Bullfrog Farming Techniques: Key Points for Rearing and Managing Adult Bullfrogs

After young bullfrogs have been cultivated for a period and their individuals have grown to 50 g-100 g, they can enter the adult frog farming stage.

Selection and design of adult frog ponds

Adult frogs are stronger than young frogs in both adaptability and predation ability, so the adult frog farming site should be larger; for example, various natural water-holding ponds, pits and ponds, fish ponds, weed-covered lowlands, and rice fields can all be used, and ponds can also be built under melon sheds, in tree shade in front of or behind houses, or under grape trellises in courtyards.

The hind legs of adult frogs are well developed and powerful; they are not only good at jumping, but also dig into the soil to make holes and climb walls and trees. Therefore, whether indoor or outdoor frog ponds, anti-escape facilities are required. To prevent bullfrogs from escaping, no land where they can gain a foothold should be left around the frog pond, the water depth should be at least greater than the depth their hind legs can reach the bottom, and the pond wall should rise 30 cm-40 cm above the water surface.

No hidden dead corners or burrows should be set up in bullfrog farming ponds, because dead corners and burrows are unfavorable to the growth of bullfrogs. If adult frogs are to overwinter outdoors, it is enough to deepen the pond water to about 1 m; without building sheds for insulation, they can still overwinter safely.

Indoor frog farming is highly intensive farming. In order to make full use of the area, the design of indoor frog ponds should be divided into a shallow-water area and a deep-water area. The shallow-water area is the place for frogs to rest and feed, and the deep-water area is the area for frogs to swim and excrete waste. The shallow-water area should maintain a water depth of about 10 cm, and the deep-water area should have a water depth of 30 cm-40 cm, occupying 1/4-1/5 of the entire pond area.

Semi-intensive farming of adult frogs

Using fish ponds, lowlands, rice fields, lotus ponds, etc. for frog farming, because the area is large, the frogs are relatively scattered, the density is not high, and the yield is not high, generally the method of mainly using natural bait supplemented by pellet feed is adopted.

Put frogs weighing more than 100 g into large ponds or rice fields, set up several feeding platforms floating on the water surface in the pond, and feed daily according to the intensive farming method. Because frogs are not easy to gather for feeding, some frogs do not eat artificial feed and can be supplemented with natural bait. The main method of obtaining natural bait is light trapping of insects. If light trapping of insects can be used well, most of the bait for bullfrogs can be solved; feeding a small amount of compound feed during the day will produce better results.

The insect-trapping lamp should be placed about 2 m from the shore above the water surface, and there should be no tall buildings around it, so as not to block the light and affect the insect-trapping effect.

In the semi-intensive farming method, the stocking density of bullfrogs should not be too high; 10-30 frogs can be stocked per square meter, depending on the bait conditions.

Intensive farming of adult frogs

The intensification of indoor bullfrog farming is a new scientific farming method developed on the basis of conventional farming. The focus of its farming technology is to control the environment, create good ecological conditions, and fully meet the nutritional needs of bullfrog growth. In particular, with the successful development of artificial compound feed for bullfrogs, its high-efficiency characteristics can be brought into fuller play, and it is an important way to develop commercial bullfrog production.

Indoor frog farming ponds generally have an area of 10 sq m-20 sq m, and tap water or well water must be able to reach each pond so as to facilitate water changes and washing. In order to save area and make full use of space, a multi-level three-dimensional farming structure can be adopted, generally 2 m per level, with the spatial layers erected using cement precast slabs, and stairs set between layers so that farming personnel can go up and down for operation and management.

The daily management of adult frog farming is roughly the same as that of young frogs. However, the stocking density is different. For frogs weighing more than 100 g, stock 50 frogs per square meter, and they can be raised all the way to commercial size. If the weight at stocking is less than 100 g, the density can be slightly higher, and later, as the frogs grow, gradually select the fast-growing and larger frogs for graded rearing or sale.

Under normal temperature conditions, the farming time for adult frogs is April-October, which is also the best period for frog growth. Therefore, a sufficient supply of bait is required. At 22°C-28°C, feed 2-3 times a day, and the amount of compound feed fed must account for 3% of the frog's body weight in order to meet the nutritional needs for rapid growth of frogs. If the temperature is lower than 22°C or higher than 28°C, the feeding frequency and feeding amount can be appropriately reduced.

In addition, in adult frog farming, in addition to regular feeding, the water should be changed every day, the feeding site should be cleaned, the health status of the frogs should be observed, diseases should be prevented and treated in time, and invasions by snakes and rats should be strictly guarded against. Where conditions permit, heated farming can be carried out, and two batches of commercial frogs can be produced in one year.