Are Porcupines Easy to Raise? A Complete Guide to Porcupine Farming Techniques
The porcupine is also called the arrow porcupine, because the quills on its body are like arrows, and when it encounters an enemy they will fall off and shoot out. This animal is a wild animal with high economic value, and of course some farmed porcupines have now appeared. Many people have seen its farming prospects, but they are still not very clear about whether porcupines are easy to raise.
Are Porcupines Easy to Raise
The porcupine is a rare animal with high economic value. Because its meat is fine and tender and its taste is delicious, it is deeply loved by people and is praised as a mountain delicacy. Overall, porcupines are still relatively easy to raise. For artificial porcupine farming, pen raising is best, as it is convenient for management; the cage and housing facilities are very simple to build, the investment is small, and the stocking density is 1-2 animals/sq m. All are fed with raw feed. Artificial porcupine farming involves light work intensity; generally one laborer can raise 400-500 head per year. The development of this emerging farming industry has special economic value and unique market prospects.
Porcupine Farming Techniques
1. Site construction requirements
Build breeding pens with a roof canopy, divided into inner and outer nest chambers, and paved with solid cement flooring (litter is placed on the floor). The inner and outer nest chambers are generally 2 m wide, 3 m long, and 1.1-1.2 m high. The inner nest chamber is the place for resting and giving birth, while the outer nest chamber is the area for activity and sunbathing. On the side of the outer nest chamber near the iron gate, a drinking water pool is built. Feed should be placed in the inner nest chamber on rainy days, and can be placed in the outer nest chamber on sunny days.
2. Feeding and breeding
The porcupine has a strong digestive capacity. Under wild conditions, it likes to eat corn, wheat, rice, red taro, cabbage, radish, pumpkin, peanuts and many other crops; under artificial feeding conditions, in addition to the above feeds, pine roots, holly branches, etc. can also be provided. The total daily ration should be based on being basically finished each night with a slight remainder, and any small amount of unfinished feed should be completely removed from the site the next day. Porcupines mate at night. The gestation period is about 110 days, the lactation period is about a few days, and usually there is 1 litter per year, with 2 young per litter.
3. Disease prevention and control
Although porcupines have strong vitality and are not prone to disease, attention should still be paid to the following: in late spring and early summer, green feed should not exceed 30% of the daily ration, to prevent gastric bloating and nitrite poisoning; clean water should be replaced once a day, and 0.5% ciprofloxacin powder should be added to the drinking water at intervals; regular intestinal deworming, replacement of litter, and site disinfection should also be carried out.
Advantages of Porcupine Farming
1. Strong disease resistance: Porcupines can survive from minus 10 degrees to 45 degrees. If the pen is kept clean and ventilated, they usually do not get sick.
2. Large market potential: At present, high-end hotels in large and medium-sized cities have high prices. Because porcupine output is not high and development is slow, the market demand cannot be met in three to five years. When the national quantity increases, the price of commercial porcupines will be around 40 yuan per jin, and there is still room for profit. If the price of porcupine meat can be lowered so that it can enter supermarkets and ordinary hotels and be affordable to the general public, and porcupine-related parts can enter the pharmaceutical market, the market prospects will be even broader.
3. Low feeding cost: The annual feeding cost per porcupine is 220 yuan. The feed is mainly self-produced by farming households, mainly including sweet potato, corn, pumpkin, soybean, radish and various vegetables and wild grasses. The feed is simple and abundant, with wide sources.
4. Low labor input: Each person can raise 400-500 head per year.
5. Low farming difficulty: At present, many people in rural areas go out to work, and those left at home are mainly the elderly and children. Highly technical industries are not easy to master, but feeding 10-20 porcupines is an easy task. If large-scale breeding is needed, the technical difficulty is not great either.
6. Long-term benefits: Once there are breeding porcupines, only feed input is needed. Porcupines can live up to 12 years, and the peak littering period is in years 6-8.
Artificial Breeding Techniques for Porcupines
1. Selection of breeding porcupines
Breeding porcupines should be selected from improved varieties that have been bred, or robust porcupines captured in the wild with good physiological characteristics. Male breeding porcupines should have a strong libido and good semen quality. Female breeding porcupines should have good maternal behavior, not eat their young, and have a high litter size. Breeding porcupines must have clear pedigrees to prevent inbreeding.
2. Environmental requirements
During the breeding period, the rearing environment must be kept quiet, avoiding strong stimulation from sound, light, electricity, and peculiar odors.
3. Mating age
Female porcupines should be mated at (12-14) months of age, and male porcupines should be mated at (16-18) months of age. The reproductive service life of porcupines is (2-8) years. The peak reproductive period is (3-5) years for female porcupines and (3-7) years for male porcupines. Older breeding porcupines that exceed the reproductive age, as well as weak, sick, or disabled ones, should be culled in time. Induced estrus: when breeding porcupines show unclear estrus symptoms during the estrus season, drugs can be used to induce estrus.
The farming methods for porcupines are not very difficult, but in any farming industry, everyone must first understand its related habits in order to formulate reasonable farming methods suitable for its growth. The current farming prospects for porcupines are still quite considerable, and the most important thing is that they are not easily affected by disease.