We are opening an oyster farm in the Black Sea. Snail farms as a business

Don’t know how to make money, what business is most profitable to develop? Open a crayfish farming and breeding business! Suitable for you this type business, especially if you yourself love to eat the meat of these animals.

Relevance of this business

People have long used crayfish as food, adding them to various recipes or consumed as an independent dish with a foamy drink. Anyone who has tried crayfish meat at least once knows how pleasant and tender it tastes. It is at the expense of their taste qualities this type of product will always be in demand.

The idea of crayfish farming is very profitable. This type of business does not require special capital investments and at the same time brings enormous income for a whole six months, and on an industrial scale - even year-round. In Russia, crayfish breeding is practically undeveloped, so you have a wide range to implement your business idea.

In pre-revolutionary times, Russia was already engaged in a business related to crayfish, but it consisted only of catching, and not growing. Later, artificial farms for breeding crayfish began to appear, which began to supply meat to European countries.

Types of crayfish for breeding

Far Eastern and European species of crayfish are widespread in Russia. If you are planning to put your business on stream, then the European type will suit you.

Europeans, in turn, are divided into long-toed and broad-toed. Broad-toed crayfish are a very valuable species. In cooking they are called “crayfish necks”. But this type of crayfish is listed in the Red Book, so for business it is better to take long-fingered individuals so that there are no problems with regulatory authorities.

There is also a division into lake and crayfish. Lake crayfish are suitable for growing crayfish at home: they usually do not go into hibernation and reach quite large sizes. Their only drawback is their capriciousness: to keep this type you will need a very warm room of at least 20 square meters.

Almost all types of crayfish are not large in size, but they are unpretentious to living conditions and are inexpensive.

Where to buy?

Finding crayfish larvae is not so easy. Most likely, you will have to raise the young animals yourself. You can purchase the first copies at the supermarket. Buy two females for each male. If you don’t want to spend money on a purchase, you can catch crayfish yourself in ponds.

Features of reproduction, molting and diseases of crayfish

Crayfish mate in the fall (September, October). At the end of spring, females can be distinguished from males by the presence of eggs under the tail.
A female cannot produce more than 20 crustaceans per year.
Young crayfish molt about eight times a year. Adults – 1-2 times a year. When molting, it is necessary to ensure the safety of animals, since without a shell they become vulnerable to predators.
The most dangerous diseases crayfish - burn and plague. Make sure that pathogenic fungi do not develop in the water, otherwise the entire brood of crayfish will die.

Breeding areas

On this moment There are two places for breeding crayfish - a pond and an aquarium.

Growing crayfish in a pond

A pond is a formed stable ecosystem with its own inhabitants and conditions. It is capable of updating.

The main disadvantages of this breeding site:

In the winter, the pond freezes, and the crayfish hibernate as the water temperature drops below 15 degrees. If the pond freezes to the bottom, then the living creatures will simply die;
crayfish grow slowly in natural conditions, gaining the mass necessary for sale only in the fifth year.

What can you do when breeding in a pond?

The first step is to clean the reservoir of contaminants, since crayfish prefer clean water.
You don’t have to destroy the non-predatory fish neighbors of the crayfish in the pond.

Video about breeding crayfish in a pond

Aquariums: keeping crayfish at home

The minimum size of the aquarium is 250 liters.
You should pour soil at the bottom, place pebbles and decorations so that the crayfish can hide there.
Fill with water, ensure its filtration and purification.

Hatchery ponds and aquariums

Equip aquariums with filters and heaters.
Organize elongated ponds measuring at least 25 square meters and 2 meters deep.
It is necessary that the water in the pond be running. It is very important that a river flows nearby. If this is not possible, water wells should be drilled.
Place shelters at the bottom of the pond so that the crayfish can hide.

Necessary equipment for breeding crayfish

Maintenance and care requirements

Requirements for living conditions

The water where crayfish live must be clean. Its temperature cannot be lower than 15 degrees, otherwise the animals will hibernate.
The number of individuals per 1 square meter should not exceed 350 pieces.
You cannot contain different types of crayfish in one body of water.

Feeding

In order for crayfish to correspond to their marketable appearance and weight, it is necessary to properly organize their nutrition. Daily norm food consumption for one individual should be 4-5% of its weight.

What is suitable as food?

Earthworms.
Insect larvae.
Snails.
Steamed and crushed grains.
Boiled potatoes.
Grated carrots.

Delivery of finished products

First you need to find potential customers who could purchase your products. Call the nearest restaurants and catering outlets, test the waters. If your services are not needed, you can always start supplying the product to the market by selling it to fishmongers.

You can also offer your friends the grown product. These same acquaintances can recommend you to someone else - this is how you will earn your first profit.

Profitability of a mini-farm for growing crayfish

Even if you have a large profit from this activity, you need to take into account that this type of business is seasonal.

There is practically no competition in this type of business, so you can quickly find a buyer for your products and get your treasured profit.

To get a ton of crayfish over several years, it would take about 600 individuals. All the main costs are incurred just when starting a business.

It will cost about 170 thousand rubles to equip the reservoir and purchase the first batch of individuals. (20 thousand rubles for crayfish, the rest for equipment for growing crayfish). Having invested 200 thousand rubles. into business, in two years you will earn your first million. These are all relative figures; when calculating expenses and income, take into account the selling price of crayfish.

It is cheaper to breed crayfish in a ready-made reservoir, but there is a risk of the business sinking due to weather conditions.
You can organize your own business by first raising fingerlings (crayfish larvae) in an aquarium and then transplanting them into a pond.
Avoid sudden changes in the temperature of the water in which crayfish live, as well as its hypothermia.
Choose one type of crayfish for business, as individuals different categories don't get along with each other.
Monitor the health of individuals. Crayfish are susceptible to fungal diseases.
Do not overfeed animals.
There should be half as many males as females.
Constantly monitor the quality of the water in which the crayfish live.

Don't think that raising crayfish is very easy. This business will be profitable only when all conditions for breeding and living animals are met. Don't expect a quick fix.

The topic of rabbit breeding is revealed by a successful Russian entrepreneur, professionally engaged in in various directions in agribusiness for more than 15 years. Participated in the creation and development of both his own and third-party projects. Has extensive knowledge in many areas of agricultural production. The article contains a short but very comprehensive business plan for breeding rabbits (up to 1000 animals per year) with specific figures for income and expenses.

Surely you know the saying: “ Most the right way throw money away - invest it in Agriculture " Well, the time has come to completely refute this saying and forget about it once and for all. After all, we will talk about one of the most stable and profitable areas - rabbit breeding as a business. Namely, about creating your own rabbit mini-farm, which will provide you with a constant source of income all year round.

Firstly, rabbit meat has exceptional dietary properties. Besides the fact that rabbit meat contains everything essential amino acids, it is absorbed by the human body by 90% (pork, beef and lamb by only 60%) and helps regulate metabolism. And you can play well on these properties of rabbit meat. Agree that there are now more than enough people on a diet for one reason or another.

Secondly, the rabbit meat market is practically empty, and it won’t be difficult to break into it. This is primarily due to the fact that no one can compete with rabbit meat: neither poultry farms, nor pig farms, nor livestock complexes, i.e. this niche is actually empty. And ask yourself, how often do you see an abundance of domestically produced rabbit carcasses on supermarket shelves?

Organizational and legal aspects of running a rabbit breeding business

Before opening a mini-farm, let’s consider the two most acceptable forms of doing business: peasant farms and individual entrepreneurs.

Peasant farm (peasant farm).

In fact, the activities of a peasant farm enterprise are the same as individual entrepreneurs, but with only one difference: it may include citizens who jointly own the property of the enterprise and have the right to carry out any economic activity. At the same time, the peasant farm does not have its own statutory documents, constituent agreement and its own name. Having registered a peasant farm on given name, you become its head, or more precisely, an ordinary individual entrepreneur.

But whether it is worth accepting new shareholders or not depends on the situation, but I would answer this - no. Since, if successful, problems will inevitably arise with partners (shareholders), which can lead to the complete liquidation of the enterprise. In addition, according to the law, you have the right to manage a peasant farm as one person. The advantage of peasant farming is that it can count on state support in the form of various subsidies and tax breaks.

IP (individual entrepreneur).

To be honest, in my opinion, this is the most acceptable form of business organization for a rabbit mini-farm. The fact is that the legal field of peasant farming does not have clear boundaries, and there have been constant disputes around this for a whole decade. And the so-called advantage of peasant farms in receiving government benefits and subsidies is completely smashed against the bureaucratic wall.

For example, to get a preferential loan for agricultural producers, you need to submit an application to the local district administration. The commission that considers such applications will include good men and women who are vitally interested in receiving these very loans. Now guess who will win the tender for a soft loan?

Tax form for rabbit farming

As a taxation system for this type of activity, it is worth choosing from two forms of taxation: Simplified taxation regime, income minus expenses or the Unified Agricultural Tax.

Economic activity type code

OKVED with coding - A.01.25.2 will suit you. What does it mean: breeding rabbits and fur-bearing animals on a farm. This group has restrictions prohibiting the production of skins and hides of animals obtained as a result of hunting and trapping.

Organization of material and technical base

In order to mechanize as much as possible the entire process of raising and keeping rabbits, it is best to use a shed system. A shed is a shed with a wood or metal frame that houses rabbit cages under one roof.

Place for a mini farm

To build a mini-farm, no special permission is required. All you need is to have a plot of land outside the city, owned or leased. The only catch is the permissible distance of the mini-farm from residential buildings. Things like this are regulated. local authorities self-government, so find out in advance where you can install a farm and where this is unacceptable.

The place for the farm itself should be on a hill or on a piece of land with a slight slope.

Try to avoid low areas, as rabbits cannot tolerate high humidity. Ideally, the entire site for the farm should be asphalted, concreted or filled with gravel, and a storm drain and water drainage system should be installed.

So, the mini-farm project will allow producing 700-1000 rabbit carcasses per year, and the farm area will be about 800-1000 m² of land.

Sheds - 3 pcs. total area- 360 m².
The feed shop and the car access to it are 200 m².
Room for equipment and spare building materials - 40-50 m².
Premises for slaughterhouse and refrigeration equipment - 40-50 m².
Manure collector - 30 m².
The rest of the area is passages and passages for a mini-tractor.

Sheds.

Sheds for rabbit breeding

Due to the fact that the cages in the sheds are located in one place, this significantly saves building materials and time for their maintenance. Cages in sheds are installed in two tiers, on both sides of a covered passage. To ensure that more light and fresh air, on them rear walls They make windows measuring 20x100 cm, with removable planks on hinges. The length of the shed can be arbitrary (in our case it is 20 m), the height is 240 cm, the width of the passage is 120-140 cm. The floor in the passage is concreted or asphalted with a slope towards the cages.

Rabbit cages

The cage for the main herd has a length of 100-130 cm, a width of 60-70 cm, with a front wall height of 55 cm, a back wall of 35-40 cm. For ease of manure removal, the roof of the lower tier cages is made with a slope back and is a second solid bottom for upper tier cells. There should be a similar tray for the cells of the lower tier.

All cages are best made from galvanized welded mesh(cell size 18X18, 20X20, 16X48 mm).

The cages in the sheds are divided into two compartments - feeding and nesting, and mesh nurseries are placed between them (cell size 35X35 or 25X50 mm), but feeders and drinking bowls are located under the nurseries, which significantly saves space. Thus, one shed can accommodate 60 cages, in which up to 400 young animals can be raised in a year.

Feed shop

A feed shop is a room where an impressive supply of concentrated feed (compound feed, grain) will be stored, which should be enough for 2-3 months. If desired, the feed mill can be equipped with a professional grain crusher (production capacity of at least 500 kg/h) and a granulator to independently produce feed and save on this cost item.

Also on the territory of the mini-farm there should be a room for spare equipment (feeders, drinking bowls, etc.) and building materials (mesh, boards, fasteners, etc.).

Slaughterhouse and refrigeration equipment

In case of mass slaughter of rabbits, it is necessary to build a separate room, or rather an extension to the building where the refrigeration equipment will be located. In the slaughterhouse, a separate place for slaughter is allocated, which is equipped with a blood flow and special equipment. oven for burning offal (heads, paws, entrails, illiquid skins, etc.). This approach allows you to create a continuous process for processing rabbit carcasses. That is, they killed it, cut it up, immediately packaged it and froze it.

Manure collector

A manure pit is an ordinary pit with concrete walls and an open roof (canopy). The depth of the pit is at least 3 meters, the width and length are arbitrary. The manure collector is located in the farthest corner of the farm and as far as possible from the shads, feed shop and refrigeration equipment.

Business process: raising and feeding rabbits.

Let's consider business processes for raising rabbits for meat.

What breed of rabbits is it profitable to breed?

Since the main product of a rabbit mini-farm is meat, the breeds of rabbits must be meat accordingly. There should be no downy, meat-skinned, and especially crossbred rabbits. At first glance, there is no difference in weight between adult rabbits of meat and skin breeds, but the latter already reach a live body weight of up to 3.5 kg by the age of 3 months. There are only three of them: New Zealand red, New Zealand white and Californian.

New Zealand red. Adult rabbits reach a live weight of 4.5-5 kg. They are characterized by high growth energy, especially in early age.
New Zealand white. These rabbits are also distinguished by high growth energy, meatiness and early maturity. The live weight of young animals already at three months of age is 2.7-3.5 kg.
Californian. The average daily growth of young animals of this breed is 40-45 grams. per day up to two one month old, as a result of which these broiler rabbits reach a weight of 4.5 kg by 5 months.

My advice to you: do not buy breeding young animals at poultry markets. The best place to buy is specialized agricultural supplies. Exhibitions. Here you can find good suppliers of purebred rabbits, evaluate their products on the spot and compare the rabbits offered with breed standards.

Organization of feeding

I very often heard the opinion that rabbits are herbivores and you can get tons of rabbit meat from grass alone. Believe it or not, this is not true.

Succulent and herbaceous food (grasses, hay, straw, etc.) in the diet of rabbits in terms of nutritional value is only 15-20%, the rest is grain flour feed. At the same time, there is great amount feeding rations for rabbits, as well as the characteristics of the feed given to them. In order not to confuse you in all sorts of comparisons, below I will provide a table of the combined type of feeding. Be aware that succulent and grassy foods in this table are interchangeable.

Table No. 1: Maximum daily yields of basic feed for rabbits in grams.

Stern	Adult rabbits	Young animals aged, months.
Stern	Adult rabbits	from 1 to 3	from 3 to 6
Grass of natural meadows	1500	200-500	500-900
Legume grass	1200	150-400	400-700
Green branches of deciduous trees	600	50-200	200-400
Beet tops	200	50	50-100
Feed cabbage	600	100-150	250-400
Cabbage leaf	300	100	100-200
Carrot	600	100-250	250-400
Fodder beet	200	100	100-200
Sugar beet	600	100-250	250-400
Turnips, rutabaga, turnips	400	50-100	100-200
Boiled potatoes	400	50-150	150-300
Raw potatoes	150	50	50-250
Silage	300	20-80	80-200
Hay	300	100	100-200
Cereal grain	150	30-60	60-100
Legume grain	50	10-20	20-30
Pancake week grain	20	5-10	10-15
Bran	100	5-20	20-80
Cake and meal	100	5-20	20-80
Meat and bone meal	15	5-10	10
Salt	2.5	0.5-1	1
Chalk	2	0.5-1	1

But the following table will help you understand not only the annual feed requirement for each category of rabbits, but also calculate the feed requirement for each day.

Table No. 2: The annual feed requirement of rabbits with a combined type of feeding.

Physiological state	Annual count kormodny	Feed in kg.
Physiological state	Annual count kormodny	concentrates	hay	roots	green stern
Female rabbit and male during the non-mating period	33	3.46	1.19	3.23	4.48
Female rabbit and male during breeding period	32	4.16	1.44	3.84	5.6
Female rabbit	120	16,8	6	15,6	23,1
Lactating rabbit	180	62,4	21,1	57.2	83,35
For one head of young animals from 45 to 120 days	75	10,14	3,14	-	11.97
In total for 24 heads of young animals	-	243,36	75,36	-	287,28
Annual requirement of replacement young animals	42	5,25	1,89	5,67	8,19
Male annual requirement	365	47,50	16,40	44	64
Male share per female rabbit	-	5,93	2,05	5,5	8
For one female rabbit with offspring (24 heads up to 4 months of age)	-	341,36	109	91	420

In the morning, rabbits are given succulent feed and greens, and in the afternoon and evening - concentrates (compound feed, grain). In this case, rabbits must be provided with clean drinking water around the clock.

Rabbit breeding

When breeding rabbits, I use the following scheme. Shed has 60 cells, the upper tier of cells is occupied by females (14 cells) plus one male (1 cell). The remaining 45 cells are used to raise young animals. From each rabbit I get 3 litters: spring, summer and autumn. I keep young rabbits with a female together until they are 2 months old, and sometimes more (in late autumn). One female produces about 25 rabbits per year, which in total amount to 300-350 young animals (14 females multiply 25 rabbits).

It is impossible to determine the exact number of young animals, since mortality among rabbits is inevitable, so we will take a minimum of 300 pieces. This number of young animals is freely placed on the remaining tiers with cages (7-8 pieces per cage). As a result, we have the following data: 3 sheds multiplied by 300 pieces. rabbits and the output is 900 rabbit carcasses per year.

But I would not advise you to keep a separate herd for purebred breeding. If you calculate the maintenance of such a herd in terms of time and money spent on feed, then it will be easier to buy breeding replacement young stock every two years.

How to save on feed

As you understand, the main expense item in rabbit farming as a business is feed. It is very expensive to feed rabbits with purchased feed, it is impossible to grow grain on your own, and it is also impossible to reduce the amount of feed given, as this will lead to a sharp decrease in productivity. Therefore, the only way to reduce this expense item is do own production mixed feed.

All you need is a powerful grain crusher and a feed granulator, since rabbits are reluctant to eat ground grain. And, of course, raw materials in the form of grain and grain waste. This is precisely the essence of saving, because grain waste costs two times less than compound feed.

Below I will give 3 recipes for concentrated feed for rabbits of all ages.

1) Recipe No. K-92-1 concentrate feed for adult rabbits.

2) Recipe No. K-91-1 concentrate feed for young animals.

3) Recipe for concentrated feed for rabbits of all ages.

Do not try to prepare such succulent food for the winter yourself as silage and root crops. It’s one thing when you keep 20-30 rabbits, and a completely different thing when their number exceeds 1000. Procuring and growing such food will not only take a lot of time, but will also require significant investments in paying hired workers. The only exception is hay, since it is quite difficult to buy well-leafed and vitamin-rich hay.

Try as much as possible mechanize all manual labor. Not a bad option in in this case is a mini-tractor that can be used to transport feed to shads and remove manure. Also take care of automatic water supply for rabbits.

Ways of implementation

So we come to the main component of our rabbit business - the sale of meat. And here you need to take everything into account possible ways.

Own customer base

Creating your own customer base can be a good start. That is, acquaintances, relatives, acquaintances of acquaintances, and so on. This category of people should not be underestimated. There were times when I lost almost the entire batch of rabbits right from the yard. Some took live ones, others took ready-made carcasses, but something else is important, how to quickly and efficiently create this database?

With friends and relatives everything is clear, they called, came, bought, but strangers are attracted through advertising. Use any advertising: ads in newspapers, on the street, etc. The main thing is an acceptable pricing policy. Don’t raise the price of meat to the skies, make it affordable for all categories of buyers, and those who want to taste tender, homemade rabbit meat won’t have to wait long.

You can sell meat directly from the farm without any permitting documents. The exception is resellers who need a regular certificate from the veterinarian about the presence of rabbits.

Sales of rabbit carcasses through restaurants

Selling rabbit carcasses through restaurants seems very attractive at first glance. However, be prepared for the fact that almost every restaurant will refuse you. And all because most restaurants do not have rabbit dishes on their menus.

Therefore, you should not directly contact the administration of such establishments with an offer to buy rabbit meat. It’s better to contact the chef, and not with an offer to buy meat, but simply cook it and present him with 2-3 rabbit carcasses. For many, this approach will seem ridiculous, but believe me, it works great. Of course, not all restaurants will become your clients and at first you will lose some profit, but those who agree will become a stable sales channel.

However, here, unlike selling meat from the yard, you you will need a veterinary certificate form No. 2. In addition to the local veterinary department, be sure to contact the local SES, regional center standardization and metrology. The fact is that all sorts of regulations governing the sale of meat are constantly changing, so you should get advice from the authorities described above.

The shops

Wholesale centers, shops and supermarkets are not an option within our project. It’s just that everything depends on the volume of meat produced, and our volumes are small - 2 tons of meat per year, which are made up of the following indicators: 1 rabbit carcass - 2 kg, 1000 carcasses - 2000 kg. It's all about certification of the farm itself, the slaughterhouse, the processing shop, etc. The annual registration and confirmation of all these documents will eat up the bulk of the profit. But if you decide to use this option, then I advise you to contact the sales points directly and resolve such issues individually.

When trying to sell rabbit meat through retail chains, you will encounter large wholesale suppliers, and these will mean extremely low prices for your product. And they are low to such an extent that they can completely ruin your enterprise. Such a sales route is appropriate only when the volumes produced exceed 5-6 tons of meat per year and additional sources of income are added to this.

Additional sources of income

Let's look at how to use by-products to generate additional income.

Rabbit skins

For the majority of the population, rabbits are not only tasty and dietary meat, but also fur. However, the situation with the sale of skins is terrible, but not a dead end.

When slaughtering rabbits, be sure to preserve the skins, and it does not matter what they are, summer or winter, since there is a buyer for each product. It’s just that the price for them is quite low, about 30-40 rubles. a piece. They are purchased mainly by large enterprises producing leather and fur products. Therefore in free time Be sure to look for those in your area. Of course, on this income item you won’t earn much, but at least you’ll pay back part of the same feed.

Litter

Natural organic fertilizers have always been and will be in price, but you can’t make a lot of money from manure due to the small volumes. Vermicompost is another matter. Biohumus is a liquid, highly concentrated fertilizer obtained as a result of fermentation of manure in special biogas plants. Surely you have heard about this, when natural methane gas is obtained from animal waste, but vermicompost is a by-product of processing. I saw a similar fertilizer, bottled in plastic bottles, in stores for summer residents, and people readily bought it. So no one is stopping you from doing it similar business Moreover, vermicompost has a long shelf life.

Inventory

Hopper feeders, rabbit watering systems and cage batteries are always in demand. Many owners of country houses prefer to raise small animals for their own needs in the warm season. For example, a 3-cell cell battery made of galvanized mesh and metal. profile, as well as equipped with feeders and drinkers, costs about 5-8 thousand rubles on the market.

Income and expenses of a business raising rabbits

Initial investment.

But here, dear rabbit breeders, I cannot give exact figures for the initial investment, even if I wanted to. And take them from the ceiling to draw beautiful picture(as is done everywhere), looking at which one gets the impression of easy and multimillion-dollar earnings, I won’t. After all, everything depends on specific situation.

Firstly, prices for building materials are different in each region. Secondly, some already have the necessary equipment, supplies of building materials, the same mini-tractor, etc., while others will have to start from scratch. So I'll just give a list necessary equipment and building materials, based on which you can easily calculate the initial costs.

Building materials - metal profiles, galvanized mesh, roofing and lumber.
Preparation of documents for land plot. Owning it is expensive, renting is almost free.
Improvement of a mini-farm - storm drainage, water drainage, asphalt, concrete or crushed stone.
The costs of building a farm are payments to hired workers or your own labor costs.
Equipment - mini tractor, freezers, grain crusher, feed granulator.
Breeding rabbits - at least 50 pieces at the age of 3-4 months.
Possible expenses include purchasing equipment (I don’t recommend it, it’s better to do it yourself).

Income per month and per year

Annual expenses.

Feed consumption per 1 production unit is 340 kg, multiplied by 5 rubles. per kg, we get 1700 rubles. and add 300 rubles to this amount. for other expenses: paperwork, fuel, etc. As a result, one unit of production costs us 2 thousand rubles. in year.
In a mini-farm of 3 shads, we have 42 production units (14 females in each shad), multiply 42 units by 2000 rubles, and the annual expense will be 84 thousand rubles. But, as you know, everything is beautiful on paper, but in reality it’s different, so let’s add a couple of force majeure events to this figure and round it up to 100 thousand rubles. in year.

Annual income.

One production unit is 50 kg of rabbit meat (25 carcasses of 2 kg each). Let's be realistic, since most of your clients will not pay any attention to dietary and useful qualities rabbit meat. For them, the main thing is the price of the product, so we will set it within 200 rubles. per kg. And we get the following figure - 10 thousand rubles. from one production unit.
Then everything is simple, from 10 thousand rubles. we take away our expenses - 2000 rubles. and we get net profit - 8 thousand rubles, which we multiply by 42 production units - 336 thousand rubles. in year. This is about 30 thousand rubles per month.

Of course, these are not petrodollars, but also not a meager salary at some municipal enterprise. This income will be fully consistent with your labor costs on the mini-farm, which will be 3-4 hours a day.

Last argument: no one is stopping you from expanding production over time. As soon as the system works and proves itself, and you realize that you are capable of more, then boldly move forward, exploring more and more new markets.

Many of those who have tried crayfish meat at least once became real fans of its delicate taste. Crayfish meat is popular and not cheap; demand for it is observed all year round. Therefore, the idea of breeding crayfish for business deserves close attention. In Russia, the cultivation of crayfish on an industrial scale is practically undeveloped, and the demand for their meat remains invariably high. Before the revolution in Russia, crayfish were grown in artificial conditions, crayfish meat was imported into many countries at that time European countries. Today, the main suppliers of crayfish to the world market are China, Spain and Turkey, where they are not found at all.

Almost any reservoir with fresh water, except those that are swampy or silted. Fish ponds are also suitable, but populated with non-predatory crucian carps, carps, etc. Breeding crayfish in ponds as a business is made difficult by the harsh conditions of the Russian winter. When the temperature environment becomes lower than optimal for the life of crayfish, they go into suspended animation (hibernation), stop eating and do not gain weight at all. If the pond freezes to the bottom, the crayfish will die.

IN natural conditions crayfish grow slowly, gaining marketable weight and length (40–50 g, 9–10 cm in length) by approximately the fifth year of life. That is, another disadvantage of this method of growing crayfish is that profits are made in the sixth year of the business’s existence. In natural ponds, the population density of crayfish is low: 8 animals per square meter. But there is practically no initial investment in such a business. Breeding and growing crayfish in a pond has a number of advantages; the pond is a sustainable aquatic system that itself is cleaned and renewed. And you can save significantly on aerators and filters, as well as on food, since crayfish feed on natural plankton, algae and the larvae of various insects.

Business of breeding crayfish in aquariums

Breeding crayfish at home is possible, but technically difficult. You will need a frameless aquarium with a volume of 250 liters or more. Soil is poured onto the bottom of the aquarium, and driftwood and stones are also placed to cover the crayfish. This method of cultivation allows them to prevent hibernation at a constant optimal temperature, as well as intensive aeration and filtration of water. Under such conditions, the stocking density of crayfish is increased to 350 animals per square meter and ensures rapid weight gain.

The only drawback of this breeding -limited area, large industrial volumes will not be achieved. But they proceed as follows: crayfish larvae are raised in an aquarium until they become so-called fingerlings, and then they are released into the RAS pool or simply into the pond. The quality of water in the aquarium should be strictly controlled so that the larvae do not die, and also so that they develop faster.

Growing crayfish in the basement

Basements are used to store unnecessary things, but it is wiser to try to get additional income from the use of this space, which is not used for housing. Growing crayfish in the basement will not require additional insulation: for these animals it is enough when the temperature does not drop below +7 degrees, and in the summer they stay within 17–20 degrees. To illuminate the basement, you only need one 200 W bulb in the middle of the ceiling. In the basement, install multi-tiered shelving to house aquariums.

Breeding crayfish at home

For those who are not strapped for money and are planning to make crayfish as a business generate significant income, we advise you to organize a farm for breeding on an industrial scale.

Where to buy crayfish

It is not often possible to purchase crayfish larvae, so you will have to purchase adult animals and raise the young ones yourself. You can buy crayfish at any place where they are sold. For every two females there is one male. The mating season for crayfish begins in the fall, and at the end of spring, females differ from males by the presence of eggs under the tail. Depending on the size of the animals, a kilogram of live crayfish costs from 300 to 500 rubles, but you can avoid these costs by catching animals yourself in the nearest pond.

What do they eat

Crayfish are herbivorous animals, but in natural conditions they do not disdain a variety of organic remains and carrion. Insect larvae and small ones also serve as food. When artificially bred, the diet of crayfish is made up of steamed crushed grain, boiled potatoes and grated carrots, and the source of protein is fish and meat. The daily food intake is 2% of weight.

How do they reproduce?

Crayfish mate between September and October. Males fertilize two females in a row, and when they come across a third, they eat her. This determines the recommended ratio of females and males in the reservoir. First, the eggs are placed under the female's shell, and later she lays them, and the eggs are attached under the tail to the shell and abdominal legs. For proper development The embryos are constantly cleaned and washed with water. The larvae hatch from the eggs after two months. For another three weeks the female hides them under her tail from everyone possible dangers, until they turn into independent crustaceans. In natural habitats, each female on average raises 12 young crustaceans. At home, the number of offspring from one female is increased to 60 crustaceans per year.

Shedding

In the first year of life, young crayfish molt eight times, in the second year the number decreases to four to five, and in the third to three to four times. Adult crayfish molt 1–2 times a year. During this period, the cancer sheds its old shell, which becomes tight, and at the same time the animal grows. The molting period in the life of a crayfish is important; at this time it becomes vulnerable and represents easy prey for both birds of prey and fish.

Important points about growing crayfish

Temperature. 17–20 degrees are considered optimal for adult crayfish. For rapid development of larvae, approximately 23 degrees is required. When it is lower, crayfish eat poorly and grow worse, and in winter they go into suspended animation (hibernation);
Aeration. Young crayfish are sensitive to the quality of water and the oxygen content in it. When growing in a country pond, gas exchange occurs in a natural way, since the surface area of the pond in relation to the depth is large. Pools and aquariums require forced aeration;

For the full functioning of a crayfish farm, it is necessary to properly equip and select a place for them. Options for arranging successful crayfish breeding on a farm:

Aquariums. Aquariums are used that are equipped with a filtration system, heaters for incubating eggs and compressors. When water quality is constantly monitored, the loss of larvae is minimal and they develop quickly;
Swimming pools. From the incubation aquarium, young crayfish that have become independent are transplanted into one pool, and adolescents into another (or several). As they mature, young crayfish are sorted into different tanks, where they grow to the fingerling stage, and then they are released into special indoor ponds;
Ponds. Two or more of these are made for breeding crayfish. Area 25 sq. m, and a depth of 2 m. For gas exchange, it is recommended to arrange elongated ponds. When it is possible to dig a number of ponds on a farm, it is recommended that two or three of them be covered. Plus, when the water in the ponds is running, it’s good to have a river nearby. If there isn’t one, drill water wells. Shelters are needed at the bottom of ponds: stones, fragments of ceramic or plastic pipes, driftwood, etc. In indoor ponds, intensive cultivation of fingerling crayfish is carried out. Use one of them as a “mother cell” - permanent residence of the brood stock. In open ponds, crayfish grow naturally. Division is necessary to expand the range so that crayfish of different weights and sizes are obtained; they will also differ in price.

Implementation

With a constant shortage of crayfish, persistent demand and low competition, one of the main advantages of this business is the absence of problems with the place of sale. The sale of crayfish is negotiated with bars, cafes and restaurants; in many cases, we immediately talk about wholesale supplies. They offer live crayfish to relatives, neighbors, friends, acquaintances, etc. Few people know that salted crayfish caviar is almost as good in nutrition and taste as red caviar. And the chitinous shell of animals is a valuable raw material for various types production.

Business plan for crayfish farming

A business plan for a crayfish farm looks something like this:

When the farm has a pond of 25 square meters. m of natural origin, it is optimal to place 200 young-of-the-year crayfish with a total weight of 30 kg. Feed consumption for this number of animals is 600 g. per day. After a year and a half, each crayfish weighs twice as much, during which time the cost of food will reach four thousand rubles. Please note that crayfish reach marketable weight in 2–3 years (in an equipped farm) or 4–5 years (in natural conditions). On the market, a kilogram of crayfish costs 450–500 rubles; in a year and a half you will get 26 thousand net profit. This figure may seem small, but taking into account the fact that the proposed business does not require start-up capital investments, the profit is tangible. Children or old people can handle the work on a crayfish farm. Tangible profits from the crayfish breeding business appear in the sixth to eighth year of existence, and increase in subsequent years. Long-term income generation is a disadvantage of this business.

Paperwork

Register as an individual entrepreneur. Many farmers recommend completing the paperwork immediately after receiving the first catches and accessing the opportunity to sell and make a profit. This will allow you to get rid of such problems: over such a long period of time, legislation changes, you will not have to deal with reporting during the initial breeding of the population.

The registration and registration of a business differs from any other farm will not be. The only thing that is required to sell the product is the presence of documents on the sanitary inspection of the farm, as well as a veterinary certificate, which confirms the safety of crayfish for consumption. In practice, obtaining such documentation does not require large expenditures both in terms of finances and time, taking into account the fact that in this activity a month of waiting is not critical for further development business. All that is required is to allow employees of the sanitary and epidemiological station to enter the farm territory, ensure water intake and examination, and also provide animals for veterinary control for inspection.

We are used to seeing exotic birds, such as pheasants, in zoos, but these birds can also be bred in your own backyard. At certain conditions content, the effectiveness of this business is quite high (profitability is about 50%).

Benefits of pheasant farming

There are not many competitors in this business.
Pheasant eggs are expensive, but they have regular buyers.
You can sell two types of eggs: fertilized and unfertilized. The latter will be in price among traders of gourmet delicacies.
Poultry meat is also included in the price. Elite restaurants and supermarkets are always interested in them.
Live birds are always needed by zoos, game farms, collectors and interested individuals.

What pheasants can be kept at home?

The most popular types of pheasants for breeding:

Did you know? The ancient Greeks believed that the pheasant was first discovered by Jason on his journey for the Golden Fleece.

Arrangement of the enclosure

It is better to keep pheasants in enclosures, as they are wild birds and can safely leave the enclosure. The aviary will give the bird the opportunity to move relatively freely, but will not allow it to fly away. In order for an exotic bird to be comfortable, the following points should be taken into account when arranging its home:

Pheasant enclosure: video

Access to pasture

The pasture can be equipped next to the enclosure or on its territory. Shrubs that create good shade must grow here; grass can be used to plant clover, plantain, coltsfoot, and forage grasses. The pasture area must have drinking bowls and feeders, which should be attached to the fence.

Important! Feeders and drinkers should be filled so that the farmer visits the pasture as little as possible.

Sand and forage grasses are used as bedding. A layer of 10–15 centimeters of sand is poured and covered with grass on top so that the sand is not visible. Sand is changed as soon as it gets dirty.

Feeding rules

The pheasant, like other galliformes, is not picky about food, but is very gluttonous. The main components of his diet: barley, corn, wheat, cake. You can add boiled offal, meat and fish waste to this list. The bird also needs vegetables and fruits: potatoes, pumpkin, cabbage, apples, carrots, beets, zucchini. You can’t do without greens: ashiritsa, quinoa, nettle, wood lice, green onions.

You can prepare wet mash from grains and vegetables by adding fish oil and bone meal. An adult bird needs 80-100 grams of this food per day. It is advisable to give the mash warm. If you don’t want to prepare the feed mixture yourself, you can feed the pheasants with commercial feed. Those intended for broiler chickens are suitable.

Build the diet of young animals on a mixture of nettles, alfalfa, mealworms, boiled chicken eggs. Instead of water, give yogurt.

Important! The drink should be cold. He is replaced by 2–3 times a day.

In the autumn-winter period, give the bird additional supplements (3 grams per day per bird), which can be yeast and fish oil. You should also increase the portion of grains (one head should consume 5 grams more per day). It is useful to give sunflower, corn, millet, dandelion, clover, rowan.
In winter, pheasants can hang cabbage

The food intake indicated above is approximate. Each farmer must find the optimal amount of feed needed by his birds. If the bird does not eat the required amount, then you can reduce it a little, but overfeeding is not recommended.

Pheasants are fed twice a day. In the morning feeding it is necessary to give wet mash, and in the afternoon - grains. Do not feed spoiled grain to the bird.

The approximate diet of an adult pheasant is given in the table.

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What to feed pheasants: video

Female pheasants do not have the brooding instinct. A few individuals may remain sitting on the clutch, and the rest will forget about it, so the farmer needs to take care of the offspring himself. For this you need an incubator.

Pheasants lay eggs different colors: dark gray, gray, light gray, green-gray, green, light green. Light gray eggs have the highest hatching rate, so it is advisable to select them for incubation, and you should not pay attention to green ones at all.

You also need to take into account that the eggs selected for incubation must have a smooth shell, regular shape and fairly big sizes, it is undesirable to take ones that are too light or dark, small, with a thin shell and too round or oval.

You also need to reject eggs with two yolks, a uniform internal structure, or with a yolk stuck to the shell - these deviations are noticeable when viewing the egg on an ovoscope.

It is best to lay eggs in incubators with a rotating mechanism so that the eggs are evenly heated on all sides. The temperature is set at +38.3...+38.4 °C, and the humidity is 54%.

During incubation period Humidity should not go beyond 54–60%. After 21 days, it is necessary to lower the temperature to +37.8 °C and raise the humidity by 20% - this will help the chicks to be born faster. The hatching process can take 1-6 hours and the chicks must remain in the incubator for another couple of hours until they dry out and adapt to the new environment.

Breeding pheasants in incubators: video

Dried and strengthened young animals are transplanted either into cages or into sections on the floor. When kept in cages, no more than 20 heads must be placed in a structure of 32*42 cm with a height of 21 cm. Birds are kept in such cages for 2–4 days, and then transplanted into cages 110*65 cm with a height of 35 cm. They are kept in this way for up to 10–12 days and transferred to acclimatization enclosures.

The cages are covered with burlap and installed in a heated room with ventilation; feeders and drinking bowls are installed in them. For the first three days, the temperature is maintained at +28 degrees, then lowered to +20 - in such conditions, the chicks grow up to six months.

Did you know? At the end of the 16th century, pheasant breeding gained wide popularity in Britain, and the birds were raised not only for hunting grounds, but also for decorative purposes.

If the cultivation is outdoor, then in sections on square meter there may be 20–25 animals, and one group should consist of no more than 500 individuals. The floor is covered with bedding. The section at the bottom should be continuous so that the young growth does not leak through.

For the first three weeks, the chicks need heating: under the heat source the temperature should be +32...+34 °C, indoors - 28 °C in the first week, +25 °C in the second, +23 °C in the third and + 22 °C - in the fourth.

Raising pheasants: video

The best pheasant farms

Farms in Russia:

. A farm near Moscow that breeds pheasants for sale and for hunting. Also provides excursions around its territory. Located in the village of Alferovo, Chekhov district, Moscow region.
"Russian Compound". Located in the Sverdlovsk region in the forest far from the road. Engaged in breeding poultry for sale. Arranges excursions around its territory. Address: Sverdlovsk region, 25 km along the Novomoskovsky tract, 800 meters from the Streletsky Dvor complex.
Farm of pheasants and guinea fowl. Raises and sells live poultry. Provides customers with breeding stock for incubation, young animals and adults. Located in the village. Yamnoye, Ramonsky district, Voronezh region.

Breeding crayfish as a business does not bring profit so quickly, but due to the small development of this niche, competition is not great.

An option with less investment is growing in aquariums; when keeping individuals in a pond, you will have to spend more money, but the benefits will be more noticeable.

This is a relatively new way of earning money, so there is not so much competition in the market.

The costs of setting up your own crayfish farm will not pay off so quickly.

But when proper planning, over time you can get a stable income from this type.

Crayfish breeding business: where to start

Registration gives more guarantees to clients, and opens additional doors to the market for farmers.

There are two options here:

if only cultivation is planned, the business is registered under OKVED code 01.21 (breeding of domestic animals);
for retail trade follows 23 (retail sale of fish products).

In general, crayfish farming as a business at home can be called a fairly profitable business.

Depending on the scale, you can recoup the costs of setting up a farm within a year.

However, significant profits can be achieved after 4-6 years.

Breeding crayfish will not provide tangible income so quickly, but subsequently the benefits will only grow.

This niche has not yet been fully developed, so the competition here is not so high.