Bullfrog Overwintering Precautions: Farmers Must Master These Points

Bullfrogs are a common delicacy on dining tables today. When farming bullfrogs, the most troublesome period is the low-temperature winter. Bullfrogs are poikilothermic animals, and when the temperature drops below 10 degrees, they begin to enter hibernation. Many farmers often manage poorly during overwintering, leading to mass deaths of bullfrogs. So what should be noted during bullfrog overwintering? Let's take a look with Qinnong Web.

1. Maintain body fat before overwintering

After hibernation, bullfrogs lurk at the bottom of the water or in cool places, not eating or moving, relying only on their skin for respiration and on their own body nutrients to slowly carry out metabolism. Therefore, before bullfrogs enter hibernation, it is essential to fatten them up early, supply high-quality, highly nutritious feed, and let them eat and drink their fill to store up the nutrients needed for hibernation. Many farmers often encounter situations where bullfrogs starve to death during hibernation, so fattening and maintaining body fat before hibernation is extremely important and can reduce the mortality rate of bullfrogs.

2. Take windproof measures at the overwintering site

Bullfrogs lurk in burrows during overwintering. The burrows must be dug in a wind-sheltered, sun-facing place, which can reduce the impact of low temperatures on them and ensure they overwinter smoothly. The digging of burrows should depend on the scale of farming. Generally, the burrow diameter reaches 1.5 cm, the depth is more than 1 m, and the length is not fixed. The burrows must be kept moist. If the burrows are too dry, it will cause breathing difficulties in bullfrogs and lead to death; but they should not be completely submerged by water either, because the dissolved oxygen in the water will eventually be used up, which can also cause bullfrogs to suffocate and die. In addition, wind-blocking facilities should be set up at the burrow entrances to prevent cold wind from intruding and harming the bullfrogs.

3. Strictly prevent rodent damage

During bullfrog hibernation, attention must be paid to the prevention and control of rodent damage and other natural enemies. During hibernation, they do not eat or move and have no ability to resist at all, making them extremely easy to be eaten by rodents and other natural enemies, causing economic losses.

4. Prevent freezing

During the cold winter period, it is very normal for the water surface to freeze. However, during bullfrog overwintering, if the water surface of the farming site freezes, the low temperature will directly freeze the hibernating bullfrogs to death. Even if not, when the pond surface is frozen, the water surface cannot contact the air and cannot dissolve oxygen, causing the dissolved oxygen in the water to be continuously consumed, and the bullfrogs may suffocate to death. Therefore, in winter, it is necessary to prevent the water surface from freezing. A frame can be built over the water surface to prevent frost, covered with film, and inspections should be strengthened. Timely lift a corner of the film to allow oxygen dissolution and temperature regulation, ensuring the bullfrogs overwinter safely.

The above are the bullfrog overwintering precautions brought to you by Qinnong Web. That is all for what should be noted during bullfrog overwintering. For more information, please stay tuned to Qinnong Web.