WELCOME TO
RABBIT GENETIC CENTER
KIGALI RABBIT FARM
is a limited liability company incorporated in Rwanda under the Companies Act (NO 17/2018 of 13/04/2018) Laws of Rwanda. It was set up in 2018 primarily as sustainable farming breeding, trainer and consultancy firm. And now it became a RABBIT GENETIC CENTER . We are the first company to introduce Rabbit Artificial Insemination system in EAC It was geared towards encouraging farmers to set up and put in place sustainable projects in various corner in Rwanda and in Africa.
RABBIT FARMING:
A Sustainable and Profitable Venture
Rabbit farming is a lucrative and sustainable agricultural practice that has gained popularity in recent years. At KIGALI RABBIT CENTER, we are dedicated to promoting and supporting rabbit farming as a viable business opportunity for farmers in Rwanda and across Africa.
Rabbits are known for their high reproductive rate, efficient feed conversion, and ability to thrive in various environments. This makes them an ideal livestock option for small-scale farmers looking to maximize their resources and increase their income. Additionally, rabbit meat is lean, high in protein, and in demand in the market, presenting a great opportunity for farmers to tap into a profitable niche.
Our team at KIGALI RABBIT CENTER offers comprehensive training and consultancy services to help farmers set up and manage successful rabbit farming projects. We provide guidance on breeding techniques, feeding practices, disease management, and marketing strategies to ensure the success and sustainability of each venture.
Join us at KIGALI RABBIT CENTER and embark on a journey towards a more sustainable and profitable future in agriculture through rabbit farming
Our Products
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Selection is used as a tool for livestock improvement. A breeding stock is a group of males and females which act as parents of future generations.
Selection is the process of allowing certain animals to be parents of future generations while culling others.
Culling is the removal of animals which do not perform to the desired level, from the herd. The animals retained have certain desirable characteristics which make them produce more.Selected animals make up the breeding stock.
The breeding stock should pass the good qualities to their offsprings for better performance, to improve the livestock.
Selection process repeated for many generations increases chances of formation of desirable qualities in an animal.
Genetically termed as gene frequency(occurrence of the genes that carry desirable characteristics.) Selection increases occurrence of desirable genes and decreases occurance of undesirable genes.
During selection, the characteristics to be selected for are first studied closely to ascertain that it is not influenced by the environment, but mainly by the genetic make-up.
Selection helps improve characteristics which are highly heritable.
Heritability means the likelihood of a particular trait to be transmitted to the offspring and they are strongly inherited.
A character like milk yield is lowly heritable, i.e. it is weakly inherited and a bigger percentage of the character is affected by the environment.The degree to which selection affects a character depends on the following factors;
The heritability of the character, The intensity with which the selection is done and the interval between generations and kind of selection being practiced.
Factors To Consider When Selecting A Breeding Stock.Age
Level of performance
Physical Fitness
Health
Body Conformation
Temperament or Behaviour
Quality of products
Mothering Ability
Adaptability
Prolificacy
Age
Young animals,
Those that have not parturated for more than 3-times, should be selected.
They have a longer productive life.
Old animals are poor breeders and low producers.
Production and breeding efficiency decline with age.
Level of performance
Animals with highest production level selected.
Performance best indicated by records.
Good performance of animal indicated by;
High milk, wool and egg production,
Good mothering ability
High prepotency which is the ability of a parent to pass good qualities to their offsprings.
The animals with poor performance should be culled.
Good records kept and used by the farmer for this purpose.
Physical Fitness
Animals selected should be free from any physical defect e.g.mono-eyed,
limping,
irregular number of teats,
scrotal hernia,
defective and weak backline
Health
Sick animals do not breed well and are expensive to keep.
Animals that are resistant to diseases pass these characteristics to their offsprings
Body Conformation
Animals for breeding to be selected according to proper body conformation.
A dairy cow should be wedge-shaped with a large udder, thin legs, long neck.
Temperament or Behaviour
Animals with bad behaviors should be culled. e.g Cannibalism, egg eating, aggressiveness, kicking
Quality of products
Select animals that give products of high quality such as meat, wool, eggs, milk.
Mothering Ability
Animals selected should have a good mothering ability,
That is animals with good natural instinct towards their young ones.
This will enable them to rear the young ones up to weaning.
Adaptability
Animals selected should be well adapted to the prevailing climatic condition in the area e.g Ardi and semi arid areas.Prolificacy
Animals selected should be highly prolific.
That is, animals with the ability to give birth to many offsprings at a time(larger litter).
This is a quality that should be considered when selecting pigs and rabbits.
The ancestry records assist to choose the prolific breeds for mating
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We
Quality pellet and Hay for rabbit
Academics from University of Rwanda /veterinary department
Grilled Rabbit leg
we believe that rabbit farming can change the life of household when the women are involved in this sector
Empowering women
Organic rabbit fertilizer
RABBIT INSEMINATION.
Artificial insemination (AI) is a highly efficient assisted reproductive technology that has become a common practice in rabbit farms. When practicing AI in this species, as rabbit is an induced ovulator, it is necessary to use gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues to trigger ovulation.
Contact us.
FAQs
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The domestic rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, is a descendent of wild rabbits of southern Europe and North Africa. The rabbit is thought to have been discovered by Phoenecians when they reached the shores of Spain about 1000 BC. During the times of Roman the rabbit was still emblematic of Spain. It appears that the Romans spread the rabbit throughout the Roman Empire as a game animal. The Romans, like Spaniards of that time ate foetuses or newly born rabbits, which they called laurices.
In their natural environment, rabbits are gregarious and prolific. They are completely herbivorous (eat only plants) and most actively forage in the twilight or in the dark. The average lifespan of a rabbit is 5-10 years (potential life span of 15 years is possible). Rabbits are ideal small livestock project for peri-urban or rural areas, especially in developing countries such as Botswana with a significant proportion of citizenry living below poverty datum line. Rabbits are quite clean and relatively odourless.
The raising of rabbits can be anything from a profitable hobby to a fulltime living. Rabbits fit well into a balanced farming system. They complement well with vegetable growing. Excess and waste from vegetable gardens and kitchen goes to feed the rabbits, whereas their manure is used to fertilize gardens, thus forming a profitable cycle and aiding the balance of nature. The reasons for raising rabbits are manifold. Rabbits are an important source of food, particularly in Europe and Asia.
They produce white meat that is finegrained; high in protein, low in fat, highly palatable, low in cholesterol, and that can be substituted for poultry in most recipes. Rabbit carcasses are only 20% bone. In the United States, rabbits are raised mainly for non-food purposes. High quality rabbit skins are used in fur garments (clothing, hats), to cover bicycle seats, etc., and their use could spark a village industry/crafts projects. Another significant use of rabbits is in cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical research laboratories. Therefore, a rabbit producer must establish credibility with each laboratory and know what the needs are so that orders can be filled. Rabbits are also raised for show or as pets.
Rabbit World Production In 2020, world’s production of rabbit meat was estimated to be 1.8 million tons per annum. This would mean per caput annual consumption of 280 g per person per year. The five major world’s rabbit producing countries are Italy, Commonwealth of Independent States (Russia and the Ukraine), France, China and Spain. In Africa, the leading rabbit producing countries are Morocco and Nigeria and these are reported to produce 20000 to 99000 tons meat per year.
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The advantages of keeping rabbits over other livestock species include:
*Small body size.
*Rabbits do not compete for grains with humans as strongly as chickens.
* Limited cost of the animals and of the housing structures.
* Efficient reproductive ability. Rabbits are prolific in terms of offspring (kg/year/doe) and will breed all year round if well-managed.
* Does (female rabbits) can kindle (give birth to) up to 13 bunnies (young rabbits) at a time, the average being 8. A doe can easily give 25 or more offsprings per year. To estimate the potential of meat production this number (25) is multiplied by 1 or 2 kg.
* Rabbits usually produce 4 to 5 litters in a year. With proper management, rabbits can be kindled intensively.
* Early age of sexual maturity (4-5 months).
* Short fattening period (less than 2 months from weaning). With proper care and feeding they will be 8 weeks old or less at this stage. Young rabbits are ready for market at 1.8 to 2.2 kg.
* Rabbits have an efficient feed conversion ratio (FCR).
* Rapid generation turnover rate. A doe can produce up to 10 times its own weight, or more, in offspring per year.
* Rabbit meat is one of the most nutritious meats available (Table 1).
* Rabbit meat can be prepared in over 300 different ways.
* Unlike wild rabbit, domestic rabbit meat is pearly white, tender, juicy and mild in flavour.
* Rabbits require little space than large livestock. This is important, especially in areas where there is shortage of agricultural land.
* Rabbits are easy to transport and market and the recurrent costs for maintaining animals beyond the optimum are low.
RABBIT MEAT COMPOSITION
In comparison with the meat of other species, rabbit meat has a low cholesterol level (50 mg – 10 gm-1), fewer calories, lower fat content and is richer in proteins than beef, pork, chicken or lamb (Table 1). Rabbit meat is also richer in certain vitamins and minerals, and is relatively rich in essential fatty acids. Rabbit meat 4 is especially good for babies, elderly people and anyone with stomach disorders because it is easily digested. As shown in Table 2, rabbit fat contains less saturated fatty acids (stearic and oleic) than other species and higher proportions of the polyunsaturated linolenic and linoleic fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids have lower melting points than saturated fatty acids.
