What preparatory work is needed in the early stages of muskrat farming?
One, site preparation:
At present, the vast majority of artificially raised muskrats are kept in outdoor pen-style housing. The pens used for artificially raising muskrats in various places include flat pens, vertical pens, multi-tier pens, young muskrat pens and simple pens, etc. A few are also kept indoors in cages. Outdoor pen-style housing is relatively economical and practical, and is easy for rural households to raise, but it occupies a relatively large area, and the water pools used for raising them are also easily damaged by freezing in winter. Indoor cage rearing has a high stocking density and is suitable for urban areas or experimental rearing.
When using outdoor pen-style housing, there must be a piece of rearing land, with a wall around the site, and a simple shed covering the site to block rain and snow and prevent exposure to the scorching sun. Inside the shed, the pens used for raising muskrats are then placed. The rearing site should be chosen in a place with sufficient water, sheltered from the wind, with a quiet environment, free from disturbance by people and livestock, and relatively far from highways. From the overall structure, the pen is mainly composed of three major parts: (1) Nest chamber: this is the place where muskrats rest and give birth and care for their young. It is divided into two parts, an inner chamber and an outer chamber; the inner chamber is larger and the outer chamber is smaller. (2) Exercise yard: this is the place where muskrats move about, eat and mate. (3) Water pool: this is the place where muskrats bathe and mate, and it must be a watertight container. Whether it is the nest chamber or the upper cover of the pen, there must be a wire mesh cover, and small doors or holes for feeding, catching or observation must be left, with their size based on convenience of operation.
Two, technical preparation:
Raising muskrats requires professional technology. It is necessary to study through books, newspapers and magazines, and one may also study through columns such as this website's online school "Muskrat Knowledge Lecture" and the electronic publication "Muskrat Technology Collection", and combine this with practice to continuously improve and enrich raising techniques.
Three, feed preparation:
The sources of feed for muskrats are extremely wide, cheap and easy to obtain. Concentrate feed is mainly grain-based, such as cornmeal, barley meal, soybean cake meal, wheat bran, etc.; root tubers include carrots, radishes, sugar beets and potatoes, etc.; melons such as pumpkins and squash; vegetables such as cabbage, Chinese cabbage, green vegetables, etc.; in addition, various fresh aquatic plants such as water chestnut grass, cattail, reed, water barnyard grass and other wild grasses, wild vegetables, tender leaves, etc. can all be used as green feed. Of course, muskrats kept in pens also need a certain amount of animal-based feed (fish meal, milk powder) and yeast powder, bone meal, salt, etc., to ensure the nutritional needs of each developmental stage.
Four, preparation for introducing breeding stock
In natural distribution areas with wild muskrat resources, wild muskrats can be directly captured and purchased and then released elsewhere; in areas without distribution of wild resources, breeding stock can be introduced from the producing areas. Before introducing breeding stock, it is necessary to comprehensively and multi-directionally understand the supply sources, master the relevant basic knowledge of selection, follow the principle of purchasing from units qualified to deal in seedlings, adhere to the principles of comparing quality, price and service, and adhere to the principle of purchasing from nearby, and strictly control quality, price and structure.