How to Start Grasscutter Farming in Ghana

Grasscutters are cute animals but don’t pity them; they are incredibly delicious. Starting an agribusiness in grasscutter rearing is lucrative.

These animals used to be hunted, but we have learned to start domesticating and rearing them for consumption and profit. You are here because you want to create a grasscutter farm here in Ghana, and we will help you.

Carefully take the guide below to start your own grasscutter business today. You don’t need special skills, and you get to kill one to eat anytime you want. I was kidding.

Write a Business Plan

To start your small grasscutter business, you need to prepare a comprehensive business plan that will detail the business’s location, the capital you will need to invest, and marketing strategies, among others.

This business plan will help future investors know where your business has been and where it is going. It will also help you to structure your business in a way that will bring more returns than losses.

According to experts in the field, you can start grasscutter farming with GHS5,000 or more. It all depends on your budget. After deciding on the amount of inventory to purchase, the rent you will pay, and the feed for the animals, you may need to increase your capital.

Hence, preparing a business plan is essential. Suppose you are finding it difficult to put the list together. In that case, you can contact a few people already in the business.

Physical Structure

The next thing you need to do is acquire a physical structure for your animals. Depending on the number of grasscutters you wish to start with, buy cages that will be enough for them.

You will need cages to house individual grasscutters, those crossing, and the ones you are trying to wean from their mothers. The grasscutter pens should well ventilate these structures with proper lighting.

You have three structures to choose from, each with disadvantages and advantages. There are concrete, metal, or wooden structures. Suppose you decide to build a concrete structure. You need to use the right and strong materials because the grasscutters tend to chew into the concrete when they sharpen their teeth; plus, the farmer cannot move the concrete cages from place to place.

The metal cages are a good option only if you don’t paint them because they will chew into the paint, and it can be harmful to their health. Without the paint, too, the cages tend to rust, and you will need to change them regularly.

The grasscutters chew into the wood, so the best option is to either build a permanent concrete structure or a wooden one with a metal mesh inside it. You can also prevent them from chewing the structures by giving them dried bones. Note that they do not chew because they are hungry, and neither do they chew all the time.

Fill the Cages

After securing the physical structure, you need to get your rodent. There are four breeds of grasscutters evident in their skin complexion: white, golden brown, light brown, and dark brown.

The latter is what you usually see at the market, the most common ones. You can decide to get all breeds or choose one particular breed to trade-in.

A grasscutter is matured to cross at six months; hence you can buy grasscutters that are ready to cross or buy its babies and wait for them to mature. When you buy the matured ones and cross them, it will take one month for the female to deliver.

One male grasscutter can cross four females, and one female can deliver eight babies. Occasionally, one can give birth to twelve, depending on the breed and what you feed them. In the latter part of the article, we will provide you with the contact information of a few farms you can get healthy grasscutters to buy to start your business.

Their Feed

Did you know that grasscutters need about seven nutrients in their food? The green forage corn gives them five nutrients, so feeding them corn is very good for their health. They also enjoy elephant grass, sugarcane, cassava peels, millet, rice, pear, and even eggshells.

You should serve those fodders first before concentrates, once or twice a day. Grasscutters can eat at any time of the day, and you also need to give them clean and fresh water to keep them hydrated.

Their Health

Keeping your animals healthy is of great importance. You cannot make good money by selling sick animals or dead animals. Maintain clean cages and surroundings, and give them healthy food and clean water to protect them against harmful microbes.

Anytime you go to feed them, take them out by the tail and study them so that you can notice any signs of ailment. If your grasscutter is coughing, has diarrhea, or has rough fur or lump on its skin, call the veterinary officer as soon as possible.

You are also advised to give them healthy vitamins, lemon juice, and other supplements at periodic intervals to boost their immunity against diseases.

Marketing and Advertisement

Grasscutter rearing is a bold business. Few people around you will know you are selling these rodents, but you will need to advertise your business.

Thanks to technology, you can now do that through the internet. Various social media platforms are ready to welcome you anytime. All you need to do is invest a little bit in reaching a larger audience.

You can also invest in posters and fliers. People love grasscutter meat; it is not a stable Ghanaian food because of how expensive it is, but the people who can afford it do buy it. You can profit from the business if you have the right audience. In time, you can move from only retailing to wholesale.

Other Relevant Information

The most important practices that hold grasscutter rearing together is regular observation, patience, and passion for the job.

First, because observing your animals helps you find any signs of ailment early, you need to practice patience if you wish to grow healthy animals and make sensible profits. You need to be passionate about the job if you plan to keep it for a long time.

Always buy the right breed of grasscutters to start your business. The following are some of the best places to buy them;

Nene Farms

Call: 055 723 2335

Email: [email protected]

Eno Darkoa Farms

Call: 020 994 4994/ 024 404 4484

Email: [email protected]

Abrantie Farms

Call: 024 394 3341

Email: [email protected]

You can also contact the local farmers in the rural towns. You should make more inquiries and ask questions about things that are not clear to you. Buy grasscutter cages online or at the market in Accra. Start making good money from rearing grasscutters today.

Please leave them in the comment section below if you have any questions.