How to raise river shrimp? Master these six key steps

1. Pond conditions and clearing. Choose a freshwater pond or shrimp pond with an area of 3-5 mu, a water depth of 1.5-2.5 m, abundant freshwater sources, no pollution, and a sandy bottom.

 2. Fertilizing to cultivate feed. One week before stocking shrimp fry, filter with a 60-80 mesh silk screen, fill with 30 cm of water, and apply 50 kg of base fertilizer (fermented livestock manure) or 5 kg of urea per mu to cultivate basic feed.  

3. Shrimp fry stocking. Generally, in late May, when the water temperature stabilizes at 18-20°C, shrimp fry can be stocked. Shrimp fry need to undergo desalination treatment for more than one week, and can only be stocked when the specific gravity is below 1.003. Generally, 30,000-40,000 shrimp fry of 0.7-1.0 cm are stocked per mu; fry below 0.7 cm need temporary rearing. Shrimp ponds can be mixed with 80-150 silver carp and bighead carp fingerlings of 10-20 cm.  4. Feed feeding. Within 1 month after the shrimp fry are put into the pond, there is basically no need to feed compound feed, and they mainly rely on plankton in the pond for food. After 1 month, feed compound feed, supplemented with fresh fish, shellfish meat, etc. The feeding rate is generally 3%-5% of the shrimp body weight. From July to September, the feeding amount can be appropriately increased, with the principle of no leftover feed. The feeding frequency is 2-3 times a day, with the daytime feeding amount accounting for 1/3 and the evening for 2/3.  5. Water regulation and disease prevention. Ten days after shrimp fry stocking, begin to gradually add water, adding 10-15 cm each week. In high-temperature seasons, change 20-30 cm of water every 2-3 days. About every half month, apply 5-10 kg of quicklime per mu, slaked into a slurry and splashed over the whole pond, which both improves water quality and bottom conditions and sterilizes and promotes shell molting and growth. At the same time, at 15-20 days, garlic medicated feed at 1‰-3‰ should be mixed and fed continuously for 3-5 days.  6. Harvesting. Generally after 80-100 days of culture, when the shrimp body reaches 7-10 cm, they can be caught and sold according to market conditions. They can be caught with nets or by draining water. For dry live transport out of water for 36 hours, the survival rate can reach 90%.