emperor00:

I still bought around Akure last month for 7k.

kindly drop the contact of the person that sold it to you sir. we can all benefit from it. I am willing to patronise the person to

TheStakeHolder:
Please explain something to me...

You said a colony contains a male and about 3 females. That's 4 for 80k

If I sell each at 7k or 8k, how is this profitable?

Please help clarify the cost price and selling price. I believe I'm missing something here.

a colony contains 5 grasscutter, I.e 2males and 3females.
their is nowhere in Nigeria a grasscutter will go for even 10k presently.
since they are hard to comment, it makes the demand high, reason why you get to sell your little grasscutter faster to other farmers willing to buy.
you only sell the aged ones when their reproduction reduces.
I priced a processed Matured grasscutter last month when travelling along osun last month, and the last price I got was 18k.
kindly confirm the price around your vicinity

calaohuru:
How much is a colony?




Http//www.impala.com.ng

80k

enoone7:
How did you able to put the colony into the keg

they are still small so they will fit in to the keg conveinently

HOW TO DIFFERENTIATE A MALE FROM A FEMALE GRASSCUTTER.
most grasscutter looks alike and it would be a little bit difficult for a newbie to differentiate between them.
mere looking at them, you can easily differentiate them buy looking at their nose. a female grasscutter has a short and kind of oblong nose which a male grasscutter has a long and abit pointed nose.
it is always easier to detect them by their sizes also as a male grasscutter are always bigger than their female counterpart.
lastly, you can also differentiate them by looking at their genitals. a male genital is abit far from where they pass their waste than that of the female

this is how we package our grasscutter when ever we want to transport them. a colony was sent to Benin yesterday. kindly indicate if you are the nairalander that purchased a colony from us. thanks for your patronage

I can't access my account please whatsapp or call me

uche393:
I still prefer rabbit to grasscutter because they don't grow quick and rabbits can give birth upto 8 times or more annually.

you are correct but do you know that grasscutter is costlier than rabbit, which gives you a better ROI

taylorpositive:
Grasscutter Farming; A Complete Guide on How to Start Grasscutter Farming in Nigeria


Are you searching for information on how to start a grasscutter farming venture in Nigeria? Then you’re in the perfect spot as this grasscutter farming guide will teach you everything you need to know about grasscutter farming techniques in Nigeria.

Have a good read.


Grasscutter Farming – An Introduction

Animal farming has always been an important aspect of the Nigerian agricultural sector.

Over the years, we experienced the rearing of farm animals like cattle, sheep, goats, rabbits, poultry, and the likes.



But one animal whose rearing hasn’t gained as much popularity as it should is the grasscutter.

Commercial grasscutter farming in Nigeria is a highly lucrative business, and you might want to look into it if you want to be unique in the world of animal rearing.

Read on if you want to find out more about grasscutters and how to start grasscutter farming in Nigeria.


Related Cucumber Farming in Nigeria; Complete Guide on How to Start (2021)


Grasscutters
The Greater Cane Rat (Thryonomys swinderianus), popularly known as Grasscutter is a wild herbivore generally found in the riverbeds and swamps of sub-Saharan Africa.

In size, they are second only to Porcupines in the rodent family.

However, they do not possess long pointy spikes like their immediate cousins.

Species of Grasscutters are captured and reared mainly for their meat, which is highly-stacked with protein, therefore making it of great economic value.

Grasscutter in Yoruba is known as “Oya”.

Grass cutter animals proliferate in large numbers and very quickly too.

A mature female Grasscutter has a gestation period of 140 – 150 days (5 months or approximately 22 weeks).



They may deliver two times annually, giving birth to an average of four to seven offspring each time, and in some cases, up to ten.

In other words, a single mature female grasscutter can produce between 4 to 20 offspring in a year.

Since it can be quite difficult to capture these animals, rearing them in domestication is the better option to access their meat.


Facts You Should Know about Grasscutters
Their limbs, fur, tails, and skin can detach easily, making it difficult to capture and handle them
Grasscutters are quick runners and swimmers
They live above ground and are nocturnal in nature
Grasscutter fur color ranges from a mixture of brown-reddish and gray hairs that vary depending on its habitat, depending on their habitat.
These rodents can live up to 4 years in captivity.
They have relatively poor vision. However, they possess impressive hearing and a great sense of smell.
They are important pests of cane fields – hence the name Cane Rats in some regions. They are also known to mainly feed on grasses.
A fully mature female grasscutter may weigh up to 3.5 kg, while a fully mature male may weigh up to 4.5kg.
The Suckling period for baby grasscutters is 40 days (6 weeks) before weaning
Grass cutters live in colonies. A grasscutter colony in captivity consists of one male and three to four females. In the wild, a single male can service up to ten female grasscutters.
Two males cannot co-exist in one colony, so never put two male grasscutters in a single colony.
The presence of a male grasscutter triggers the ovulation periods of the females.

How to Start Grasscutter Rearing in Nigeria
Grasscutter farming/rearing in Nigeria is steadily becoming a lucrative animal farming option in the country and Africa as a whole.

Grasscutter farming in Ghana is also quite lucrative.

This is due to the great taste of grasscutter meat and its rarity in the market.

Grasscutter and rabbit farming have some similar principles, but they are not the same.

Grasscutter rearing is more popular in rural areas because of the availability of grasscutters in the region.

Moreover, businesses operating in the urban regions are mostly big-time companies and white-collar establishments.





In this article, you will learn some of the best grasscutter farming and management practices in Nigeria.

By the time you’re done reading this article, you will have learned all about grasscutter farming in Nigeria.

Think of it as a free grasscutter farming manual for beginners.

Note that you may need to hire or seek advice from a grasscutter farming expert for some practical aspects of this venture.


Advantages of Rearing Grasscutter in Nigeria

Requires Little Capital to Start
Compared to rearing other animals like goats, cattle, pigs, sheep, and even chickens, kickstarting a grasscutter rearing business in Nigeria requires only a little capital to start.

You can begin your grasscutter rearing journey with as low as 50,000 Naira, and you can upscale with time.

High Market Demand
Grasscutter meat, also known as bushmeat is widely eaten by many Nigerians and Africans. Its meat is one of a kind, and many people crave to have a taste.

However, grasscutters are not as common as other sources of meat like chicken, pig, and cattle, which makes their meat rare in the market. This rarity makes grasscutter meat of high demand in the market.

Relatively Cheap to Maintain
After purchasing your grasscutters, you don’t need to break the bank to keep or maintain them.

If you’re starting with one colony (one male and three to four females), you will only need to construct a small pen which won’t cost much.

Also, you can feed them with grasses and other relatively cheap supplements.


Combines Well with Crop Farming
Since grasscutters will eat grasses and other crops like rice, corn, millet, and so on, you can easily combine it with crop farming.

Instead of having to buy or source for feed for these animals, you can just take some of the proceeds of your crop farm and feed it to them.

This will also help in minimizing losses when you cannot store excess harvests and would’ve otherwise sold at cheap prices.

No Taboo
Everyone eats grasscutter meat.

There are no known religious or tribal constraints on the consumption of grasscutter meat in Nigeria, unlike other meat products like pork and even beef.

This widens the customer base for grasscutter meat.

Grasscutters are Relatively Clean Animals
Compared to other animals, grasscutters are clean animals. They do not urinate or excrete a lot, and grasscutter cages aren’t usually overwhelmed with foul smells. This means you can keep them close to the house to properly monitor them without being scared of horrid odors.


Feasibility Study for Grasscutter Farming in Nigeria
Formulating a business plan and conducting a feasibility study will put you on the right path in your grasscutter farming journey.

You have to consider all the key elements that control the dynamics of running a successful grasscutter farm by looking into past data and learning from established grasscutter farmers in Nigeria.

This step will help you prepare for possible threats and challenges, and other things like market value, and how to sell your grasscutters to make profits when they become mature.

So, conduct a grasscutter feasibility study and draft a business plan before starting any grasscutter farming procedure.

Note: It is advisable to start with one or two grasscutter colonies. This will help you understand the venture and learn from the experience at little or no risk. You can upscale as time goes on.


Grasscutter Housing
The best way of rearing grasscutters is in an intensive care system.

You cannot leave grasscutters to wander as you could do for cattle, sheep, goats, and chickens.

The method of housing could either be a cage or a specially-designed shed.

Grasscutters in captivity can be sensitive to certain environmental conditions, which can negatively affect their growth.

This is why their housing/habitat must be constructed according to certain specifications.


Specifications for Grasscutter Housing
For sheds:
Properly roofed pens with wire hutches
Proper aeration and lightening
The length of the shed should be 1.5 m tall, with the upper half covered with chicken wire.
Close proximity to a clean water source
Easily accessible
Far from noise and thick bushes
Materials for the shed can be straw, bamboo, or bricks. The roof can be made up straw, corrugated iron, or any other water-proof material.
The size of the building is dependent on the number of grass-cutters to be reared and production objectives. To put this in perspective, here’s an example:

The space required for a colony of reproductive grasscutters comprising one adult male and four females is 1.6m to 2 m.

For cages/pens:
Grasscutter farming cages represent a more conservative housing system for grasscutters.

In this case, the grasscutters live in pens constructed inside the shed.



The farmer’s production objectives will determine the number of pens.

The recommended protocol is to have one breeding female per pen.

The recommended surface area per mature grasscutter in the pen is 0.2 m2.

You can construct different pens for different purposes and stages of grasscutter growth.

For example:

A pen for mating
A pen for adults
Pen for giving birth and feeding the young
A pen for fattening young grasscutters
Metal or concrete are the preferred materials to construct grasscutter rearing pens.

However, note that metal pens will be moveable, while concrete pens will be fixed and therefore, immovable.

It is advisable not to use bamboo and straw as Grasscutters can eat through them and escape into the wild.

Also make sure that there is enough room for grasscutters to move from one pen to another.

Types of Grasscutter Pens
In addition, there can be two types of grasscutter pens;

Open Pen:

This describes a type of pen without any roof above it.

Specifications for construction include a surface area of 3m2 and a height of 1.5m.

Open pens also come with an opening on the side that leads to the aisle, thereby creating easy access to the grasscutters for the farmer.


Closed Pen

In contrast to an open pen, a closed pen will have a roof over it and it will be divided into various compartments.

Specifications for construction include a surface area between 2 and 3m2 and a wall height of 0.8 m.

Note: Pens with two compartments should have the same surface area specifications. The compartments should be separated with partitions, with a 15 cm opening to allow the grasscutters to move from one compartment to another.

Grasscutter Breeding

Continue here to read about Grasscutter Breeading, Feeding, Diseases, Treatment, Handling, Sale, FAQs and More.

thanks for your article

PETUK:

what food do they eat?
are they aggressive?

when they get to a new environment, they become restless but after sometime they settle down.
they feed on the back of watermelon, pineapple, cassava, sugarcane

PETUK:

wow that's massive

they mature very fast and reproduce quickly, in no time you will get your money back.
more also, they are choice meat

olite93:
Is there a market for this after rearing them. Like poultry and others in the open market cos I'm not sure I've seen it being sold in the market

their is always a market for it

ochiosa:
may God bless the works of your hand. But a colony is 1 male 4 females, one day you will wake up to meet empty cage because that boko haram net or what you call it can't hold a matured grasscutter. Talking from experience.

we will soon transfer them to a concrete cage

eedimo:
Where did you get your animals from?

you can get domesticated ones from research institutes and grasscutter farm

PETUK:
bro 80k or 8k?

80k

Spandau:


Bros start thinking of building pure metal cages for your Oyakilomes because by the time they start getting big, that net and wood will be like chewing stick for them o.

we have a concrete cage already

Christistruth00:


How do you prevent snakes,ants and Cold ?

snakes- make sure you block all the space with net, that it would be impossible for snakes to pass through
ants-keep your environment clean.
cold- you can cover them with nylon or tapoulin when the weather is cold

Christistruth00:

Do Boko Haram manufacture nets?

lol. that is the name they call the net. go to those people selling building materials, they will show it to ypu

elampiro:

Your cage is too small. This is animal punishment

the cage can conveinently contain 2 colonies sir. though I will split them to a bigger cage when the time comes

harmony75:
Weldone � farming is the solution naw ���

thanks sir.
yes ooo
farming is the way to go

sunday0707:
I'm very interested in this please can I have your contact or can u pls beep or chat me on 07063114549/faloyos@gmail.com

OK sir. 070-334-9977-5
I can't access my account please whatsapp or call me

Jaqenhghar:

Try making sure there are lots of light around their cages. You ca n also have a pen built insted of cage..... I hear snakes hate tobacco plants ( Dont know how true that is) . Maybe you can plant some around.

thank you sir

Brexxit:
It's a very nice business if one can take the time to rear them.

Why I like this biz is that first it doesn't smell unlike other types of livestocks like catfish, poultry, piggery.

It doesn't require much capital.
It has the potentials to make anyone a millionaire if you take it serious.
I have been in the business for 3 years now,trained lots of farmers,delivered colonies worth Millions and I use concrete cages for my grasscutters which is the best,it makes them comfortable in it like their normal habitat.

The most common challenge to a grasscutter farm is snakes,ants and cold.

you are very right sir

Kebbiprince:
Which one is bokoharam net, such an evil word to use

that hard and thick iron chicken net

Keyin:
Whichart of Nigeria are you. I am in Enugu. I want to learn this farming ooo

ondo state

educators:
That cage is not strong enough. start saving money to build standard cage. very soon it will use teeth to scatter that net and the wood

we have a bigger cage already, it is not yet time to transfer them

Centachos:
Grasscutter has a very sharp teeth, ur housing net is too week for them.
They might cut it and escape with time...

you are very right sir.
due to their small sizes, I don't want to use that thick net with big hole.
we will transfer them once they grow bigger

Draslo:
Aren't humans the only ones that should worry about inbreeding?

no sir

SimplyFacts:

Thanks to Google,,,, was initially confused at the bolded

May God crown your efforts

waow. I am on front-page already. amen

INBREEDING
inbreeding in grasscutter farming is very wrong and it would affect the offspring of your stock on the long run.
I try as much as possible to source my rat from different sources to avoid the possibilities of inbreeding

my cane rats have become familiar with me, they come closer when they see me approaching their cage and take their food directly from my hand

Farmerakinloye6:
Following... Bros I will definitely buy From you and rear too in future. God bless your hustle!

thanks my oga