For hutches @600 & up, rabbit meat @790/kg, breeders from 750/=, hay racks @500/=, nest boxes @650/=
16/02/2025
We are undertaking a 2 month long rabbit supplementation research pale kwa farm ya Rabbit Crew Kenya. One Samuel Kairu from Mwea sold to us a livestock plant based fermented supplement that we are comparing against fermented kefir milk, aka Kefir yogurt.
Week 1 says kefir is leading at 0.15 kg per rabbit gained with 24 subjects (double weight to unsupplemented subjects). Kairu's concentrate (26 subjects) at 0.13 kg, and unsupplemented normal pellets at 0.08 kg (36 subjects). Different age groups used, with highest marginal gains reported at weaner rabbits, suggesting highest metabolism and growth rate there. Risk was taken to feed weaners and all age groups with 100 g adult pellets, including unsupplemented weaners.
Our hypothesis is that we buy low quality pellets, and either fodder supplementation or current supplementation is needed for better weight gains. Fodder is not feasible as it is bulky and unavailable to the urban farmer on a large scale. Kefir and Kairu's concentrates are based off human food and are safe for this experimentation. We used 0.5L of either kefir or the concentrate per 2.5 kg of pellets to lightly cover the surface of the pellets. Onto week 2!
