Rabbit and Grasscutter Farming – SS1 Livestock Farming Lesson Note (Third Term)

Rabbits and grasscutters (cane rats) are micro-livestock: small animals reared for meat and income that need little space.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. State four reasons why rabbit and grasscutter farming is important.
2. Describe the housing needed by rabbits and by grasscutters.
3. Name the feeds given to rabbits and grasscutters and state the rule about wet grass.
4. Explain how to handle rabbits and grasscutters and how to breed rabbits.
5. Compare rabbits and grasscutters in growth rate, temperament, meat value and length of pregnancy.

What is micro-livestock farming?

Micro-livestock farming is the rearing of small animals that give meat and money but need little space.

• Examples: rabbits and grasscutters (also called cane rats).
• Space: they can be kept in a backyard, even in a city.
• Housing: rabbits live in wooden or wire hutches, and grasscutters in concrete pens.
• Feed: they live mainly on forage such as grasses and legumes.
• Meat: it is white meat, low in cholesterol and fat.

What are the common terms in rabbit farming?

These terms are used often when rearing rabbits.

• Doe: a female rabbit.
• Buck: a male rabbit.
• Kit: a baby rabbit.
• Kindling: the birth of baby rabbits.
• Litter: the group of kits born to a doe at one time.
• Hutch: the wooden or wire cage in which rabbits are kept.
• Forage: green plant feed such as grasses, leaves and legumes.
• Concentrate: a feed rich in nutrients, such as pellets or poultry feed.

What are some common breeds of rabbit?

Common rabbit breeds reared for meat include New Zealand White, California White, Chinchilla, Dutch and Flemish Giant.

• New Zealand White: a white breed that grows fast and is widely reared for meat.
• California White: a white breed with dark ears, nose and feet, kept for meat.
• Chinchilla: a grey breed with a soft, thick coat.
• Dutch: a small breed with a white and coloured coat pattern.
• Flemish Giant: a very large breed.

Why are rabbits and grasscutters important?

Rabbits and grasscutters give healthy meat, multiply fast, cost little to start and provide manure.

• Healthy meat: both give white meat that is low in cholesterol and fat, which suits people watching their health or heart.
• Fast reproduction: a doe can produce many kits in a year (about 30 to 50 in some texts).
• Low cost: no tractor or large farm is needed, and a farmer can start with a simple cage and grass from the surroundings.
• Manure: the droppings are dry and can be applied to a vegetable garden without burning the plants.
• Income: the meat sells well and gives regular money to the farmer.
• No competition with humans: they eat forage, so they do not use up food such as maize.

How are rabbits and grasscutters housed?

Housing must be strong and secure because these small animals have many enemies, such as snakes, dogs and thieves.

How are rabbits housed (the hutch)?

Rabbits are kept in wooden or wire cages called hutches.

• Raised off the ground: the hutch stands on legs to keep rabbits away from dampness and predators.
• Wire mesh floor: droppings fall through, so the rabbit stays clean and dry.
• Roof: it protects the rabbits from rain and strong sun.
• Nesting box: each doe needs a dark, quiet wooden box in her cage where she plucks her fur and gives birth.
• Separate cages: bucks and does are kept in separate cages.

How are grasscutters housed (the pen)?

Grasscutters are kept in strong concrete pens because they are wilder than rabbits.

• Concrete pens: they chew through wood easily, so pens are built with blocks and cement.
• Dark corners: grasscutters are shy and need a dark corner in the pen to hide during the day.

What do rabbits and grasscutters eat?

Rabbits and grasscutters feed mainly on forage, with concentrates and clean water added.

What forage do they eat?

• Rabbits: tridax, potato leaves and cabbage.
• Grasscutters: elephant grass, sugar cane and the soft part of oil palm fronds.

What else do they need?

• Concentrates: small amounts of pellets or poultry feed help them grow faster.
• Water: clean drinking water must be available every day, even when they eat green grass.

What is the rule about wet grass?

Never give rabbits grass that is wet with morning dew.

1. Wet grass can cause bloat (a swollen stomach), and the rabbit can die.
2. Cut the grass and spread it out in the sun for a few hours.
3. Give it to the rabbits only when it is dry.

How are rabbits and grasscutters managed?

Good management covers handling, breeding and sanitation.

How are they handled?

• Rabbits: never lift a rabbit by its ears, as this is painful and can injure it.
• Rabbits (correct way): hold the loose skin over the shoulders (the scruff) and support the bottom with the other hand.
• Grasscutters: they have sharp teeth and can bite, so handle them with care.
• Grasscutters (moving them): many farmers use a long-handled net or a special cage.

How are rabbits bred?

Breeding rabbits means mating a doe with a buck so that the doe becomes pregnant and gives birth.

1. Choose a healthy doe and a healthy buck.
2. Carry the doe to the buck’s cage.
3. Watch the mating, then return the doe to her own cage.
4. Put a clean nesting box in the doe’s cage before she gives birth.
5. Allow about 31 days for the pregnancy.
6. Leave the doe quiet while she kindles and nurses the kits.

• Why the doe goes to the buck: a doe may fight a buck that enters her cage, because she protects her territory.

How is sanitation kept?

• Daily cleaning: clean under the cages every day.
• Reason: the strong smell of rabbit urine can cause breathing problems in the animals.
• Feeders and drinkers: wash them often so that they stay clean.

How do rabbits and grasscutters compare?

A rabbit is a small, gentle animal that grows and breeds fast. A grasscutter is a larger, shy rodent that grows and breeds more slowly but sells at a high price.

Evaluation

1. Why is it wrong to lift a rabbit by its ears?
2. If a farmer wants to make money every month, why is a rabbit farm better than a grasscutter farm?
3. Why must grass be dried in the sun before it is given to rabbits?
4. Why are grasscutter pens built with blocks and cement instead of wood?
5. Why should the doe be taken to the buck’s cage and not the buck to the doe’s cage?

Assignment

Draw a simple sketch of a rabbit hutch. Label the roof, the wire floor, the nesting box and the legs. Write one sentence to explain why the legs should be tall.