How much investment capital does earthworm farming require?
Earthworm farming not only opens up a new source of animal protein feed for the development of livestock, poultry and aquaculture industries, but also finds a new way to purify the urban environment and deal with public hazards, and with in-depth research on earthworms it can also provide valuable raw materials for the food, pharmaceutical and other industries, so earthworm farming is a good path to wealth. Let's take a look below at how much money it costs to raise earthworms!
How much does it cost to raise earthworms?
1. Feed (cow dung, pig manure, chicken manure, spent mushroom substrate are all acceptable) 100 cubic meters, at 20 yuan per cubic meter, totaling 2000 yuan.
2. Self-bred worm seed 100 kg, at a cost of 20 yuan per kg, totaling 2000 yuan.
3. Land cost 1 mu, at 600 yuan per mu, totaling 600 yuan.
4. Water, electricity and tools total 500 yuan.
5. Raising one mu of earthworms requires an investment of 5100 yuan.
How much money can you earn from raising earthworms?
1. Earthworms: generally the annual yield per mu is 2 to 3 tons of fresh earthworms, and up to 5 tons at the high end. Calculating at the lowest 2 tons, the current market price is above 10000 yuan per ton, so calculating at the lowest 10000 yuan per ton gives an income of 20000 yuan.
2. Worm castings: 40 tons, at 150 yuan per ton, totaling 6000 yuan.
3. Total: raising one mu of earthworms can bring in an income of 26000 yuan.
4. Profit: 26000 yuan - 5100 yuan = 20900 yuan. If workers are hired to carry out large-scale farming, workers' wages also need to be paid.
What methods are there for collecting earthworms?
1. Water-flooding capture method: earthworms are afraid of standing water, so flooding with water can be used to make earthworms come out of their burrows to be captured; they can also be captured in paddy fields during spring plowing.
2. Pile-bait trapping method: place already fermented and thoroughly decomposed feed in a pile at the spot where you want to lure earthworms (such as beside a field or in a vegetable garden).
3. Digging by turning the soil method: use a digging harrow to turn the soil and capture them. The method is simple, but the effect is relatively poor. This method is suitable for small-scale farming.
4. Chemical capture method: sprinkle potassium permanganate solution or formaldehyde solution on the spot where earthworms are to be collected, and the earthworms will quickly crawl up onto the ground.
Extension: Cow dung earthworm farming technique
1. Feed formula: 50% cow dung + 50% paper pulp sludge, or 100% cow dung, or 100% mixed poultry and livestock manure, or 20% each of cow dung, pig manure and chicken manure plus 40% rice straw scraps. Chicken manure must first be used to raise maggots or left to sit for more than 1 year before it can be used to raise earthworms, otherwise all the earthworms will escape or die.
2. Feed fermentation: first spread a layer of dry material 10 to 15 cm thick of rice straw and stalks, then spread a 4 to 6 cm layer of manure, repeating for 3 to 5 layers, spraying water on each layer until the water seeps out. In seasons with higher temperatures, turn it once every 7 days, and generally after turning 3 to 5 times the feed fermentation work is complete.
3. Feed preparation: after the earthworm feed is well fermented, test the pH value. Generally the suitable pH value is required to be 6 to 7.5, but the pH value of many animal and plant wastes is often higher or lower than this value. When the pH exceeds 9, acetic acid, table salt or citric acid can be used as a buffer.
4. Farming density: for cow dung earthworm farming, the number of breeder earthworms should be controlled within 10000 per square meter, the production worm population at 3 kg per square meter (20000 to 31000 worms), the early-stage young worms at 30000 per square meter, and later dropping to 20000.
5. Timely supplementary feeding: usually in about 20 days the earthworms can turn all the cow dung into worm castings. When supplementary feeding, new material can be spread over the original feed, and the amount added should be determined according to the earthworms' food intake. The feed should be spread evenly, with rice straw added on top, and water should be sprayed frequently to keep it moist.
6. Reasonable watering: to ensure the normal growth of earthworms, especially in summer, water at least once a day. The water must not be polluted, the water flow should not be too strong, and it must be watered thoroughly so that the upper and lower layers of material connect. It is best to water in the early morning or evening when the temperature is lower.