Breeding crayfish at home as a business

Before looking in depth at the root of the idea of ​​crayfish farming as a business » all the pros and cons of growing them both in natural conditions and at home should be considered. This will allow you to more correctly navigate in this case.

How to start a crayfish breeding business

The positive aspects are as follows:

The process of breeding crayfish is a type of business that requires minimal costs;

The business requires only start-up capital; in the future, large sums will not be required;

It is not necessary to closely monitor the process of life of crayfish;

The sale of crayfish practically does not cause problems, since they are in great demand;

Cancer farms can be positioned as an “environmentally friendly business”, which is very popular nowadays;

Disadvantages of the cancer business:

This type of business has a very long start-up period, from the beginning of the opening to the process of selling products it should take up to 3 years;

The payback period for a business is also long, up to 4 years;

As you can see, the disadvantages of this type of entrepreneurship are fewer than the positive aspects, but they seem to be very significant. This factor frightens off many, but if there is a great desire and interest in cancers, then you can try, wait a few years and then, with a competent approach, you can make good money.

Breeding crayfish at home for sale as a business can bring a stable income to an entrepreneur, since crayfish is a specific product and is in great demand. This business niche is practically free, few people are engaged in this type of entrepreneurship, so the competition is minimal. It is not profitable for large enterprises to grow crayfish on a large scale, because it is almost impossible to sell a large batch of products later, because crayfish meat is an expensive product, and the payback period is very long.

There are several options for breeding crayfish. The most popular ones are:

In open or closed reservoirs (artificial or natural);

In aquariums or swimming pools;

In basements;

In closed water supply installations;

Breeding crayfish at home for sale, basic requirements.

For a cancer home business, recirculating water installations are most commonly used. To do this, you need a separate room that is well heated, with a constant air temperature of at least 15 ° C.

To colonize crayfish you need:

Three large containers made of plastic or plexiglass. The bottom of the tanks must be equipped as naturally as possible for the inhabitants - a layer of stone, sand and clay, to a sufficient thickness so that the crayfish can make minks for themselves as in natural conditions.

Water purification filters to provide the farm with clean water. Manual pool cleaning is not recommended, as small crustaceans may die at this time.

Devices for catching and devices for transportation of crayfish;

Oxygenerator with oximeter;

Several containers are required primarily in order to ensure optimal reproduction of the crustaceans. Large crayfish need to be transplanted into another container in time after the appearance of small crustaceans, otherwise they will eat them. Adults adapt faster in the new environment, but the young may die.

They feed crustaceans with meat, porridge, vegetables; there is also a specialized feed. Regular foods should be chopped before being fed to crayfish.

Usually, blue crayfish are grown at home, since ordinary river crayfish grow for a very long time before they become marketable. You can buy this type of crayfish in special fish farms.

The number of crayfish with which to start the farm depends on the size of the farm premises, the volume of containers and its quantity. The number of males and females should be 1: 3. To begin with, you should try to breed small quantities of crayfish, gain experience, and only after that try to expand your business. In an aquarium with a volume of 300 liters, about 80 crayfish are placed.

Growing crayfish in conditions close to natural

The second way to breed crayfish is in an artificial or natural reservoir. This method can be used if there is a pond near the house or summer cottage. Breeding crayfish in a pond means more natural conditions for keeping them.

What is needed for this method, what work should be done:

Lake, natural or artificial pond, built independently or rented. Previously, the bottom must be cleaned, predatory fish removed;

The prepared reservoir must be divided into three parts - for crustaceans, for young individuals, for presale individuals. Fences must be made of strong mesh;

It is necessary to consider the flow of fresh and clean water into the reservoir, using pipes or a pump;

The natural stocking density of individuals per 1 m 2 should be observed as much as possible - about 5-7 pieces. It is recommended to populate the pond first with species of crayfish specially created for artificial maintenance, and only then add simple river crayfish to them. It should take about 3 years before the crayfish gain marketable weight, under favorable conditions.

Breeding crayfish in artificial and natural reservoirs is a long-term business process, so the crayfish themselves are not cheap. It is best to start brood with the best female crustacean breeds. The best crayfish breeds that can be used for brood are:

"Red Marsh", characterized by small size, but good adaptability to all regions of their breeding. Not picky about care, the minimum water level in the pool with crayfish should be 15 cm;

"Cuban Blue", a breed artificially bred by breeders, grows rapidly within one year. Habitat sandy reservoirs with hard water, unpretentious care;

"Long-toed European", a prolific and fast-growing breed of crayfish, both artificial and natural;

"Australian", this breed of crayfish is bought for restaurants, is in great demand, but very demanding in care, it needs a warm content and a large amount of water (20 liters) of water per crayfish, grows well in swimming pools;

"Marble", unisexual breed of crayfish, large specimen, keep them in warm water with a temperature of up to 28 Cº.

You can buy the desired breed of crayfish for brood in fish farms, the cost of a female per piece is about $ 8. If ordered in advance, you can purchase a ready-made herd of 500 individuals at a lower price of up to $ 5 per unit. The most expensive female of the elite breed can cost up to $ 100 apiece. You can not buy crayfish, but catch them yourself in a river or lake, but then you need to wait up to 4 years for them to grow.

Before you start breeding crayfish, you should carefully study the features of their vital activity - the necessary parameters of habitation, growth and reproduction.

Crustaceans prefer reservoirs with a dense sandy or clay bottom with the presence of limestone. Under natural conditions, crayfish hide from predators in snags, tree roots, fallen trees, stumps, stones. In artificial reservoirs, it is also worth organizing such conditions for them.

Cancers are sensitive to different water quality, because they are also called indicators of water purity. Crayfish will not reproduce optimally and live in reservoirs in the water, which are present with industrial waste, chemical pollution, as well as silted and littered bottom. Water for crayfish should contain a sufficient amount of oxygen - 5-7 mg / l, hydrogen - 7-9 mg / l. The temperature in the reservoir where the crayfish live should be 18-22 Сº. Young individuals require more heat - the optimal water temperature for them is up to 24 º.

Mating in crayfish takes place every year, but the periods in each region are different. Most often this is from February to March or from October to November. One male is capable of fertilizing up to 3 females. The female lays up to 500 eggs, but not all survive. In general, one female is capable of producing offspring of up to 30 crustaceans.

The diet of crayfish is varied- plant and animal food, such as worms, small fish, mosquito larvae, algae. As a rule, crayfish do not hunt, but take what lies nearby, they grab the prey with claws and tear off a piece. Cancer is able to eat up to 2% of its food weight. You can buy specialized food for crustaceans, or you can feed them with porridge.

A threat to the life of crayfish living in natural habitat is predatory fish, muskrats, birds, otters. The most dangerous period for crayfish is the period of their molt, when they are without a shell. It is during this period that crayfish hide as deep as possible in driftwood, burrows, and leave the shelter only to eat. A molt period is required for crayfish - this is how they grow. If there is a lack of food in the habitat of crayfish, they begin to eat each other, the fittest survives. If crayfish live in natural conditions, they do not hibernate in winter. They simply become less mobile, burrow deeper into the bottom of the reservoir and continue to feed as usual.

In artificial favorable habitat conditions, when there are no predators nearby, there is always food, warmth, clean water - the cancer reaches its marketable weight in three years. That is why not many businessmen want to wait that long for a business to start. Of course, in nature there are crayfish breeds described above, which grow rapidly and are able to gain the required weight in one year, and you can also buy one-year-old crayfish for brood. Therefore, if there is a great desire, you can try to implement this business idea.