Organic Water Hyacinth for Rabbits to Increase Profits

What is Water Hyacinth

Water hyacinth with purple flowers growing in a water garden

A dense population of water hyacinth blooming with flowers in a river or pond

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is believed to be a native to Brazil. It is an aquatic floating, perennial plant that bears beautiful flowers and seeds. It reproduces sexually by producing rosettes (daughter plants) formed on floating runners or stolons, which grow from mother plants. The leaves growing from the rosettes will float about 3 feet above the water and expand to 6 inches wide. A group of water hyacinth will double in size in 7 to 15 days.

Nutrition Value of Water Hyacinth and its Effect to Rabbits

In a study conducted in Nigeria, water hyacinth contains important nutrients that can be provided to growing rabbits. It is high in protein and fiber which rabbits need to support growth and health. On the other hand, it is low in fat and sodium which are good for the rabbits.

Nutrition Value of Water Hyacinth Leaves per 100 Grams
Nutrient	Percent per 100 grams of Water Hyacinth Leaves
Moisture content	85.15
Ash content	16.79
Crude protein	15.27
Crude lipid (fat)	1.56
Crude fiber	15.23
Potassium ion (K")	1.55
Sodium ion (Na")	0.10

Source: P.C. OKOYE, F. DADDY and B.D.JLESANMJ National Institute for Freshwater Fisheries Research, P. M. B. 6606, New Bussa, Niger State.

Crude protein is a combination of amino acids, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus, iron, iodine and other essential ingredients for the vital growth, development and health of rabbits. It provides the nutrients for building the muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal organs of rabbits. Lack of sufficient crude protein will make the rabbits weak and easily susceptible to diseases.

High crude fiber is very important to rabbits. The higher the crude fiber content of a plant, the better because the fiber increases the bulk of rabbit stool and make the stool softer by taking up liquid as it passes through the colon. The more crude fiber enters the colon of rabbits, the better because toxic substances are immediately removed from the body of rabbits, thus they are far from getting sick.

The above nutrients will vary on the water hyacinth habitat (growing water), whether it is highly contaminated and polluted where substantial mercury, lead and hazardous contaminants are present. In this case, water hyacinth growing from polluted water should not be fed to rabbits.

How to Propagate Organic Water Hyacinth

Materials Needed

Containers. You can use a 5-gallon container. For larger water hyacinth population, you can use 55-gallon plastic containers that you can cut in half, lengthwise.

Water whether chlorinated or non-chlorinated water. If you get tap water, which is chlorinated, from your household faucet, leave the water on the container for 72 hours to dissipate the chlorine.

Water hyacinth. You can buy water hyacinth plants from aquarium supply stores. Or you can harvest some water hyacinth from a pond or river which can be contaminated and polluted. In the long run, the water hyacinth will become organic because it will be absorbing clean water from the container.

Rabbit manure, whether fresh or dried as fertilizer. Or, you can buy organic powdered fertilizer from agricultural stores.

Procedures

1. Clean the container.
2. Scatter one part of the rabbit manure on the container for every 10 parts of water. For organic powdered fertilizer, scatter 5 tablespoon of fertilizer for every 10 parts of water.
3. Put sufficient water on the container to submerge the roots of water hyacinth.
4. “Plant” water hyacinth on the water. See to it that the water hyacinth occupies not more than one-fourth (¼) of the container to give three-fourths (¾) space for water hyacinth population increase. The water hyacinth will increase its population in 7 to 15 days. This means that in 21 to 45 days, the container will be full of water hyacinth.
5. You can divide into 4 groups the crowded water hyacinth from your first container. “Transplant” the 3 groups of water hyacinth to 3 separate same-size containers by following steps from 1 to 4 above. Leave the first group of water hyacinth in the first container.
6. If you do not want to plant the excess water hyacinth, you can put them in one place to decompose. Once completely decomposed, you can use the decomposed water hyacinth as organic fertilizer or mix with soil and sand and use the mixture as your potting medium for your seedlings.
7. Cut the water hyacinth leaves and feed these to the rabbits. If you provide organic water hyacinth leaves and other organic plant leaves such as sweet potato leaves and swamp cabbage leaves, you are raising organic rabbits.

Uses of Organic Water Hyacinth

1. You can use the whole water hyacinth or certain parts of it (leaves, stems, roots) as:
2. Seedlings to propagate more organic water hyacinth
3. Decorative plants for aquarium or water garden
4. Feeds for some animals such as pigs, chickens, ducks, quails, fish, and others since water hyacinth is high in crude protein and crude fiber
5. Organic fertilizer after water hyacinth is completely decomposed
6. Raw materials for producing some products such as slippers, handbags, purses, mats and others

Effects of Water Hyacinth to Rabbit Production

There was a study in Vietnam regarding the feeding of water hyacinth to experimental rabbits. After the experiments, some valuable data were gathered about the advantages of using water hyacinth as supplemental feeds to rabbits.

Effects of Feeding Water Hyacinth to Experimental Rabbits
Item	Water Hyacinth (20%)		Water Hyacinth (40%)
Initial live weight (grams)	802		827
Final live weight (grams)	2,020		2,059
Daily weight gain (grams)	19.3		19.6
Feed conversion ratio	3.68		3.63
Total cost	VND 60,226	74.5%	VND 60,182	70.0%
	US$ 2.76		US$ 2.76
Total income	VND 84,845	100.0%	VND 86,460	100.0%
	US$ 3.88		US$ 3.96
Return on investment (ROI)	VND 24,620	25.5%	VND 26,279	30.0%
	US$ 1.13		US$ 1.20

Source: A study of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) as a feed resource for feeding growing rabbits by Nguyen Van Thu and Nguyen Thi Kim Dong, Cantho, Vietnam

VND means Vietnamese Dong currency; US$ means United States Dollar currency

In the experiments, rabbits fed with 40% of water hyacinth of their total feeds resulted to a higher rate of return (ROI) of 30%. This means that the amount invested (US$ 2.76) in rabbit production using at least 40% water hyacinth in feeds will result to a net profit of US$ 1.20, a return of 30% in about 63 days.

The water hyacinth used in the experiments came from the Vietnam local ponds and rivers that may be polluted and contaminated. The water hyacinth was cleaned by washing them with clean water before they were fed to the experimental rabbits.

If rabbit raisers will cultivate organic water hyacinth in containers and use them as organic feed to the rabbits, the rabbits will be healthy and no contamination such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and other hazardous wastes will enter the body system of rabbits. As such, people are assured that they are consuming organic and healthy rabbit white meat.http://moneyhealthfromorganicrabbits.blogspot.com/2015/06/organic-water-hyacinth-for-rabbits-to.html