How to Raise Bullfrogs? A Detailed Guide to Breeding Techniques and Methods

The bullfrog, scientific name Hoplobatrachus rugulosus (tiger-striped frog), is also called the water chicken. It grows burly and sturdy, and is known as the “frog of Asia”. It can currently be raised artificially in accordance with the law, so how do you raise bullfrogs?

1. Hatching period

They must be reared and hatched after artificial egg collection. The tadpoles that emerge from the membrane are cultivated in the original hatching pond or in net cages, with 600 to 800 tails stocked per square meter of water surface. Artificial feeding begins on the 4th day after the tadpoles hatch. The tadpoles need to be raised for about one week before being moved into a rearing pond. After about 20 to 30 days, they gradually take bloodworms, water fleas and fly maggots as their main food, or they can take soybean milk, okara, soybean cake powder and chlorella as their main food; adding a certain amount of fish meal can promote their growth. Generally, for every 10,000 tails, 15 cooked eggs are mashed and sprinkled with water for feeding 1 to 2 times. After the 5th day, switch to a compound feed of soybean milk, wheat bran and tofu residue, or feed such as rice bran and fish meal, put in 1 to 2 times a day. The feed is placed on feeding trays; powdered feed should first be mixed with water into a thick paste and then sprinkled for feeding.

2. Tadpole period

Newly hatched tadpoles are small, black and poor at swimming. As the individuals grow, their swimming ability strengthens, so they must be raised in the hatching pond for about 10 days before they can be transferred to the tadpole pond. Before the tadpoles are put into the pond, the pond must be cleaned thoroughly and disinfected with 200 PPM bleaching powder. If it is a mud pond, it must be disinfected with quicklime (75KG per mu); after 7 days the effect of the quicklime disappears (and after testing the water), the tadpoles are then put in.

3. Young frog period

After metamorphosis, the tadpoles should be transferred in time to a young frog pond for rearing. Generally, 80-100 newly metamorphosed young frogs can be stocked per square meter. After 30 days of metamorphosis, when the young frogs reach a body weight of 25—50g, 30—50 can be stocked per square meter. To prevent cannibalism, grade and raise them in time according to size.

4. Adult frog period

The adult frog pond is generally preferably 300 square meters, and the pond water depth is kept at 1—1.2m. The land in the pond is overgrown with weeds (agricultural plants can also be planted), there are water inlet and outlet openings, and an anti-escape wall must be built, about 1.5m high. 10—20 can be raised per square meter. The bait for adult frogs is the same as for young frogs, but the feeding amount is larger: 5% in May—June and 20% in July—August.

The nutritional needs and precautions at each growth stage of the bullfrog differ, so everyone must raise them in separate ponds.