Crayfish farming as a business: creating a farm, buying crayfish, equipment, maintenance features, business plan

The idea of crayfish farming is not new. Similar farms were organized in the Rostov region even before the start of perestroika in the Soviet Union. However, today this business has not become a fully occupied niche in Russia. Let’s look at the specifics of crayfish farming to understand what the prospects for crayfish farming are and whether such a commercial enterprise can generate significant and stable income.

Breeding crayfish in ponds

Growing crayfish in an artificial pond is considered the cheapest and easiest way to do this type of activity.

If you have your own land, then building a pond will not be a big effort. In this case, the costs will be minimal.

The recommended area of the reservoir is 25-60 m2, depth - 1-3 m. It is advisable to fill the bottom with sand and line it with stones so that arthropods can dig holes for themselves. Afterwards, you should stock up on food, and also build several concrete pools. They are useful for fattening and keeping young livestock.

Be sure to provide a reliable water drain and an additional source of water. Purchase cleaning and aeration systems. Study specialized literature, it will never be superfluous. In principle, after this you can release larvae or breeding stock into the pond.

An artificial pond requires replacement every 2-3 weeks. In winter, it is advisable to catch the stock and transplant it into an indoor reservoir so that the crayfish do not suffocate under the thick ice.

You cannot build a pond in a sunny place!

If there is a natural reservoir near your place, then you can release the larvae there. However, it must meet the following requirements:

shaded sandy shores;
the presence of a rocky bottom;
environmental friendliness;
a bottom suitable for the construction of holes;
absence of pathogenic flora.

The problem that we really face in this case is poachers. However, they also have control. You can hire watchmen, put up streamers with bells, and stretch a net over the surface.

This method of cultivation extremely saves the budget for organizing a habitat for crayfish and their nutrition, but the farmer does not have the ability to control the temperature.

This means that the weight of individuals raised in a natural reservoir will be approximately 30% lower than those individuals raised in a home pond.

In aquarium

Crayfish can be grown in an aquarium even in urban conditions, although on a somewhat smaller scale than in a pond. The premises can be rented in a quiet residential area. This method of breeding crayfish has many advantages:

convenient control of pets;
strict adherence to temperature conditions;
less feed consumption;
simplified crayfish catching;
possibility of installing a filtration system;
shortened wintering.

In such “greenhouse” conditions, young offspring develop quickly and efficiently, and the entrepreneur, in turn, makes a profit faster. However, you should not forget about the need to pay bills for electricity and heating the premises.

It is important to know the secrets of choosing the right aquarium:

volume from 250 l;
wide bottom;
plastic walls low to 1 m (to avoid metal contact with water).

Soil should be poured onto the bottom, pebbles and driftwood should be placed, and algae should be planted. The planting density of crayfish can reach 350 individuals per 1 m2.

Creating a farm

Entrepreneurs involved in crayfish breeding are advised to familiarize themselves with the peculiarities of keeping arthropods in practice before investing significant sums in it. Despite the fact that the World Wide Web provides access to almost any information, you should not neglect the advice of professionals.

Farm for industrial breeding of crayfish

Experienced crayfish farmers will not reveal all the secrets, but by visiting their farm, you will have an idea of what exactly a successful farm should look like.

Where to buy crayfish for breeding

It is difficult to find larvae, so you will have to buy adults. There is no need to purchase a lot of breeding stock at once. For a small farm, 40 males and 80 females will be enough. The latter are easily identified by the presence of eggs under the tail at the end of spring.

Sources for acquiring crayfish can be very different:

independent fishing in the river;
supermarket;
specialized farm.

Naturally, it is preferable to buy arthropods from specialists. They can advise which species will be preferable for your region, living conditions and breeding goals (by the way, crayfish have excellent caviar that can be salted). They will also tell you what care should be taken in the first months.

The following industrial types of crayfish are popular:

Blue Cuban (withstands temperatures only up to 26 C o, grows quickly, omnivorous).
Australian crayfish (suitable for aquariums, capricious in care and nutrition, is the most fleshy type of crayfish).
Marble (requires stable water temperature and large areas - 20 adult individuals per 100 cubic meters of water, reproduces by parthenogenesis (that is, there is a female and a male in one individual).

Feeding

Being herbivorous animals, crayfish do not disdain various organic remains and even carrion in natural conditions.

Crayfish feed mainly on:

earthworms;
greens;
mixed feed;
insect larvae;
small snails and bottom fish.

In the case of artificial breeding, the diet of crayfish includes:

steamed crushed grain;
meat;
boiled potatoes;
fish;
grated carrots.

The daily food intake is 2% of the individual’s weight.

You can purchase food for crayfish from companies associated with the fishing business, feed mills, greenhouse farms, and specialized markets.

Reproduction

Mating of arthropods occurs in the fall - from September to October.

Male crayfish are able to fertilize two females in a row, and they simply eat the third.

That is why the ratio of individuals of different sexes in one pond/aquarium should be 1:2.

The eggs are initially placed under the shell of the female crayfish, and after being laid, they are attached by the abdominal legs under the tail. Females often wash the eggs with water, thereby cleaning them and allowing the embryos to develop properly. After 2 months, the larvae hatch.

Rachiha protects them for another 21 days, sheltering them from dangers under their tail. It is worth noting that in the natural environment, females raise 12 crustaceans, but no more than 20 offspring annually. In the case of crayfish breeding at home, this figure reaches 60 crayfish annually.

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Features of growing at home

It is important to consider the following features:

Crayfish come in different varieties, and so do their commercial prices. Before starting a business, it makes sense to understand in detail the species of these freshwater arthropods.

Equipment

To breed crayfish you will need the following equipment:

Aquariums. It is desirable that they be equipped with heaters for incubating eggs, a filtration system, and compressors. Controlling water quality will allow the larvae to develop quickly and correctly.
Swimming pools. Should be separate for teenagers and independent young adults. As crayfish grow older, they are necessarily sorted. This allows them to develop properly and also vary in weight/size, age and cost accordingly.
Ponds. The more there are, the better. It is worth considering that the minimum pond size is 25 m2. It is advisable to give it an oval shape, which promotes proper gas exchange. There should be shelters at the bottom (pieces of plastic pipes, driftwood, stones). It is worth equipping at least a couple of indoor ponds (in them, young-of-the-year crayfish are raised and the broodstock are accommodated).

Implementation

To be able to legally sell goods, a business must be registered (OKVED codes 01.21; 52.23). This gives buyers confidence that the product is of high quality and safe.

Sorting crayfish before sale

There is always a demand for such products. Preference in the sale of crayfish should be given to wholesale trading enterprises. It is important to establish sales to establishments such as beer pubs, fish restaurants, saunas, baths.

Financial calculations

Regardless of what you choose as a home for crayfish (a pond or an aquarium), the starting capital will be about 200 thousand rubles. With this money you will need to purchase:

individuals (200 will be enough);
aquarium (dig a hole for a pond and equip it);
food and medicines.

You will also need to hire staff (1-2 people). Annual costs for feeding crayfish and replacing water will amount to no more than 100 thousand rubles.

Crayfish pond

It makes no sense to rent a pond. It is usually rented for 1 year. At the same time, the rental rate increases annually. Crayfish grow for about 4 years, so it makes sense to make your own pond.

Today in Russia, prices for crayfish fluctuate between 400-450 rubles. / kg and for adults; 200-250 rub. / kg and young individuals. You can sell goods individually. With the right approach, from a pond of 50 m2, where 50 females are released, you can get in a year:

3.5 tons of young animals (up to 13 thousand individuals);
up to 80 kg of breeding stock.

Crayfish farming is not a difficult task. Even a pensioner can cope with it. The only negative is the long duration of the project. Such a business does not pay off quickly, after about 2 years. After that, the business will begin to bring a stable profit - up to 450 thousand rubles. / year. Tangible income appears in years 6-8 with a tendency to constantly increase.

Business plan

Crayfish farming, like any other business, requires a responsible approach.

A carefully thought-out business plan will allow you to understand the project budget and correctly distribute funds at each stage.

This document also acts as a kind of supporting outline, which reflects all the important steps and nuances that can later simply be forgotten.

In a business plan, it is important to focus on:

project start time (preferably in early April);
competition (monopoly coverage of the market/region or the presence of similar farms);
purpose of the product (sale on the market, wholesale, processing, sale to breeding stock);
sales markets (preferably wholesale buyers - retail chains, restaurants, individual entrepreneurs);
method of breeding crayfish (natural aquatic environment, aquarium, artificial pond);
cost of breeding stock (200-1000 rubles / kg);
type of farm (for cold regions, aquarium breeding of crayfish is necessary, but growing in a pond is more economically profitable).

In general, growing crayfish as a business is a moderately labor-intensive and time-consuming process, but it is also profitable. The farmer will receive a hundredfold for his efforts. In addition, crayfish rarely get sick, and it’s even more fun to watch your pets!

Buying a ready-made business is a solution for those who do not want to deal with the preparatory stages, but immediately have a ready-made, established production and customer base. Buying is a great decision, as you can find a lot of offers.