What are the key points of mulberry leaf feeding techniques in young silkworm co-rearing?

In the process of young silkworm co-rearing, mastering feeding techniques and ensuring proper nutrition is the key to ensuring young silkworms develop robustly and uniformly.

Carefully select mulberry leaves according to the leaf standards for each instar, selecting in the field and selecting on the tree. Choose non-toxic, pollution-free, insect-free, appropriately mature leaves from the upper new shoots. Before leaf preparation, perform a second careful selection, removing leaves that are too old, too tender, wilted, or secondarily contaminated and thus below standard.

During planned preparation and storage of leaves for young silkworms, keeping mulberry leaves fresh and with sufficient moisture is very important. In a low-temperature running-water leaf storage room, it is sufficient to store at most enough leaves for the next feeding; without a low-temperature running-water leaf storage room, it is best to pick and feed immediately, which both keeps the mulberry leaves fresh and prevents secondary contamination. Adjust leaf preparation according to the silkworms and plan leaf use; mulberry leaves already brought into the co-rearing room must not be taken back to the storage room for a second use.

For reasonable leaf cutting, square pieces are best cut to a side length 2 times the body length of young silkworms; long strips are best cut with a width equal to the young silkworm body length and a length 4 times the body length.

Pre-feeding treatment Before feeding, the silkworms should be evenly distributed and the rearing bed expanded, the film removed for ventilation, and the silkworm bodies and rearing bed disinfected. Ensuring reasonable silkworm density and a flat, standard rearing bed facilitates even scattering and helps reasonably control the amount of mulberry used, which is the guarantee for improving feeding quality.

Scattering techniques When feeding, feed from top to bottom and from inside to outside, row by row, to prevent contamination and missed feeding. When scattering mulberry leaves, feed according to the silkworms and control the amount of leaves used. When scattering, hold the mulberry leaves loosely, keep a distance of 20-30 cm between the hand and the rearing bed, leave gaps between the five fingers, and let the mulberry leaves fall through the fingers. First scatter around the edges, then scatter in the middle. After all feeding is finished, recheck to prevent missed feeding.

Post-feeding treatment After feeding, cover with film promptly to keep fresh. Do not sweep the floor before covering with an anti-drying film, to prevent contamination of mulberry leaves. After feeding and covering with film, remove the remaining mulberry leaves from the co-rearing room, sweep the floor, and after cleaning the room, disinfect with a bleaching powder solution containing 1% available chlorine. During molting, all remaining leaves should be cleared away, and the leaf storage room should have its water changed, be cleaned, and disinfected.