Friday, March 29, 2024
General Agriculture

4 Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost

Animal husbandry which is referred to as the raising of any kind of farm animals for the purpose of meat or egg production is without any doubt one of the most stressful aspects of agriculture / farming business because it requires a lot of time and energy to be maintained and managed.

Meanwhile due to the recent developments, most farmers no longer want to be tied down in raising only one particular type of animal due to the stress and time it consumes when trying to add another to the agribusiness.

Let’s take for instance a poultry farm being managed by one person, when will that farmer finish sweeping the farm and pack the poultry wastes (poultry manure), then move on to washing / cleaning of the poultry feeders and drinkers, serve the poultry chickens feed and water and many more daily activities required in a poultry farm and that same farmer will have the time to attend to his fish farm, rabbit farm, snail farm, grasscutter farm and others for instance?

Read Also: Routine Activities for Better Poultry Production Performance

Am certain by now you will start thinking something like ‘’Why don’t the farmer hire more helping hands’’… Smiles, although is true that farm attendants / helpers will help reduce the work load on the farmer and enable him or her add more animals which in return will increase the profits of the farmer.

But let’s not also forget that not everyone has the capacities to pay workers especially beginners in the agribusiness as they will first of try to use the money for the animals feeds and other expenses involved in operating an animal farm.

Besides we always encourage that it is always better to start small and grow big right? So a beginner will always prefer to start doing all the works by him or herself first then employ more workers to assist him or her when the business stabilizes and starts yielding good return (which is also a very nice idea).

Not only does this method drain up our energy, it has also affected most of us in some other ways like our social lives, we don’t even have time for ourselves or visit friends because we are always busy at the farm and we know the implications of leaving the farm unattended for just even a minute.

This has also affected some of us from seeing our loved ones regularly of which sometimes they won’t understand and they think we are avoiding them … Smiles (Don’t blame them please, they are not farmer’s like you so you don’t expect them to understand your side of the story especially when they also miss you a lot).

After thinking about all these for a while, I sat down and compared all the different types of farm animals (animal husbandry) we raise and I discovered that there are actually some animals that are a little bit less stressful to manage than the others and that is what we will be discussing about below.

Read Also: The Production and Marketing of Bush Meat

4 Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost

I discovered these four (4) stress free animals (animal husbandry) you can raise as a farmer and still have a little time left for you to take good care of yourself.

Although it may not be limited to only these four (4) farm animals (You can also add yours using the comment box below), we will be discussing about these four (4) farm animals today.

(1) Snail Farming AgriBusiness

4 Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost

The number one on our animal husbandry list today is snail farming agribusiness. Snail farming agribusiness also known as Heliciculture or Heliculture is the process of raising edible land snails, primarily for human consumption or cosmetic use. The meat and snail eggs can be consumed as escargot and as a type of caviar respectively.

The snail mucus, commonly known as snail slime, has medical properties and is used in cosmetics. It is not time consuming as once served feed and water, you can go on your daily activities unlike poultry farming where you have to always stay around to monitor your chickens and their performance.

Snail farming business also requires little start-up capital; it doesn’t require large space of land and can be done even at you backyards.

It is highly nutritious as snails are high in proteins and water and low in fat. A 3-ounce serving of cooked snails delivers 76 calories with no cholesterol or sugar, as well as over one-third of an adult’s daily vitamin E requirement. It promotes the production of red blood cells that benefit muscles and other tissues.

Nutritional Value of Snail

Snails are very nutritious and tasty. It is healthy if you cook in the right way. According to information from the nutrient databank of France, the nutrient compositions of raw snails (100 grams of edible portion) are:

  • Available carbohydrates: 2 grams
  • Calcium: 170 mg
  • Energy: 80.5 kcal (337 kj)
  • Fat: 1 gram
  • Fiber: 0 gram
  • Iron: 3.5 mg
  • Protein: 16 grams
  • Magnesium:250 mg
  • Vitamin C: 0 mg
  • Water: 79 grams

Reasons why you should consider Snail Farming AgriBusiness

Snail farming is a common business in some countries and its popularity is increasing gradually. There are many advantages or benefits of this business. Here we are trying to describe about the top advantages of starting commercial snail farming business.

  • It’s relatively an old agribusiness. Many people are already doing this business for making profits.
  • Raising snails is relatively easy. Even the beginners can start raising snails, if they complete a short training on snail production.
  • Snails are hermaphroditic in nature, and they are highly reproductive.
  • Both male and female reproductive organs are available in each snail. As a result, snails can reproduce very fast.
  • One snail can lay eggs 6 times in a year. And a snail can lay more than 80 to 100 eggs each time.
  • Snail meat is very tasty and delicious and also very popular in some countries.
  • Snail meat is considered better than other red meat. And it is rich in nutrition.
  • Snail meat is a great source of iron, protein, calcium and phosphorus, and it is very low in cholesterol, sodium and fat. That’s why snail meat is highly recommended by the dietitians and doctors for the patients and also for general people.
  • Snails have demand in some African countries, but they also have very good demand in the Western world.
  • Risk of loses is relatively less in snail farming business than any other types of farming business.
  • You can start this business in small scale along with maintaining your current occupation.
  • Commercial snail farming business generally requires less investment. But the ROI is very good, and you will get your invested money back very soon.
  • As it is a profitable business, so commercial snail production can be a great way for eradicating unemployment. Especially, the unemployed educated young people can take this business as their employment source.
  • Commercial snail production is not a time consuming process. And there are also no problems of stress, odor, noise and irritation.
  • Snail meat is very nutritious and healthy. And you can enjoy fresh snail meat if you can start your own production system.

Want to learn more about snail farming agribusiness? Visit our ‘’Snail Farming Category’’ for everything you wish to know about how to start and run a successful snail farming business.

(2) Rabbit Farming AgriBusiness

4 Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost

The second one on our animal husbandry list today is rabbit farming agribusiness. Rabbit farming business also known as Cuniculture is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising domestic rabbits as livestock for their meat, fur, or wool.

Rabbit farming is a highly lucrative and profitable operation; it helps in providing extra cash and income for those seeking multiple streams of income. It also helps in providing full-time employment for farmers that want to go into large-scale, commercial production systems.

The meat of the rabbit is rich in poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) which comes under the category of white meat. Small groups (up to 50 numbers) can be used to rear rabbits in the backyard of the house with kitchen waste as feed.

Rabbit farming agribusiness is also not very much time consuming and also doesn’t require large start-up capital. It also does not require large space of land to start and are also in high demand recently.

Want to learn more about rabbit farming agribusiness? Visit our ‘’Rabbit Farming Category’’ for everything you wish to know about how to start and run a successful rabbit farming business.

Read Also: Recommended Routine Activities on a Rabbitry Farm

(3) Grasscutter Farming AgriBusiness

4 Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost

The third on our animal husbandry list today is grasscutter farming agribusiness. Grasscutters (Thryonomys swinderianus), also called Cane Rats and Grass Cutter in English-speaking West African countries, Agouti in French-speaking West African countries and hedgehogs in Central Africa, are rodents that are widely found in wet or grasslands areas in Africa.

Though these animals are widely hunted in Africa, they can be domesticated like other micro-livestock animals such as rabbits.

Grasscutter farming can be started with very little capital. You don’t need elaborate structures and equipment to start your grasscutter farm.

When compared with other animal farming businesses like poultry, pig, catfish, cattle etc. the amount you need to build housing units and other supporting infrastructures is very low.

Grasscutter farming can be started with as low as N50,000 (Nigerian currency) and You don’t need large space or expanse of land to start grasscutter farming.

Grasscutter farming is growing rapidly in popularity because of the many advantage of their meat and the beliefs of people who choose not to eat the likes of pork or beef. Grasscutters are also very easy to breed, generally quite tame, and are also very profitable.

Grasscutter meat is in very high demand because there are no cultural restrictions on eating it. Therefore, we have more people willing to buy grasscutter meat.

This high demand for grasscutter meat makes its price very high too making it a great business opportunity for a farmer like you to venture into.

(4) Fish Farming AgriBusiness

The fourth and the last on our animal husbandry list today is fish farming agribusiness. Fish farming or pisciculture involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures such as fish ponds, usually for food. This includes raisng different fishes like: catfish, tilapia and many others.

4 Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost

Although fish farming agribusiness may also be classified as being stressful due to its routine activities ranging from changing of water, feeding, sorting and many other practices required to start and operate a successful fish farming business, it’s stress cannot also be compared to that of poultry farming or pig farming and others within that category as they tend to be a lot more stressful.

Today, fish provides more than one billion poor people with most of their daily animal protein. Fish provides nutrients and micronutrients that are essential to cognitive and physical development, especially in children, and are an important part of a healthy diet.

As an affordable animal source of protein in some of the poorest countries, fish is the primary source of nutrition, creating growing demand for this staple. However, fish supplies are failing to meet demand and there are major shortages in some critically poor countries where they are needed most making it a profitable business opportunity for you as a farmer to venture into.

Want to learn more about fish farming agribusiness? Visit our’Fish Farming Category’’ for everything you wish to know about how to start and run a successful fish farming business.

Read Also: Complete Guide on How To Start a Successful Chin Chin Business

Read Also: Common Best Foods to Eat and Drink for Indigestion

Do you know about other ”Stress-Free Farm Animals (Animal Husbandry) to Raise with Low Start-Up Cost” that i didn’t include on our today’s animal husbandry list? if yes then please kindly use the comment box below to add to the list so others can learn from you too. Thank you

Agric4Profits

Benadine Nonye is an agricultural consultant and a writer with over 12 years of professional experience in the agriculture industry. - National Diploma in Agricultural Technology - Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Science - Master's Degree in Science Education... Visit My Websites On: 1. Agric4Profits.com - Your Comprehensive Practical Agricultural Knowledge and Farmer’s Guide Website! 2. WealthinWastes.com - For Effective Environmental Management through Proper Waste Management and Recycling Practices! Join Me On: Twitter: @benadinenonye - Instagram: benadinenonye - LinkedIn: benadinenonye - YouTube: Agric4Profits TV and WealthInWastes TV - Pinterest: BenadineNonye4u - Facebook: BenadineNonye

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

error

Enjoy this post? Please spread the word :)

Discover more from Agric4Profits

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

0
YOUR CART
  • No products in the cart.