The Best Time for Crayfish Farming and These 5 Important Precautions

In recent years, crayfish have been appearing on dining tables more and more frequently, and crayfish farming has become increasingly common. Its relatively high profits have drawn many farmers to flock to it. So when is the best time to raise crayfish? What aspects should be paid attention to during farming? These 5 points are important!

1. When is the best time to raise crayfish

March and April each year are the most critical period for crayfish farming, because this is when the shrimp fry need to be stocked. If crayfish are stocked in March and April, then by June and July, when each one reaches about 40 grams, harvesting can begin. At present in China, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Anhui, Yunnan and Guizhou are all major crayfish-producing areas.

2. What aspects should be paid attention to in crayfish farming

1. Preparation

Beginners in farming need to study more and visit more, learn the theoretical knowledge well, and then listen to the experience of veteran farmers. Fry, water quality, feed, diseases and so on all need to be learned and asked about, which can reduce the risk of farming failure.

2. Seed selection

At present, China has only one crayfish species, namely the one we usually see, whose scientific name is Procambarus clarkii. Anyone asking for a high price under the banner of a new crayfish variety is certainly running a scam.

3. Buying fry

When buying crayfish fry, the principle of choosing the nearest source should be adopted. Generally, the transport time should not exceed two hours. It is best to buy directly from farmer to farmer, going door to door, and try not to go through intermediaries. During transport, load at low density, spread aquatic plants on the bottom, and handle gently.

4. Stocking fry

When stocking crayfish fry, the sizes should not be too uniform; otherwise, sometimes when prices are high the crayfish have not yet grown, and just as they have grown the prices begin to fall again. Moreover, after uniformly sized fry grow up at the same time, they can cause excessive pond load, ecological collapse and other phenomena. However, the phenomenon of crayfish killing each other is not strongly related to differences in size.

5. Management

Crayfish are naturally aggressive and have a strong habit of occupying territory. If there is no space or cover for them to hide in, it will lead to very serious mutual killing. When farming crayfish, some aquatic plants such as water hyacinth can be put into the water to provide concealment; at the same time, the aquatic plants can also serve as food for the crayfish.

3. Crayfish farming prospects in 2020

Judging from the market patterns of the past few years, the price of crayfish is relatively high when they first come on the market, then relatively declines when they are concentrated on the market in May and June, and after August and September the volume leaving the ponds is small, so the price rises again. Moreover, in recent years domestic demand for crayfish has been very strong. In large and medium-sized cities such as Wuhan, Wuxi, Nanjing, Changzhou, Suzhou, Huai'an, Shanghai and Hefei, the annual consumption of crayfish is above 10,000 tons. Strong consumer demand has provided broad room for development and development potential for the crayfish farming industry, so the prospects for crayfish farming are broad.

Although crayfish farming can be profitable, farmers had best improve crayfish quality in order to better secure a place in the market.