult at first.

Getting down to business

How to start breeding rabbits? In what form is business possible in this area? There are two such varieties: either in the form of individual entrepreneurship, or with the organization of a farming peasant economy. The first option is especially popular among those who start from scratch. Its main advantage is a reduction in the tax base and a simplified accounting scheme. Deciding to organize farming You may be eligible for government subsidies.

But in any form of activity, success depends in no small way on a well-thought-out business plan.

Rabbit breeding as a business: where to start?

Before you start creating your own rabbit farm, as in any type of business, you should analyze the potential market, paying attention to a number of important characteristics. We are talking about the saturation of the market, the presence of a potential buyer in the vicinity, the degree of intensity of competitive activity and the solution of transport issues.

Having clarified the situation for yourself, you can proceed to the next step - choosing a land plot. Its area should be at least 15 acres, and your future rabbit breeding farm should be located away from housing.

Having bought or rented a plot, you can start arranging your planned business. Initial financial investments can be quite significant, but due to the short payback period and high profitability of this type of activity, this is not a problem.

Is it profitable to breed rabbits compared to, say, chinchillas or nutrias? The capacity of your business can be increased many times due to the high reproductive qualities of the little animals, and this is a considerable additional advantage. In general, the breeding of any domestic animals, like other types of agricultural business, is very, very in demand these days.

What should be in your area

The next step of the businessman-rabbit breeder will be to compile a list of buildings, the presence of which is mandatory on the site. Each of them should be placed on the plan of the site allocated for the future company. What about such buildings?

• Shedy. This is the name of the premises where the rabbits have to live and breed. Such "industrial" rabbit cages are made of wood with windows covered with welded mesh. The more comfortable the rabbits will be in sheds, the better the breeding process will be, and the less fear for the health of the pets will be experienced by the owner. The minimum number of sheds is from 3 pieces.
• Shop for feed. This is a kind of warehouse where rabbit food can be stored for the next few months. If you do not spare the money and equip the feed shop with a granulator, as well as a grain crusher, the costs will quickly pay off.

• The slaughterhouse must have a fully equipped meat shop and a spacious fridge. Due to the high hygiene requirements, the materials for its construction are metal-plastic and tiles.
• In a separate shed, you should keep tools, equipment and necessary building materials.

Not far from the site, a spacious manure pit should be dug. With regular replenishment, it is possible to sell manure as fertilizer to neighboring farmers.

What are rabbits for?

When starting to breed livestock, decide on the tasks of growing, from here already plan methods for breeding rabbits. What is your goal - skins, meat or both at once? Having understood this issue, choose the desired breed. Let's say your choice is gray giant rabbits. Breeding, growing and caring for them requires certain knowledge.

For beginners, it would be most reasonable to acquire one of the purebred breeds belonging to the locals. They tend to be affordable, easy to purchase, and can be consulted with other breeders.

Then start writing a business plan outlining your upcoming expenses and income. In addition, you should take care of registering your own business.

What is better for the future rabbit breeder - to buy a plot or to rent it? It depends not only on the size of the initial investment, but also on the long-term goals of the future businessman. If you decide to take up this profitable business seriously, it is better to purchase a plot of land. When the lease is due, the monthly costs of covering it must be provided for in the business plan.

About rules and regulations

When breeding rabbits, a number of sanitary requirements must be met that exist to prevent diseases in the rabbit environment. In this regard, there are certain rules according to which rooms for rabbit livestock are designed, up to the slope of the roof and the installation of floors.

Other requirements relate to the location of buildings within the site. The slaughterhouse must be at least 50-60 m away from the rabbit cages. Sick rabbits should be placed in quarantine, 100 meters away from the sheds. The manure storage also needs to be moved outside the farm - no closer than 100 meters. All distances are given in the direction of the prevailing winds.

What and how to feed rabbits

In nutrition, these animals are quite whimsical compared to other types of farm animals. Their daily diet requires a mandatory combination different types feed - green (herbs, cereals, legumes), succulent, such as vegetables or root crops, coarse and ensiled, as well as concentrated, consisting of bran, grain or compound feed.

To calculate the need for the amount of feed, we proceed from the fact that gaining a weight of 4 kilograms by one animal requires about a dozen kilos of hay and 15 kg of feed. Other elements serve as dietary supplements in different times of the year. In the warm season (spring and summer), be sure to feed the rabbits with green and roughage, in autumn and winter, do not neglect ensiled and juicy ones.

Breeding rabbits at home for beginners can be accompanied by a number of surprises. It is very important to control the freshness and balance of the feed supplied. It should not have the slightest trace of rot or mold. Too dry food is also not welcome - animals are able to choke on it.

About rabbit housing

Do not forget that these animals are rodents, that is, the cages must be constructed from high-quality and durable material.

Compared to poultry or nutria, rabbits are more prone to comfort. The temperature range suitable for their normal life is from 2 to 30 degrees, but quality conditions for growth and reproduction, they are supposed to be maintained in the range from 13 to 26 degrees.

There are several well-known methods by which the habitats of these animals are equipped. Raising rabbits in earthen pits with carefully reinforced floors and walls is the easiest of all. This method is one of the most cost-effective, but is used exclusively for meat breeds.

What are cells

Most often, breeding rabbits in aviaries is chosen. The most popular methods for the household include the so-called cellular. The material for the construction of cages is wooden boards combined with a metal mesh. Rabbits and offspring are housed separately from male rabbits.

The shed method already mentioned above is a system of several tiers of cells. The main advantage of this option is compact placement, which is important in a small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe site.

It is also possible to keep according to the so-called Mikhailov system, which is a small farm of three or four cells. Each of the mini-farms is equipped with ventilation, a manure collector, and, of course, drinkers and feeders. This method is most effective for high-quality growth and reproduction. But it also requires the highest financial costs.

Where to sell?

Let's talk now about the sale of the resulting products. Its directions should be considered, starting from the volumes of the future economy. If they are small (about 500 rabbits annually), the meat can be sold for sale or sold independently, subjected to a sanitary and epidemic check.

For larger farms, you will need to obtain some additional documents. We are talking about a certificate for a farm, the same phytosanitary one and a GOST-R declaration. If you complete all of the above, simultaneously with trading in the market, you will get the opportunity to sell meat to a network of supermarkets and grocery stores.

Indicative business plan for rabbit breeding

Let's compile and analyze exemplary business plan for the arrangement of a small farm for one hundred livestock units. What are the costs?

The process of building rabbit cages will cost about 50,000 rubles, add about 30,000 more rubles to buy a hundred heads of young animals. (the exact amount depends on the breed), from 70,000 to 150,000 rubles. to be spent on food. Add another 20,000 rubles. for veterinarian services, utility costs and other trifles. Total: the expenditure part of the business plan may contain a figure from 170,000 to 250,000 rubles.

Now about income

Meat from 100 rabbits will be about 200 kilograms. At a wholesale price of 200 rubles. per kilo and retail - 400 rubles. it is possible to sell all products for an amount of about 400,000 rubles. For the proceeds of skins - an additional 250 to 300 thousand rubles, let's take an average of 280,000. Total: the level of expected income is about 600-800 thousand rubles.

Even within the framework of the small farm given as an example, during the first year it is possible to receive about half a million rubles as a profit. In the future, this figure will increase even more, since it will no longer be necessary to spend money on the construction of new cells. As a result, the profitability similar business lies in the range from 60% to 80%.

Things to Remember

Of course, the above business plan for breeding rabbits is very conditional. The figures can vary significantly, which is associated with the breed and the number of purchased specimens, as well as the value of the initial investment. Much also depends on the region where the business is planned.

Among other things, this plan does not include rental costs (if any). Such spending can also vary greatly both by region and by area. Equipment depreciation should also be taken into account. But in general, the above calculation gives general idea about the profitability of the business in question.

Conclusion: such an occupation in terms of money is quite profitable and attractive. And yet, despite the confident "yes!" in response to the question of whether it is profitable to breed rabbits, they should be dealt with only by those who are not afraid of the specifics of this business and the difficulties associated with it in the form, for example, of the need to slaughter fluffy pets.

If you are breeding rabbits for the purpose of income, then you are primarily interested in the question, and breeding rabbits as a business is profitable or not, and you should make calculations in a completely different way than when keeping rabbits as a hobby. Profitability calculation requires knowledge of market conditions. In the expenditure item there are costs for housing, feed and maintenance of breeding animals, which are more or less fixed, while in the income item a reliable forecast depends on sales opportunities and prices.

Table of contents

Profitable business or hobby

To assess profitability, direct cost calculations are made. The values ​​included here are not valid for every case, they must be monitored and, if necessary, changed.

With intensive meat production today, 50 rabbits per year are expected from one rabbit. If we multiply this value by the weight of the rabbit for slaughter at the final stage of fattening and the price, then we get the proceeds from fattening. The price of a slaughtered old rabbit must also be taken into account, as well as possible income from the sale of fur and dung.

The largest part of non-permanent costs arises when buying feed. Additionally, it is necessary to take into account the costs of acquiring breeding animals, electricity, water, cleaning, and a veterinarian.

The amount received is called the difference between the planned revenue and costs. It should cover all the needs of the entrepreneur to remunerate his work and provide fixed costs.

The costs of the rabbitry are written off for the period of operation and these costs are also taken into account in the preliminary cost estimate.

Let's try to write and justify a business plan close to the ideal for a small rabbit farm of 2 sheds with the purchase of 60 young rabbits (50 females and 10 males). Considering that the scale of such an enterprise is quite low, add. expenses for the lease of a land plot and electricity, the purchase of feed and hay will not be taken into account. For the initial calculation, we need the core indicators of such production, costs and profits:

approximate number of young animals that one female gives per year: 20 pcs. ;

costs for the manufacture or purchase of cells: 50 thousand rubles;

purchase of young rabbits (60 pieces): about 30 thousand rubles;

animal feed costs (based on the calculation of 10 kg of hay and 15 kg of compound feed per rabbit) - at most 100 thousand rubles (it all depends very much on the region; you may harvest hay yourself;

for treatment and vaccination: about 30 thousand rubles;

salary of a hired worker - 120 thousand rubles;

average weight of one rabbit (carcass): 2 kg;

wholesale price of meat for 1 kg of rabbit: 250 rubles;

the price of one skin: an average of 50 rubles;

Based on such criteria, the total costs for the prevention and treatment of diseases, compound feed, the purchase of young animals, the manufacture of cages, and the wages of workers amount to 330 thousand rubles. Thus, the amount received from the sale of rabbit meat (1000 pieces), if we sell at a wholesale price, will be 500 thousand rubles. Adding here the money that we will receive from the sale of skins, we get 550 thousand rubles.

AT end result net income will be about 220 thousand rubles.

Profitability of rabbit breeding

Naturally, 220 thousand rubles is not super income, however, with the growth of the capacity of your enterprise, the costs will decrease, but the net profit will increase. The profitability of such a farm will be more than 65%, and this is not bad at all for one year.

You will more than recoup the money spent on the purchase of cages and young animals. If such a business goes uphill, then with the same livestock, but now without the cost of cages and the purchase of rabbits, next year the net income will be able to reach about 300 thousand rubles, and the profitability will increase to 80-90 percent .

But we have not yet taken into account rabbit manure, which is an excellent fertilizer. Rabbit litter is a valuable fertilizer for the garden and vegetable garden and is in constant demand among gardeners. Before using manure as fertilizer, you need to make compost out of it. In this case, it transforms very quickly, especially when combined with hay and straw residues, and makes excellent compost. The daily amount of litter varies depending on the size of the rabbits and the type of use, as well as the form of keeping. In small breeds, you can count on about 100-200 grams per day, while in large breeds - up to 400 grams. If you go to Avito (announcement site) today and type "rabbit dung sale" in the search box, you will see a lot of ads for the sale of rabbit litter, the price per bag is about 100 rubles on average. So rabbit litter is also an income source.

Whether it is profitable to breed rabbits or not is an eternal question.

Is it profitable to breed rabbits or not is the eternal question of novice rabbit breeders. And there was no intelligible answer to this question, and no. There are different opinions. Some eloquently describe chic business plans and, foaming at the mouth, provide evidence that prosperity and huge profits await the novice rabbit breeder. Others laugh at the former and tell episodes of life from their practice, when in some cases, for example, almost the entire population of rabbits died from myxomatosis and other diseases in a few days. Many novice rabbit breeders, who enthusiastically set to work, after a couple of years, or even months, throw this occupation with curses, arguing that it is absolutely unprofitable and wasted time. And there are those who, purposefully and calmly, are engaged in raising rabbits and make good profits, build houses and buy new cars. We will try and we will correctly determine whether it is profitable to breed rabbits in our time or not.

Video on breeding rabbits

Another vision on the topic of breeding rabbits and reasoning about directions in rabbit breeding