₦airaland Forum

Wealthyonos:
I'm following you seriously.

Thank you.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Part 5<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


Gratitude… and Back to the Journey

Before I continue, let me say this:

Thank you to everyone who suggested this thread for the front page. I saw it, and I truly appreciate it. Special thanks to the moderator as well.

Now, let me go back to my story—

Or better still, not just a story…

This is my real-life experience of keeping and managing rabbits.

(And yes, I also keep imported turkeys—but the wahala in turkey farming alone can almost take someone’s life. One day, I’ll share that story too.)

But for now—

Let’s stay with rabbits.

From One Rabbit to Many

You all remember how I started—with just one rabbit.

Now?

I have multiple breeds, different sizes, and one major reality:

They eat. Every single day.

And the truth is simple:

The more rabbits you have, the more feeding becomes your biggest responsibility.

Some people think rabbits don’t eat much.

That is not entirely true.

If you have a small number—maybe 5 to 8 rabbits—you might manage easily with:

Fresh grasses
Edible weeds like Tridax

But once you step into commercial rabbit farming—

You must think beyond grasses.

The Feeding Challenge

When I started scaling up, I relied on grower pellets.

Later, I began alternating with groundnut hay.

My goal was clear:

Feed my rabbits well… but spend less… so I can make profit.

But even then, something didn’t sit right with me.

Buying commercial feed consistently—

Was not economically sustainable.

So I asked myself a critical question:

“How can I reduce feed cost without affecting performance?”

My Breakthrough: Feed Formulation

Instead of guessing, I went deep.

I gathered multiple research papers on:

Rabbit feed formulation
Feed performance
Conversion efficiency

After serious study and trial, I developed a formulation that worked for me:

My Rabbit Feed Formula
Ingredient % Inclusion
Wheat offal 35%
Cassava root meal 25%
Moringa leaf meal 15%
Soybean meal 12%
Palm kernel cake 10%
Bone meal 2%
Vitamin premix + salt 1%

The Economic Advantage

This was a turning point for my farm.

With the same money used to buy: 25kg of commercial pellets

I could now produce: About 65kg of my own formulated feed

That’s a massive difference.

But let me be clear:

Concentrate feed alone is not enough.

Even with this formulation, I still combine it with:

Hay
Grasses

Because:

Balanced feeding = healthy rabbits + better performance

And in this business—

Profit starts from controlling feed cost.

The Big Question: How Do You Sell?

A lot of people keep asking me:

“How do you sell your rabbits?”

And honestly—

That is the most important question in this business.

Because what is the point of raising animals you cannot sell?

My Early Marketing Mistake

At the beginning, I made a costly mistake.

I allowed resellers into my farm.

They came ready to buy in bulk…

But not at a fair price.

They almost cleared my farm at a ridiculous amount.

That experience taught me something important:

Middlemen will always come—but many are there to exploit you.

What Works: Sell Directly

So I changed my approach.

I decided to:

Cut off resellers as much as possible and sell directly to customers.

Here’s what I started doing:

Telling people around me about my rabbits
Creating awareness in my immediate environment
Using social media to advertise

And slowly…

The results started coming.

From Local Sales to Nationwide Delivery

Today, I can confidently say:

I have delivered rabbits across different parts of Nigeria.

From nearby buyers to far locations—

Orders come in.

And one thing I take seriously is this:

Prompt and honest delivery.

Because in business:

Trust will sell your rabbits faster than anything else.

Final Thoughts on Selling

There are many ways to market and sell rabbits.

No single method fits all.

But as a rabbit farmer, your job is to:

Find what works
Be consistent
Build trust
And keep improving

Because at the end of the day—

You are not just raising rabbits… you are building a market.

I’ll pause here again.

In my next continuation, I’ll go deeper into the practical side of running a profitable rabbit farm—systems, scaling, and mistakes to avoid.

Stay with me.

Few months after the wedding you will hear; the finances of the church has declined due to bla bla bla as a result, the monthly salary will be slashed to half, and the vacation is not feasible anymore... He's notorious for doing that; after sending those happy boys to Cyprus, the chest-beater refused to send stipends, even to send school fees na wahala.

The person promising "for life" doesn't have a forever life, and he's source of income cannot outlive him. Ladies be careful of that bait.

bigcasava1:
Can I use a block house for the rabbit house

I believe you can inasmuch you design it in away that is safe (preventing the predators) and well ventilated.

My story continuation.... >>>>>>>>>> part 4 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<



What Really Happened to Browny

I’m sure you all remember where I stopped in my last post—Browny, the once excellent mother that suddenly turned into a baby eater.

Immediately I rescued the remaining babies and transferred them to another nursing doe, I began to reflect.

Not emotionally—but critically.

What did I do wrong? Where exactly did things go off track?

Mistake #1: Overbreeding Without Rest

The first thing I realized was this:

I didn’t give Browny enough time to rest.

On paper, you will hear that a rabbit can give birth up to six times in a year.

But on the farm, reality teaches you something different.

Let me show you what I did to Browny:

She was still breastfeeding her babies
At just two weeks, I crossed her again
She continued nursing for another two weeks
I weaned the babies
Within another two weeks… she gave birth again

Looking back now—

That was too much for her body to handle.

I later understood that what happened could be linked to stress and exhaustion, even something close to postpartum breakdown.

And that stress…

Pushed her to do the unthinkable—eat her own babies.

Mistake #2: Poor Feeding Balance

The second mistake was feeding.

I depended too much on pellet feed.

Yes, pellets help rabbits grow fast and look big—but that is not the full story.

Rabbits need balance.

Browny needed:

Hay
Fresh grasses
Greens

But I didn’t provide enough of those.

And that nutritional imbalance likely contributed to her stress and abnormal behavior.

Pellets should support feeding—not replace natural diet.


The Story of Ester

Now let me introduce you to another rabbit—Ester.

Ester was part of my parent stock, but she had her own personality.

While other rabbits were already preparing for their second litters…

Ester refused to mate.

At first, I gave her time.

I told myself:

“Maybe she’s not ready yet.”

But weeks passed.

Nothing changed.

Ester was comfortable—

Eating
Resting
Avoiding every buck

And that was when reality hit me:

This is a business, not a relaxation center.

In rabbit farming, productivity matters.

If rabbits are not breeding, the system is not working.

Taking Control of the Situation

After several failed attempts, I had to intervene.

I carefully restrained her using a rope—just enough to:

Lift her tail
Prevent her from covering her vulva

This made it easier for the buck to mate successfully.

You will know mating is successful when:

The buck makes a sharp sound and falls to the side.

That moment is very clear—you can’t miss it.

Interestingly…

The same Ester that used to run away now mates freely without assistance.

And today?

Ester is one of the best mothers on my farm.

She has successfully given birth and raised multiple litters.

Helping Rabbits Prepare for Birth

Naturally, rabbits prepare for birth—especially in the last week of pregnancy.

But in a farm setting, they are not in the wild.

So as a farmer:

You must support their natural instincts.

My Nesting System

To make things easier, I built wooden nest boxes.

Because of the small cage doors, I designed them to be:

Collapsible
Easy to insert and remove

Since I keep proper mating records, I can predict delivery dates.

So what I do is simple:

I introduce the nest box 3 to 4 days before delivery.

Once placed inside the cage, the doe takes over.

She knows exactly what to do:

Pull fur
Arrange the nest
Prepare for her babies
The Reality of Rabbit Multiplication

Since I started this journey, I’ve seen different litter sizes.

The smallest litter I’ve had: 5 kits
The largest litter I’ve seen: 15 kits

And that brings me to a simple truth:

Rabbits multiply—fast.

But multiplication alone is not success.

Management is what turns multiplication into profit.

What This Stage Taught Me

From Browny and Ester, I learned lessons that changed how I run my farm:

Don’t overbreed your does—rest is essential
Balanced feeding is not optional
Some rabbits need intervention—but do it carefully
Systems and records make everything easier
Good mothers are assets—protect and manage them well

I’ll pause here again.

In my next continuation, I’ll share more practical experiences—including deeper insights into management, mistakes, and how to run a rabbit farm that actually makes money.

Stay with me.

PETUK:
My question, are they aggressive?

Under normal circumstances, they are not aggressive. Although, if you don't handle or carry them carefully, especially if the way you carry them is painful, they may use their nails.

To answer straightforwardly, they are not aggressive.

BlvckSoul:
where are you located?

Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.

oliverwrites:
I sent you my WhatsApp number. Maybe you should send me your own number.

Apologies. I got notified of the email but I have lost access to the email address used for my Nairaland account. Please check my profile.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Here is Part 3



A Pause… and a Hard Truth About Rabbit Farming

First of all, I sincerely apologize for the delay in continuing this story. I’ve been occupied with quite a lot lately.

But now, back to my journey—the one that started with just a single pet bunny.

Revisiting My Early Mistake

Do you remember when I lost some of my rabbits?

Yes… that painful experience.

It was largely due to my negligence—I didn’t respond quickly enough to their needs.

But if I’m being completely honest… at that time, I tried to shift some of the blame.

I told myself:

“The rabbits didn’t show signs early enough.”

Looking back now, that was just me trying to comfort myself.

Because the truth is:

Rabbits are naturally wired to hide their pain.

They are prey animals.

In the wild, showing weakness makes them targets for predators. So even when they are sick, they often behave as if everything is normal—until they suddenly collapse.

That was something I had to learn the hard way.

Understanding Rabbit Health

From my experience so far, some rabbit diseases can still be detected early—if you know what to look for.

Conditions like:

Snuffles
Sore hocks
Mite infestations

These can show visible signs, even though rabbits try their best to hide discomfort.

That brings me to an important point:

As a rabbit farmer, you must develop the ability to observe and act early.

You don’t have to be a veterinary doctor—but you cannot be ignorant either.

At the minimum, you should have basic treatments available, such as:

Antibiotics
Multivitamins
Anti-coccidiosis drugs
Needles and syringes

However, let me be very clear:

Good management reduces the need for medication.

If you:

Feed your rabbits properly
Provide clean water at all times
Maintain clean housing and environment

Then you will rarely need to use those drugs.

And please—this is very important:

In critical situations, call a veterinary doctor. Don’t gamble with your farm.

The Joy of New Life

After about five weeks of settling my parent stock, something exciting happened—

My farm began to grow.

I started welcoming baby rabbits.

There’s a special kind of joy that comes with seeing your animals multiply—especially after spending money feeding them every day. It finally feels like progress.

I had crossed five does almost at the same time, which meant I was expecting births within a few days of each other.

For context:

Rabbits typically carry pregnancy for 28 to 31 days (though rare cases can go longer).

I once experienced a doe carrying pregnancy for nearly two months—very abnormal, but it happens.

One strategy I learned early is this:

Always breed multiple does around the same time.

Why?

Because it allows you to foster (transfer babies):

From a doe with too many kits
To another with fewer

This improves survival and balances the workload among the mothers.

The Story of Browny

Now, before I pause again, let me share one of the most shocking experiences I’ve had on my farm.

There was a rabbit I named Browny.

She was exceptional.

From her first and second litters, she proved to be an outstanding mother.

Let me explain.

When rabbits are about to give birth, they naturally:

Pull fur from their bodies (especially around the belly)
Use it to build a nest
Cover their babies for warmth

(Remember, baby rabbits are born without fur.)

But not all rabbits do this well.

Some:

Don’t prepare at all
Don’t build nests
Don’t even feed their babies

In such cases, the only solution is to transfer the babies to another responsible mother.

But Browny was different.

She:

Prepared her nest perfectly
Took good care of her babies
Fed them adequately
Even did not allow me to handle them—something many mothers do tolerate

She was calm, protective, and reliable.

A farmer’s dream.

The Unexpected Turn

Everything changed with her third litter.

She gave birth to 9 babies.

The next day, I noticed something strange.

They were now 8.

At first, I thought maybe one had wandered off. I searched everywhere—no sign.

Then later that same day, I witnessed something I will never forget.

Browny was eating her own babies.

Before I could intervene, she had already eaten four of them.

It was shocking. Confusing. Painful.

This was the same rabbit I trusted… the same excellent mother.

What could have gone wrong?

A Question Every Farmer Must Ask

As a farmer, I couldn’t just be emotional—I had to understand.

Why would a good mother suddenly behave this way?

I eventually found answers.

And in my next continuation, I’ll share what I discovered—because this is something every rabbit farmer needs to understand.

I’ll be back soon.

Please be careful of scammers claiming to be me to the unsuspecting members of this forum. You can check my profile to contact me if there is any need at all.

Jesus! Thank God that you were able to detect their evil plans. I am not the one ooo...

You contact me by sending email to me via Nairaland.


I will continue my story tonight. I have been so busy lately.

oliverwrites:
How much do your cages cost and how many rabbits can be put inside?

It costs 160k and it will be self cleaning design of three layers; each layer can house 4 adults, one per compartment, making 12 in total. Practically, it can house more especially when they are still young.

oliverwrites:
What problem are you experiencing? Let's learn from you.

Well, from the person's comment, it is easy to deduced that most grassed and weeds edible to rabbits will not be available during dry season.

if you stay with the story, my story will get there - where i will explicitly talk about feed, diseases, management and marketing.

oliverwrites:
Last Sunday I bought 3 rabbits to eat, immediately I fell in love with them and decided to keep them and added one more.

The joy they give me is so awesome. Good thing the house is mine and I can allow them roam occasionally.

How much did you buy that cage and where in Ibadan? I reside in Ibadan too.

Good that you are keeping them. I also started my rabbit farm by just buying one as pet; today I have more than 150 rabbits of different breeds and sizes.

As per the cage, I started with buying one at 160k but now I design and build cages by myself putting into consideration, iron quality, safety for the little rabbits and ease of cleaning. I do design and build for clients too.

From One Rabbit To A Business: My Journey Into Rabbit Farming >>>>>>>>>>>>> Part 2 <<<<<<<<<<<<


Stocking My First Rabbits (And the Mistakes I Made Early)

If you all can remember, I promised to come back and continue my story—so here we are.

After setting up the housing, the next big step was stocking my farm with the right rabbits—the foundation breeders that would determine the future of everything I was about to build.

And let me say this clearly:

Buying rabbits as pets is completely different from buying rabbits to start a farm.

This time, I knew I had to be intentional.

Learning Before Buying

I didn’t want to make blind decisions, so I started asking questions—from sellers and experienced breeders. I also made sure to understand the background of the rabbits I was about to purchase.

One key advice stood out:

The best rabbits to start with are young, newly matured ones that have never been bred before.

In other words, rabbits that have not yet given birth.

I also learned about different breeds—their unique traits, strengths, and weaknesses. That knowledge helped me narrow down my choices.

The Breeds I Chose

After my research, I decided to go with:

New Zealand White

Harlequin

Hyla Max

My initial plan was to start with:

8 does (females)

2 bucks (males)

But reality had its own plans.

The First Setback (Sourcing Problems)

It was harder than I expected to find ready-to-breed rabbits.

After going back and forth with sellers, I was only able to get:

5 does

2 bucks

A total of 7 rabbits instead of 10.

To make matters worse, I paid money for rabbits that were never delivered.

As I write this, I still have ₦50,000 stuck with a seller—and honestly, it’s looking like a bad debt.

Each rabbit cost me ₦20,000, so you can imagine how painful that experience was as a beginner.

That was another hard lesson:

Never commit money to a seller unless the rabbits are physically available and verified.

Responsibility Begins

Now, I finally had my rabbits.

At that moment, everything changed.

No more planning. No more talking.

Their survival was now my responsibility.

The Feeding Mistake That Cost Me

One of the first issues I noticed was that some of the rabbits were not eating pellet feed as expected.

Instead of acting immediately, I made a costly assumption:

“They will adjust in one or two days.”

I was wrong.

I delayed providing alternative feed like:

Fresh grasses

Hay

By the time I finally got those on the third day, the damage had already been done.

The rabbits became weak… then sick.

Within a week—

I lost three rabbits.

The Painful Lesson

That experience taught me something I will never forget:

Rabbits must never stay without proper and adequate feeding—even for a short period.

A few days of poor feeding can lead to:

Stress

Digestive issues

Rapid decline

Death

What looked like a small delay turned into a major loss.

What You Should Take From This

If you’re starting rabbit farming, learn from my mistake:

Always ask questions before buying

Never trust blindly—verify everything

Ensure feed is available before the rabbits arrive

Don’t assume rabbits will “adjust”—act immediately

This stage of my journey was tough—but it shaped how I manage my farm today.

And honestly…

Every serious rabbit farmer has a story like this. The difference is whether you learn fast or quit early.


Part 3 coming soon********

I’ll keep this story as real and direct as possible. No sugarcoating—just honest experience. And as you read, feel free to ask questions. I’ll answer them along the way.

How It All Started

I never planned to become a rabbit farmer.

In fact, I had never even thought about owning a rabbit—until one day, I visited a popular animal market in Ibadan. That visit changed everything.

There were rabbits everywhere. Different colors, different sizes. At that time, I didn’t know anything about rabbit breeds or farming. To me, they were just small, attractive animals.

Then I saw one.

A young, all-white rabbit.

Something about it stood out. Calm. Clean. Different.

Without overthinking it, I bought it—just as a pet.

I named it Superwhite.

My First Lesson (The Hard Way)

Superwhite quickly became part of the house.

It was gentle, playful, and loved moving freely around. Watching it hop around brought a kind of peace I didn’t expect.

But then… reality set in.

Superwhite chewed everything.

Doors. Furniture. Wooden edges. Anything it could find.

That was my first real lesson:

Rabbits are not just cute—they are active and destructive if not properly managed.

The Turning Point

Instead of getting frustrated, something else happened.

I became curious.

I started observing.

I started asking questions.

And before I knew it, what started as a pet slowly turned into interest… then passion… then vision.

That was when I made a decision:

“This is no longer just a pet. This can become a business.”

Transitioning Into Business

Once I made up my mind, I knew I had to do things properly.

Keeping rabbits inside the house was no longer an option.

I needed:

Space

Structure

System

Building My First Setup

I started small.

I constructed a simple shed using wooden stands and covered it with corrugated roofing sheets. It wasn’t fancy—but it worked.

Then came the most important decision:

Choosing the Right Housing System

I went for metal mesh cages.

Yes, they are more expensive than:

Wooden hutches

Free-range systems

But here’s what I discovered:

Metal mesh cages offer:

Better hygiene

Easier cleaning

Lower disease risk

Better growth performance

Long-term durability

That was when I understood something powerful:

Cheap can be expensive in farming.

My Cage Structure

The cage I purchased had:

3 layers

4 rabbits per layer

That gives a total capacity of 12 adult rabbits.

Interestingly, it can hold even more when the rabbits are still young.

This setup became the foundation of my rabbit farming system.

What Rabbit Farming Taught Me Early

Even at the beginning, I learned lessons that many people overlook:

1. Start Small—but Start Right

Don’t rush to scale. Get your system right first.

2. Housing Determines Success

Poor housing = disease, stress, losses.

3. Rabbits Multiply Fast

If you’re not prepared, they can outgrow your capacity quickly.

4. Passion Matters—but Structure Matters More

Love for animals is good, but systems make money.

Why I’m Sharing This

I’m sharing this not just as a story—but as a guide.

If you’re thinking of starting rabbit farming:

You don’t need to know everything at the beginning

You just need to start and learn fast

Because sometimes…

All it takes is one rabbit to change your direction.


I will continue the story tomorrow talking about how sourced my parent stocks, challenges and disease management....

Look at that kini buruku radarada. I feel like they should leave me and him alone in a room to beat each other make one person come out alive. Bunch of lazy cowards hiding under the power of AK47.

When I had mine. I spent a lot of on wine and juice; I was surprised when I didn't see wine on the tables. The mug and T shirt souvenir; I only saw few shared to my guests... Only for me to visit one of my friends that was in charge of the drinks and gifts; I saw more than 12 mugs in his house. They didn't share to the guests but stole everything amongst themselves.

Never will I spend anything on any event again. I named my child by myself, no nothing.

And when did drinking alcoholic beverages in a plane an offence? Over shall be air hostess.

Peter Obi with all due respect has not attained and lacks the ingredients required to manage the position he is putting himself in Labour Party or National Political leadership (godfatherism). Quote me wrong after the gubernatorial election and/or after 6 months of the presidential inauguration.


****Some of the ingredients however are tribals' inclusiveness, selflessly generous, and futuristic tactics.

Stingy man as godfather no be juju be that?

"Obidient" rose and dieing with Peter Obi. The so called movement however is not sorely about Peter Obi but an angry response to bad governance at the Federal Level by the people - mostly youths and Christian, and not only Igbos. To completely kill the "movement", is for the elected president to perform beyond people's expectations.

I repeat, Labour Party wil not have a performance that wil in any way come close to what she had during the presidential election.

Who is ready to bet 100,000 naira? LP will not win any state in the gubernatorial election.

If you love Asiwaju, pray for him very well. I saw that He won the election but when he was declared the winner of the presidential election, he suddenly collapsed when jubilating his victory. Pray for him as I am doing.

Sadly, God didn't give him the wings to fly. And the third person came out third after the election.



So sad, right?

JASONjnr:
If Tinubu attend this function, I will break my left finger and post it on my WhatsApp status....

Are you a man or woman of your words?


Here is the link to where Tinubu attended and delivered.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlnv_hqafZU

Jalinspy:
We all know that Tinubu will run away as usual. Expect his urchins to defend his absence as usual.

He was there yesterday. Take a time to see it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlnv_hqafZU

Kajaard:
Buhari would lose all respect if he allows this to happen.

Why is it only the APC party people complaining so much? Let's sit and ask ourselves these questions.

Their actions are suspicious and sinister.

#NOTOVOTEBUYING

To aswer your question respectfully, APC as well as other political parties know the naira redesign policy and its way of execution has far more negative impact on economic situation, and inflict more pains on nigerians. The opposition decide not to speak out because they know the grievances of the people may favor them during the elections. It will not and cannot stop vote buying.

Note: Obi can never win if he is truly playing out Saint, and not doing politics of money like others.


Are you okay with current difficulty faced in accessing naira notes?

By the time you run that business for 5 years, believe me, you will be looking 20 years older than your actual age. I will advise you to go into money related business, and stay where are people. Service rendering or feed is another agricultural based investment I can suggest.

Today you having problem with "envious" neighbours, very soon, the problem you will be battling will be thieves attack, next will be manipulation acts of the people working with you.

I wish you all the best still.

⚠⚠ They can criticize but brutally hate to be criticized.


In my opinion, Nigeria as a country, even in her dying state, still has more available resources than all her neighboring countries. Niger republic is a very porous country of high-security threat to Nigeria (as evident by security reports that most of the attacks of Boko Haram are being planned in the Niger Republic)... Spending that amount of money to boost the security of the Niger republic, is justifiable in my opinion.

Hmmm... BAT 2023