What do common moorhens eat, and how are they artificially bred?

The common moorhen is also known as the jiangji, red-fronted coot and so on. It is actually a bird, and as people's demand for wild poultry has increased, artificial breeding of the common moorhen has begun. So, what do common moorhens eat? What artificial breeding methods are there for common moorhens?Let's find out together!

1. What do common moorhens eat?

The common moorhen mainly eats tender leaves, young shoots and rhizomes of aquatic plants, as well as aquatic insects, worms, spiders, molluscs, snails and insect larvae and other foods, among which animal-based food is the main part. It moves about and forages during the day, mainly swimming along the edges of aquatic plants, and sometimes pecks at insects on leaves and stems or insects that fall into the water, and sometimes also wades in the shallow water at the water's edge to feed.

2. Breeding methods for the common moorhen

1. Breeding conditions

Wild common moorhens mostly come from places such as northwest and northeast China, because the conditions the common moorhen needs to live are reservoirs, rivers or reed beds. Such places have many small fish, shrimps and insects, so there is no need to worry about food. In fact, breeding the common moorhen is relatively simple, but why is the survival rate still not high? That is because quite a few people still think the common moorhen is just like ordinary poultry, and that it can be raised dry as long as it is let out for air in the market. Actually this is not the case. Secondly, although the common moorhen needs to live in wetlands, the temperature cannot be too high or too low, and is best kept at around 20 degrees. Finally, the common moorhen is a relatively rare wild animal, so it requires approval from the relevant national authorities to be bred legally.

2. Breeding preparation

Before breeding common moorhens, the relevant preparations must certainly be made. First, we need to choose a relatively vast lake area or river; of course, if there is none, we need to create an artificial river. Secondly, there are currently as many as twelve species of common moorhen, but the adaptability of each species is different, so we need to choose the most suitable species according to the local climate conditions. Also, common moorhens need a relatively good living space when reproducing and giving birth, so we need to prepare the nests in advance. Finally, the feed for breeding should be of high quality and fully prepared.

3. Feeding methods

The vitality of newly purchased chicks is relatively fragile, and they need our careful care. We need to place the chicks in a built chicken house to keep them warm, and feed them three times a day with fine feed suitable for common moorhens to eat. After the common moorhen's physique recovers, small fish or small shrimps can slowly be added to the food, and small shrimps can also be fed once or twice a day. After the chicks shed their initial layer of down, they can be released once every three days, and they should be taught to forage on their own. After about another half month, the common moorhen can be raised under a free-range system.

4. Disease prevention and control

After artificial rearing, common moorhens can also catch colds or show symptoms of inflammation during production, so we must treat them promptly. The breeding site should always be stocked with medicines to prevent and treat colds and inflammation, and these can be added to the food when the weather changes greatly, which can play a very good preventive role. The common moorhen, like ordinary chickens, can also suffer from fowl plague, which is very serious because it is highly contagious, so we must discover the source of the disease in time and carry out isolation and treatment.

The above is what common moorhens eat and the breeding methods for common moorhens. I hope it can help you!