Preparation Methods and Usage Tips for Rice Field Eel Feed

The rice field eel (Monopterus albus) is a valuable freshwater fish species with high profitability in artificial breeding. In the process of artificial breeding of rice field eels, feed is one of the largest costs. With the rising prices of commercial feed, in order to reduce feed costs, more and more farmers are beginning to use agricultural by-products to mix their own feed. So, how do you choose the right feed formula? And what are the scientific feeding methods? Below, we will introduce some of these to you.

Preparation of Artificial Compound Feed for Rice Field Eels

1. Selection of Feed Ingredients

The selection of raw materials should follow the principles of high quality and low price, stable supply, and convenient transportation. When conditions permit, the more types of raw materials, the better, as this can maximize the satisfaction of the rice field eel's needs for various essential amino acids. Specifically, when selecting feed ingredients, you can adapt to local conditions. For example, if you are near a slaughterhouse, you can mainly use animal offal, supplemented with an appropriate amount of feed. When raising rice field eels in cages, you can use abundant and inexpensive small trash fish and clam meat as the main ingredients, plus an appropriate amount of feed to feed the rice field eels. We can also make full use of the winter slack season and idle winter land to plant some raw material crops, such as wheat and rapeseed, to supplement the shortage of raw materials for the coming year and further reduce feed costs.

2. Rational Design of Feed Formula

When designing the formula, the relationship between feed nutrition and bulk density must be considered, ensuring that the rice field eels can not only take in sufficient nutrition but also feel full.

Animal-based feed generally accounts for 50%-70% of the rice field eel's daily diet. Although ingredients such as rapeseed cake and meal are cheap and have high protein content, they contain anti-nutritional factors such as glucosinolates, and excessive use will affect the growth of rice field eels. Therefore, their usage should preferably not exceed 10%.

Here, we introduce a self-mixed feed formula: fresh livestock and poultry trimmings 65%, wheat bran 20%, rapeseed cake and meal 10%, yeast 3%, salt 1%, additives 1%.

3. Processing of Rice Field Eel Feed

Using mainly livestock and poultry trimmings to make compound feed by ourselves as an example, we introduce the production process for self-mixed feed: the production process for self-mixed feed generally includes crushing, mixing, and pelletizing. Crushing can increase the contact area between the feed and the animal's digestive enzymes, improve the digestion and absorption of dry matter, nitrogen, and energy, and reduce the feed conversion ratio.

Wash fresh meat and livestock and poultry trimmings clean, cut them into small pieces, and crush them with an electric meat grinder equipped with 3-4 mm die holes. During the crushing process, adding a small amount of garlic can help prevent and control diseases. Next, fully mix and stir the crushed fresh meat, livestock and poultry trimmings, and various additives, cake and meal, wheat bran, etc.

We should note that in relatively humid weather, the raw materials themselves have a high moisture content, so when pelletizing, the amount of water added can be appropriately reduced; in less humid weather, more water can be appropriately added. The general principle is: after adding water, the mixed material can be squeezed into a ball by hand and will scatter when released. The most important thing is to use an electric pelletizer to form pellets. Here, we also remind farmers that self-mixed feed has a short storage time, so it is best to mix and use it on the spot.

Usage of Rice Field Eel Feed

During the breeding process of rice field eels, feeding should adhere to the "four fixeds" principle of fixed time, fixed quantity, fixed quality, and fixed location.

1. "Fixed time" means, based on the rice field eel's habit of resting by day and coming out at night, feeding once each at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. every day, with the afternoon feeding as the main one.

2. "Fixed quantity" means determining the daily feeding amount based on the relationship between the rice field eel's feeding intensity and water temperature. Generally speaking, when the water temperature is around 15°C, start feeding, and the daily feeding amount accounts for about 3% of the body weight of juvenile eels; when the water temperature is 15-20°C, the daily feeding amount can increase to 6%-10% of body weight; when the water temperature is 20-28°C, the daily feeding amount accounts for 10%-20% of the rice field eel's body weight; when the temperature reaches above 30°C, feed less or do not feed. Keepers should check promptly 1 hour after feeding. If the feed has been eaten up, it means the feed amount is insufficient and should be appropriately increased. If it has not been eaten up after 1 hour, it means the feed is excessive and should be appropriately reduced.

3. "Fixed quality" means, based on the rice field eel's habit of liking fresh bait and disliking spoiled food, ensuring that the feed fed must be fresh and not spoiled.

4. "Fixed location" refers to feeding at a fixed location. This can help the rice field eels develop the habit of concentrated feeding, and also makes it convenient for farmers to observe the feeding situation of the rice field eels and adjust the bait feeding amount in time.

Practice has proven that using compound feed to feed rice field eels can not only save feed costs but also accelerate the growth rate of rice field eels and significantly improve the economic benefits of farmers. Friends in the audience, you might as well give it a try.