Rabbit Farming

Rabbits are midway between ruminants and monogastric animals. They are called pseudo ruminant. They can convert cellulose into meat and can easily survive on kitchen scrap. They are coprophagous in nature they reinvest their faeces in the early hours of morning directly from their anus through lips. Thus replenish vitamins and cellulose content of feases.

They breed eight times in a year. Female may produce five to eight youngs which attain sexual maturity in five to six months. Life span of rabbit is about six to seven years. Slaughter weight of rabbit is about 2 kg which can be achieved in 12 to 15 weeks. Rabbits have got fast reproductive process and are able to remate within 24 hours of giving birth [kindling]. Their gestation period ranges to 31 days.

Rabbit Farming Equipments & Feeding

Equipments which are used for Rabbit farming & feeding are:

• Use scientifically designed cages and equipment. The ideal guage for floor of the cage is 14-16 with a mesh size of 19x19 mm or 25x13 mm. The walls and roof can be constructed with lighter guage i.e. 16-20 with a mesh size of 25x25mm.

• The feeders should be designed and placed in such a manner that the feed can be poured from outside and should be 5-7.5 cm. above the cage floor to avoid contamination by urine, faeces or water. The rim of the feeders should be round and turned inward ½" so that the rabbits do not spill the feed/water.

• The watering equipment of 400-500 ml. capacity made up of aluminum, earthen or any other locally available cheaper material may be used.

Feeding:

• Production performance depends upon the quality of feed offered. For high production levels balanced pellet feed in combination with hay should be given.

• Fresh green plants like bean, Alfalfa, berseem, grass, tender banana, cane and bamboo leaves, cutup pieces of the stalks of plants such as maize or banana, roots such as cassava, yams, carrots, beefs and turnips inedible portions of cabbage and cauliflower etc. can replace partially or wholly pellet feeds in case of low input and low output production system.

• If whole pellet is fed, feed is given at a time for many days.

• If concentrate and hay are given, then concentrate should be offered preferably in the morning and hay in the afternoon.

• A practical combination of different types of feeds and regular timetable for feeding is advisable so that rabbits do not feel any stress due to changes in their daily routine.

• Water should be available round the clock particularly to a lactating doe.

• Always give fresh and clean drinking water.

• Always keep water pots clean and remove sediments daily. Water pots should be cleaned thoroughly every week.

Breeding Management:

• The average age at first mating is about 5-7 months and it varies with the physical maturity of individual rabbit and also breed.

• Mating should be done either early in the morning or in the evening.

• The doe is to be taken to the buck cage and never vice-versa

• The nest box is kept in the cage around 25th day of pregnancy with loosened jute wool or wood shavings.

• In order to prevent inbreeding depression, rabbits from the same family should not be breed.

Care of young ones:

• The nest box should be removed after 5 weeks of kindling.

• Kits should be examined and dead ones should be removed daily.

• If the bedding becomes wet it should be replaced by a fresh and clean one.

• No sudden change in feed is advisable.

Disease prevention/control:

• Clean sanitary conditions of rabbit cages, sheds and equipment, balanced feed and fresh clean water are essential to prevent chances of infection.

• The rabbits should be prevented from coming in contact with the feaces.

• Over crowding should be avoided.

• Proper ventilation should be provided.

• Flies which may act as carriers of the infection should be kept under control in the rabbitry.

• Rabbit cages should be disinfected with blow lamp after every shearing and kindling cages before the doe is shifted.

•  Burn dead sick rabbits at once to keep the diseases from spreading.

 

Payment Terms:	Other
FOB Price:	5000 INR
Minimum Order Quantity:	one Pair
Port of Dispatch:	self deleiver
Production Capacity:	1000
Delivery Time:	instant
Packaging Details:	in one cartoon can be taken 5 pair

Special Features Of Rabbit Farming

Rabbits are midway between ruminants and monogastric animals. They are called pseudo ruminant. They can convert cellulose into meat and can easily survive on kitchen scrap. They are coprophagous in nature they reinvest their faeces in the early hours of morning directly from their anus through lips. Thus replenish vitamins and cellulose content of feases.

They breed eight times in a year. Female may produce five to eight youngs which attain sexual maturity in five to six months. Life span of rabbit is about six to seven years. Slaughter weight of rabbit is about 2 kg which can be achieved in 12 to 15 weeks. Rabbits have got fast reproductive process and are able to remate within 24 hours of giving birth [kindling]. Their gestation period ranges to 31 days.

Location and Housing:

• Ensure adequate facility for clean water, electricity, approach road, supply of breeding stock, feed, fodders & veterinary aid.

• For small size rabbit farms hutch system may be adopted which is a self contained cage-cum-nest box with it's own roof.

• In case of larger farms cages may be arranged inside the sheds in single or two tier under hanging or step wise rack system.

• Provide adequate floor space per rabbit.

• Rabbitry roofing should be preferably of asbestos, wood, thatch or other locally available cheaper materials.

• Construct sheds in such a way that predators and birds do not enter the shed. In case of open hutches proper fencing should be provided to protect the rabbits from their predators.

• Construct rat proof civil structures for feed and wool storage.

• Keep the shed/pens clean by regular cleaning and disinfection to make it free from flies/mosquitoes and a foot dip should be maintained at the entrance of the sheds.

• Rabbit cages should be cleaned regularly, especially disinfected before kindling.

• During kindling period cage/hutch nest box should be kept clean so that kits do not pick up diseases like coccidia.

• Feeders and waterers should be cleaned regularly and mash feed should be removed from the feeders which can be used for feeding other livestock species.

Rabbit Farming

It’s a best lifetime business concept to earn huge amount of money every month with small investment and very less efforts.

Rabbit keeping in commercial base started in the last century. The scarcity of food following first and second world war pave the way for extensive rabbit rearing. Meat became popular due to it’s excellent quality. During those times rabbit’s flesh was denoted as ‘Underground Mutton’ and served as a source of food for rural families. Later on F.A.O. through different package programs encouraged the farmers for rabbit farming. Thus rabbit farming gradually spread to other countries.

In India from early sixties the rabbit farming gained importance in places like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir through introduction of German angora breed. In 1977 the government of India took much interest in rabbit raising in states and established a Central Research Station to encourage rabbit farming and to envisage research program to mitigate the problems in rabbit farming. Now rabbit farming is take up length and breadth of the country. But more attention is required to be made to popularize and commercialize the mutton of it.

For the economic growth of our country, Rabbit growing is considered as one of the best aspects. In the ancient days rabbits were living in forests, hill areas, uncultivated lands etc. but at present it is famous that rabbit are grown as pet animals in township areas and villages. The growing of rabbits is not only for meat purpose but also it should be noted that importance is being offered for their skin and hairs.

Rabbit Farming

• Rabbit Farming business requires less space and it can be done anywhere at farm, backyard, on terrace or even at home.

• The capital investment for this is very less.

• As Rabbits are vegetarian you can feed almost anything vegetarian to the rabbit including surplus vegetables from the market, tree leaves or cattle grass. Hence, it is very easy and affordable to feed a Rabbit.

• No skilled labour is required for this project as we provide thorough practical training at our training centre which is free of cost. 

• As per Indian Law we can not catch, kill or keep a Indian breed of rabbit as pet animal. But since 1960, the Government of India has taken initiative in importing rabbits. Thus growing or keeping imported rabbits [broiler breed] is authorized by Indian Law.

• The reproduction capacity of rabbits is very high. One female rabbit delivers almost every 30 days and  in the first year she delivers 5 to 10 babies per delivery and in the second year she will deliver 10 to 15 baby rabbits per delivery.

• The pregnancy and lactation period is just 30 days and we keep the baby rabbits with her for 15 days. That means a female can deliver babies every 45 days, which is very fast growth of reproduction. In five years a mother rabbit will deliver 34 times.

• Within 3 months a baby rabbit gains weight of 2 kgs to 3 kgs.

Farming Guide for Banana Plantation

Farming Guide for Banana Plantation

Scientific name: Musa spp. Common name: Khasi: Kait;

Banana is one of the major and economically important fruit crop of India. Banana occupy 20% area among the total area under crop in India. Most of Banana is grown by planting suckers. The technology development in agriculture is very fast, it results in developing Tissue Culture Technique. Climate Banana is basically a tropical crop, grows well in temperature range of 13ºC – 38ºC with RH regime of 75-85%. In India this crop is being cultivated in climate ranging from humid tropical to dry mild subtropics through selection of appropriate varieties like Grandnaine. Chilling injury occurs at temperatures below 12ºC. The normal growth of the banana begins at 18ºC, reaches optimum at 27ºC, then declines and comes to a halt at 38ºC. Higher temperature causes sun scorching. High velocity wind which exceeds 80 km phrs damages the crop. Soil Soil for banana should have good drainage, adequate fertility and moisture. Deep, rich loamy soil with pH between 6-7.5 are most preferred for banana cultivation. Ill drained, poorly aerated and nutritionally deficient soils are not suitable for banana. Saline solid, calcareous soil are not suitable for Banana cultivation. Avoided soil of low laying areas, very sandy & heavy black cotton with ill drainage. A soil that is not too acidic & not too alkaline, rich in organic material with high nitrogen content, adequate phosphorus level and plenty of potash are good for banana. Varieties In India banana is grown under diverse conditions and production systems. Selection of varieties, therefore is based on a large number of varieties catering to various kinds of needs and situations. However, around 20 cultivars viz. Dwarf Cavendish, Robusta, Monthan, Poovan, Nendran, Red banana, Nyali, Safed Velchi, Basarai, Ardhapuri, Rasthali, Karpurvalli, Karthali and Grandnaine etc.. Grandnaine is gaining popularity and may soon be the most preferred variety due to its tolerance to biotic stresses and good quality bunches. Bunches have well spaced hands with straight orientation of figures, bigger in size. Fruit develops attractive uniform yellow colour with better self life & quality than other cultivars. Land Preparation Prior to planting banana, grow the green manuring crop like daincha, cowpea etc. and burry it in the soil. The land can be ploughed 2-4 times and leveled. Use ratovator or harrow to break the clod and bring the soil to a fine tilt. During soil preparation basal dose of FYM is added and thoroughly mixed into the soil. A pit size of 45cm x 45cm x 45cm is normally required. The pits are to be refilled with topsoil mixed with 10 kg of FYM (well decomposed), 250 gm of Neem cake and 20 gm of conbofuron. Prepared pits are left to solar radiation helps in killing the harmful insects, is effective against soil borne diseases and aids aeration. In saline alkali soil where PH is above 8 Pit mixture is to be modified to incorporate organic matter. Addition of organic matter helps in reducing salinity while addition of purlite improves, porosity and aeration. Alternative to planting in pits is planting in furrows. Depnding on soil strata one can choose appropriate method as well as spacing and depth at which plant is required to be planted. Planting Material Sword suckers weighing approximately 500-1000 gm are commonly used as propagating material. Suckers generally may be infected with some pathogens and nematodes. Similarly due to the variation in age and size of sucker the crop is not uniform, harvesting is prolonged and management becomes difficult. Therefore, in-vitro clonal propagation i.e. Tissue culture plants are recommended for planting. They are healthy, disease free, uniform and authentic. Properly hardened secondary seedlings are only recommended for planting Advantages of Tissue Culture Planting Material True to the type of mother plant under well management. Pest and disease free seedlings. Uniform growth, increases yield. Early maturity of crop - maximum land use is possible in low land holding country like India. Round the year planting possible as seedlings are made available throughout the year. Two s uccessive ratoons are possible in a short duration which minimizes cost of cultivation. No staggered harvesting. 95% - 98% plants bear bunches. New varieties can be introduced and multiplied in a short duration. Planting Time Planting of tissue culture Banana can be done throughout  the year except when the temperature is too low or too high. Facility of drip irrigation system is important. There are two important seasons in Maharashtra, India; Mrig Baug (Kharif) Month of planting June - July. Kande Baug (Rabi) Month of planting October - November. Crop Geometry Traditionally banana growers plant the crop at 1.5m x 1.5m with high density, however plant growth and yields are poor because of competition for sunlight. Various trials are conducted at Jain Irrigation System R&D farm with Grandnaine as cultivar. And then suitable spacing of 1.82m x 1.52m is being recommended, it accommodates 1452 plants per acre (3630 plants per hectare) keeping row direction North-South with wide spacing 1.82m between the rows. The region like north India, coastal belt and where humidity is very high and temp falls down upto 5-7ºC, the planting distance should not be less than 2.1m x 1.5m. Crop Geometry var. Grand Naine    Planting Method Polybags is separated from the plant without disturbing the root ball of the plant and then plants are planted in the pits keeping the pseudo-stem 2cm below the ground level. Soil around the plant is gently pressed. Deep planting should be avoided. Water Management Banana, a water loving plant, requires a large quantity of water for maximum productivity. But Banana roots are poor withdrawal of water. Therefore under Indian condition banana production should be supported by an efficient irrigation system like drip irrigation. Water requirement of banana has been worked out to be 2000mm per Annum. Application of drip irrigation and mulching technology has reported improved water use efficiency. There is saving of 56% of water and increasing yield by 23-32% under drip. Irrigate the plants immediately after planting. Apply sufficient water and maintain field capacity. Excess irrigation will lead to root zone congestion due to removal of air from soil pores, thereby affecting plant establishment and growth. And hence drip method is must for proper water management in Banana. Fertigation Banana requires high amount of nutrients, which are often supplied only in part by the soil. Nutrient requirement has been worked out on all India basis is to be 20 kg FYM, 200gm N; 60-70gm P; 300gm K/plant. Banana requires heavy nutrition. Banana crop requires 7-8 Kg N, 0.7- 1.5 Kg P and 17-20 Kg K per metric tonne yield. Banana responds well to application of nutrients. Traditionally farmers use more of urea and less of phosphorous and potash. In order to avoid loss of nutrients from conventional fertilizers i.e. loss of N through leaching, volatilization, evaporation and loss of P and K by fixation in the soil, application of water soluble or liquid fertilizers through drip irrigation (fertigation) is encouraged. A 25-30% increase in yield is observed using fertigation. Moreover, it saves labour and time and the distribution of nutrients is uniform. Interculture Operations The Root system of banana is superficial and easily damaged by cultivation, use of intercrop which is not desirable. However short durational crops (45-60 days) like mung, cowpea, daincha are to be considered as green manuring crops. Crops from cucurbitaceous family should be avoided as these carry viruses. Weeding Spraying of Glyphosate (Round up) before planting at the rate of 2 lit/ha is carried out to keep the plantation weed free. One or two manual weedings are necessary. Micronutrient Foliar Spray Combined foliar application of ZnSo4 (0.5%), FcSo4 (0.2%), CuSo4 (0.2%) and H3Bo3 (0.1%) can be adopted to improve morphological, physiological and yield attributes of banana. The micronutrient spray solution is prepared by dissolving the following in 100 lit. of water. Zinc sulphate - 500 gm - For every 10 litre of mixture 5-10ml of sticker solution such as Teepol should be added before spraying. Ferrom sulphate - 200 gm - For every 10 litre of mixture 5-10ml of sticker solution such as Teepol should be added before spraying. Copper - 200 gm - For every 10 litre of mixture 5-10ml of sticker solution such as Teepol should be added before spraying.  Removal of male buds (Denavelling) Removal of male buds helps fruit development and increases bunch weight. Male buds are removed from the last 1-2 small hands with a clean cut keeping a single finger in the last hand. Bunch Spray Spray of monocrotophos (0.2%) after emergence of all hands takes care of the thrips. Thrips attack discolors the fruit skin and makes it unattractive. Bunch Covering Covering bunch using dried leaves of the plant is economical and prevents the bunch from direct exposure to sunlight. Bunch cover enhances quality of fruit. But in rainy season this practice should be avoided. Sleeving of bunch is done to protect fruits against dust, spray residue, insect and birds. For this blue plastic sleeves are preferred. This also increases temperature around developing bunch and helps in early maturity. Dehandling of false hands of bunch In a bunch there are some incomplete hands which are not fit for quality produce. These hands should be removed soon after bloom. This helps in improving the weight of other hands. Sometimes the hand just above the false hand is also removed. Propping Due to heavy weight of bunch the plant goes out of balance and the bearing plant may lodge and production and quality are adversely affected. Therefore they should be propped with the help of two bamboos forming a triangle by placing them against the stems on the leaning side. This also helps in uniform development of bunch. Harvesting Banana should be harvested at the physiological maturity stage for better post harvest quality. The fruit is climacteric and can reach consumption stage after ripening operation Maturity indices These are established on the basis of fruit shape, angularity, grade or diameter of the median figure of the second hand, starch content and number of days that have elapsed after flowering. Market preferences can also affect the decision for harvesting a slight or full mature fruit. Removal of bunch Bunch should be harvested when figures of second hand from top are 3/4 rounded with the help of sharp sickle 30cm above the first hand. Harvest may be delayed upto 100-110 days after opening of the first hand. Harvested bunch should generally be collected in well padded tray or basket and brought to the collection site. Bunches should be kept out of light after harvest, since this hastens ripening and softening. For local consumption, hands are often left on stalks and sold to retailers. For export, hands are cut into units of 4-16 fingers, graded for both length and girth, and carefully placed in polylined boxes to hold different weight depending on export requirements. Post harvest operations At collection site injured and over mature fruits are discarded and for local market bunches should be delivered through lorries or wagons. However, for more sophisticated and export market where the quality is predominant, bunches should be dehanded, fruits are cleared in running water or dilute sodium hypochlorite solution to remove the latex and treated with thiobendasole; air dried and graded on the basis of size of fingers as already stated, packed in ventilated CFB boxes of 14.5 kg capacity or as per requirement with polythene lining and pre-cooled at 13-15ºC temperature and at 80-90% RH. Such material should than be sent under cool chain at 13ºC for marketing  Yeild The planted crop gets ready for harvest within 11-12 months of planting. First ratoon crop would be ready by 8-10 month from the harvesting of the main crop and second ratoon by 8-9 months after the second crop. Thus over a period to 28-30 months, it is possible to harvest three crops i.e. one main crop and two ratoon crops. Under drip irrigation combined with Fertigation yield of Banana as high as 100 T/ha can be obtained with the help of tissue culture technique, even similar yield in the ratoon crops can be achieved if the crop is managed well.