Business plan for breeding crayfish in artificial reservoirs. Breeding crayfish at home

An analysis of commercial advertisements shows wholesale prices for 1 kg of live crayfish in the range of 400–3000 rubles. After this, the business of breeding them does not look as exotic an idea as it might seem at first glance. It does not require large investments, but the first “harvest” can be collected no earlier than in two to three years.

Demand and prices

Crayfish are not considered essential goods, but there is a demand for them, and competition in this area is still small. They began actively breeding crayfish after 2014, with the introduction of sanctions and the passage of the law on aquaculture. According to the World Trade Center (WTC), in 2017, exports of crustaceans and molluscs from the country increased by 62% compared to the previous year. Similar data is provided by RBC marketing research in 2018: an increase of 59%.

This opens up good prospects for small and medium-sized businesses - the number of wholesale buyers of crayfish will grow. Entrepreneurs of the Leningrad region, Primorsky Krai, Crimea and other border regions have a chance to establish direct connections with foreign partners. Main consumers: Korea, China, the Netherlands, as well as Kazakhstan and Belarus. Judging by the advertisements on the Fishretail, AGRO-RUSSIA, and Agroserver trading platforms, crayfish are also in demand in the domestic market.

To conduct aquaculture, including the cultivation of invertebrate objects, on a river or in a lake, you will have to register a fish breeding area. Such water bodies are owned by the state. Ponds for public use are municipal property. This already involves collecting a large package of documents, and obtaining a fish-breeding site is possible only through a tender.

Veterinary and sanitary control

Aquatic invertebrates, including crayfish, are considered food products. The requirements for its quality are established by the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR EAEU 040/2016. The product is assessed in the form of a veterinary examination, and the supporting document is the declaration of conformity. You can issue a certificate of conformity voluntarily in accordance with TR CU 021/2011 (if such a condition was set by the buyer).

The declaration is drawn up and registered by the manufacturer (the person authorized by him), and the seller can do this for the batch. The following documents must be submitted to the certification body:

• registration documents of individual entrepreneurs (LLC);
• laboratory test protocol;
• certificate of veterinary and sanitary examination (VSE).

Depending on the specific situation, other documents may be required (crayfish supply agreement, quality management certificate). There are many intermediaries that provide declaration preparation services. In Moscow it costs from 7 thousand (for 1 year) to 15 thousand rubles (for 5 years).

Since 2018, veterinary accompanying documents (VSD) must be issued only electronically through the unified state system FSIS "Mercury". Detailed information about the procedure for registration and work in it can be found on the Rosselkhoznadzor help website (http://help.vetrf.ru/) and at the local veterinary office.

Prospects for this business

Judging by the statistics, this business can bring good profits. Profitability depends on how and what kind of crayfish are bred, in a pond or RAS, and the scale of production. For farms they can become an additional source of income. Main distribution channels: local restaurants, bars, saunas. The seasonal factor plays a role; in summer, demand is higher. Intensive technologies are designed for year-round production of products; the level of investment is quite high: 4-6 million. The constant growth of exports stimulates the development of intermediary wholesale networks, which facilitates its sales.

An example of a successful business in this area is the RAK-SHA eco-farm in the Leningrad region. Entrepreneur Vadim Khutro began breeding crayfish in 2009. After 6 years, the annual volume of products sold reached 100 tons. In addition to growing his own goods, he brings them from Armenia, the Volga and other places. Crayfish are grown to marketable condition and put up for sale. The holding workshops are designed for 6 tons, the cost of Armenian crayfish is less than 200 rubles/kg, and the selling price is 600 rubles/kg. Hence the conclusion: with proper organization, a profitable business can be built even in the northern regions. In the south of the country its profitability is even higher.

Breeding crayfish can be a good opportunity to make money if you do it at home, since industrial breeding is not as effective for a number of reasons.

Firstly, a large volume of finished products (crayfish) is quite difficult to sell in a short period of time, and secondly, the profit from the sale will not be so high as to quickly recoup the start-up costs. That is why it is easier and more profitable to organize a business raising crayfish at home (a figurative expression).

In fact, crayfish breeding occurs in small ponds or other artificial reservoirs. Despite the fact that among the uninitiated public there is an opinion that crayfish are found only in flowing water bodies, in fact this is not the case. For crayfish, the main thing is not the flow of water (although it has a certain significance), but the ability to equip their burrows. To do this, they need clayey shores and a rocky bottom (for ease of movement).

So, we found out what conditions crayfish need. It's time to move on to creating reservoirs. It is advisable to organize these reservoirs within your own plot of land in order to be able to control the entire breeding process. By the way, this will also protect you and your product from lovers of easy money.

Note that organizing a pond for breeding crayfish is quite simple. The depth of such a reservoir can be 1-2 meters, and the area is 30-60 square meters. You can dig such a reservoir using manual labor, but it is much faster to order the services of an excavator. To effectively breed crayfish at home, you will need about 3-4 such reservoirs.

After the pits under the reservoir have been dug, it is necessary to start arranging them. The bottom should be lined with stones and lightly sprinkled with river sand. It is advisable to plant garden or field grass along the edge of the bank. This will give your pond maximum naturalness. Then it is necessary to organize drainage. This can be an ordinary pipe, closed at the top with a valve. It is necessary to put a mesh on the pipe so that the crayfish do not leave their pond through it. After everything is ready, you can add water and start the crayfish. It is advisable to change the water in the reservoir once every two to three weeks. Having opened the valve on the pipe, simultaneously pour new water from the hose into the reservoir. It is worth updating no more than 20-30% of the water so as not to greatly change the microclimate of the reservoir.

The season for breeding crayfish is short - depending on the region, it ranges from 5 to 7 months. But during this time, each crayfish manages to acquire offspring totaling about thirty individuals. So for every crayfish launched into a pond in the spring, you will receive another 30 crayfish by autumn.

You can feed the crayfish once every few days by simply throwing finely chopped pieces of meat, fish or even bread into the water. When they settle to the bottom, the crayfish themselves will find and eat them. No additional care is required for crayfish.
Now we need to decide on the financial component of this project. How much can crayfish farming bring in? We will release 150 individuals into each of our reservoirs (if we have 3 reservoirs, this will be 450 individuals) and will spend about 15,000 rubles on this + expenses for organizing reservoirs - another 30,000 rubles. In total, our starting costs amounted to 45,000 rubles.

Let's calculate what we can get as a result. The main income will come from the sale of crayfish, so it is necessary to find consumers in advance - negotiate with restaurants, drinking establishments, and beer stalls. The purchase price of one kilogram of crayfish today is about two hundred rubles. One crayfish weighs on average 330 grams. From our 450 crayfish we will receive 13,500 specimens during the season. This will be approximately 4500 kg. If fully implemented, this will bring us about 900,000 rubles or about 150,000 rubles of average monthly income.

As financial calculations show, crayfish breeding is a completely profitable business that can act both as a profitable hobby and as the main source of income. If you have your own plot of land, make the most of it, try farming crayfish. Breeding crayfish is actually not as difficult as it might seem at first glance, and this business brings in quite decent income.

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CANCER BREEDING AND KEEPING

Crayfish are very valuable invertebrate animals that are constantly in great demand in all corners of the globe. But, unfortunately, their natural populations decrease every year, which is facilitated by poaching, various epizootics that occur periodically and other reasons. It has been established that natural reserves of crayfish reach a maximum every 7 years, after which they begin to decline to a minimum.
In recent years, much attention has been paid to breeding crayfish in artificial reservoirs. Türkiye is the leader here, where crayfish were once brought from the reservoirs of Ukraine. It annually supplies up to 7 thousand tons of commercial crayfish to the foreign market; somewhat less - Spain (3.5 thousand tons) and China (1 thousand tons).

In homestead and country ponds, you can successfully cultivate crayfish of such fast-growing species as broad-toed and long-toed. Crayfish can live in any fresh water bodies - rivers, lakes, estuaries, reservoirs, ponds, etc. They love clean natural bodies of water, not polluted by chemical, household or industrial waste (it’s not for nothing that they are considered indicators of clean water), the depth of which is usually 2 -5 m, but in some cases it can reach up to 8-15 m.
The ideal habitat for crayfish is the shoreline of a reservoir with inlets, where aquatic vegetation (elodea, chara, hornwort, etc.) develops well, covering (but not completely) the bottom of the reservoir. When eating algae, calcium metabolism in the animal's body accelerates, and this contributes to the hardening of the shell after molting. Crayfish prefer a fairly dense bottom (sandy, clayey) with the presence of calcareous rocks, stones, as well as reservoirs with normal or high mineralization of water. The soil of the shore and the bottom of the reservoir should be such that it is convenient for crayfish to build holes, although they can also live under stones, roots, and stumps. Most often, crayfish build burrows on steep, shady banks where there is little sun. The usual dimensions of burrows are: length - 7-36 cm, width - 4-18 cm, height - 2-16 cm. In winter they are located at greater depths, and in summer - at shallower depths. Crayfish dig their burrows using their legs and tail, relying on their front claws.

By the way, they need a tail not only for digging holes, but also for swimming. Crayfish, as you know, swim backwards and at the same time hit the water with their tail. They move along the bottom slowly and often also backwards. It happens that crayfish leave ponds with polluted water, moving on land. As a rule, they do not live in acidic water. The optimal amount of oxygen dissolved in water for crayfish is 6-7 mg/l, but a short-term decrease in its level to 2-3 mg/l is acceptable.

Typically, crayfish are nocturnal, but if they smell prey, they will strive for it, regardless of the time of day. Another interesting fact is that females always sit alone in burrows, while during wintering males often gather in groups and bury themselves in the mud. Crayfish are dioecious animals. Males of long-clawed crayfish, for example, reach maturity in the third year of life with a body length of 8 cm, and females only in the fourth year with a body length of 7 cm. As a rule, male crayfish are 2-3 times larger than females. Mating occurs either in autumn (October-November) or at the end of winter - beginning of spring (February-March). Duration of mating is 2-3 weeks, fertilization is external. Males glue their spermatophores to the underside of the female's cephalothorax in the form of a white spot. With late mating and low temperatures, fertilization occurs within a few days. Females lay eggs at night, in silence, for 2-3 hours. By bending the abdomen to the cephalothorax, they form a chamber into which they release a special substance that dissolves the spermatophores with spermatozoa attached there. The eggs, squeezed out of the oviduct, pass through the seminal solution, are fertilized and attach to the abdominal legs or shell.
The fertility of females depends on their size, physiological state, time of year and other factors. They can have 110-480 eggs on their legs. Thanks to the movements of the walking and abdominal legs, the eggs are constantly washed with fresh water. During the period of gestation, females are very careful, hiding in burrows and emerging from them only in search of food. The embryos in the eggs develop within 7-8 weeks. At this time, the female carefully looks after the eggs, washes them with water and cleans them of mucus. Small crustaceans (larvae) hatch from eggs most often in the third ten days of May and the first ten days of July at a temperature of 21 -24 ° C. For the first 2-3 days they hang on the so-called hyaline threads, then the threads break off, and the crustaceans are attached to the egg shell using small backward-curved hooks on the claws. They remain in this state for 5-8 days, feeding only on the reserves of the yolk, which is located under the dorsal shell of the cephalothorax of the babies.
Before the tenth day, the first molt occurs, after which the larvae become similar to adult crayfish. Their weight is 21-30 mg, body length is 1.1-1.2 cm. The crustaceans feed on their own, but under unfavorable conditions they hide under the mother’s abdomen. On the thirteenth to twentieth day, the second molt occurs, after which the larvae become completely independent. During the molting period, crustaceans are in shelter. During this time, they grow up, straighten their legs and begin to move their claws, whiskers, and eyes. A gap appears between the cephalothoracic shield and the abdomen, from which the crustaceans protrude their soft body.
Sometimes the claws and legs are torn off, but then they are restored. Most often, the molting period occurs in May-August. Crayfish molt multiple times: in the first year of life - 8 times, in the second - 4-5 times, and in the third - 3-4 times. The first 1-1.5 months of life for small crustaceans is a very dangerous period: they are especially susceptible to disease, they can be eaten by fish, muskrats, and waterfowl.

Another interesting detail from the life of crayfish. In search of food, they migrate, feeding mainly on invertebrates (worms, mollusks, insects and their larvae, small crustaceans, etc.), as well as calcium-rich aquatic vegetation and small fish. It is very interesting to watch the process of crayfish eating food. If the prey is close to the hole, then they take it to their shelter; if it is far away, the crayfish eats the prey on the spot, hiding in any shelter.

The optimal ambient temperature for adequate nutrition of adult crayfish is 17-21 °C, larvae - 18-23 °C. Despite the careful care of females for their offspring, crayfish can eat each other. This phenomenon is due to the group lifestyle of animals, frequent molting, and uneven growth. Large individuals eat smaller ones. Cancers, like all animals, get sick. They are often affected by plague and rust spot disease. Various molluscs (especially dracena and filamentous algae) can settle on the shell of animals, but when molting, crayfish discard them.

Crayfish farming is practiced in many countries around the world. In addition to Turkey, Spain and China, these are Russia, the USA, Germany, etc. Each country has developed its own technology for the production of crayfish, but the main requirements are the following: the presence of reservoirs with a low-silt clay bottom and water enriched with oxygen, maintaining a constant summer temperature and hydrochemical regime. For breeding crayfish, you can use specialized farm plots, as well as small private plots and household plots with ponds.

There are two types of crayfish breeding farms - pond and factory. The first one is considered the most economically profitable, since crayfish breeding is a rather labor-intensive process. It is advisable for beginning crayfish farmers to start by raising fingerlings, the sale of which, with a constant market, can provide a significant profit. When breeding crayfish, it is important to harvest females with live eggs on pleopods (legs) and transport them to crayfish farms. To grow 1 ton of crayfish, it is necessary to prepare 500-600 females; They are caught in natural bodies of water. On the farm (small ponds, pools or special devices), pre-incubation of embryos located on pleopods is carried out. It is very important to create good water exchange and aeration of the water.

When breeding crayfish, it is necessary to constantly monitor the quality of water, control the amount of oxygen dissolved in it (at least 5-7 mg/l) and hydrogen (7-9 mg/l). Water exchange should be approximately 50 l/min per 1000 sq. m of water area. You should also carefully study the natural food resources of the reservoir: algae, zooplankton, worms, “trash” fish, etc. The presence of natural food resources allows you to reduce the cost of raising fingerlings and commercial crayfish.
Crayfish breeders are placed in ponds (area - about 0.1 hectares, depth - 1-1.5 m, planting density - 1-5 pieces per 1 sq. m). When the water temperature is above 7 °C, crayfish are fed fresh or cooked food (meat, slaughterhouse waste, vegetables, shellfish, etc.). The average daily intake should be 2% of the body weight of the cancer. The food is placed on wooden trays (40x40 cm). With the pond method of breeding crayfish, the first stage larvae hatch in May-June. After the second molt, juveniles (animals that have not yet reached the size of adult crayfish) are caught and transplanted into a uterine pond, and small crustaceans are raised to fingerlings weighing 7-10 g. They can be raised in the same pond or transplanted into another where the conditions meet the requirements wintering. Yearling crayfish are caught and transplanted into feeding ponds, where the stocking density is lower than in the previous reservoir. At the end of the second or third year of life, crayfish reach a marketable weight of 40-50 g with a length of 9-10 cm.

You can also keep and breed crayfish at home (aquariums, baths), but in this case only a small number of larvae (crustaceans) are obtained. Feeding and preserving them causes a lot of trouble. Thus, it is very difficult to grow crayfish to marketable mass at home. To obtain 3-4 kg/ha of marketable crayfish production, it is necessary to have at least 3-4 properly prepared ponds.

Crayfish, as is known, do not live in polluted water, so their meat is cleaner than that of other aquatic animals. And they themselves perform the function of orderlies in the pond, cleaning the reservoirs from organic residues. It is recommended to breed broad-toed and long-toed crayfish in a home pond. The broad-fingered crayfish has wide claws, a smooth carapace, and a body length of about 15 cm. The long-clawed crayfish has narrow and long claws and a rough carapace; The body length reaches 20 cm, the weight of the male is more than 300g.

In winter, crayfish go deeper and burrow into the mud. They are comfortable here and have enough food. In winter, as is known, there is not enough oxygen in the water; some fish suffocate, fall to the bottom and become prey for crayfish, which, even in conditions of low temperature, do not stop actively feeding. Crayfish are caught with special fishing rods, crayfish and nets, from mid-summer to late autumn.
A good catch occurs in dark waters in the evening, and in clear waters from dusk until midnight. The best fishing occurs on dark, warm nights and in rainy weather. In order for the caught crayfish to be better preserved and not attack each other, they must be fed with nettles, alder leaves, potatoes and other vegetation. It is not recommended to give fresh fish, since the crayfish get into fights, during which they lose their claws and legs, and therefore their presentation.

• Where to start breeding crayfish?
• Technology for growing crayfish at home
• How much can you earn from raising crayfish?
• How much money do you need to start a business?
• How to choose equipment
• Which OKVED code must be indicated for crayfish farming?
• What documents are needed to open
• Which tax system to choose for crayfish farming
• Do I need permission to open?

Few residents and guests of Russia will refuse the original Russian dish - boiled crayfish. Today, rural residents have a good additional income in the summer months by catching crayfish in natural reservoirs. However, this way of earning money cannot be called humane. The population of animals in nature is declining, and entrepreneurs themselves may be charged with poaching. There is another way, which, unfortunately, has been undeservedly forgotten by modern businessmen. Even in the century before last, there were many farms in Russia where crayfish were grown. Then their production reached such a level that healthy meat was even exported. We’ll talk about how to breed crayfish in different ways at home in this article.

Where to start breeding crayfish?

For farmers who have the opportunity to lease a large plot of land, a suitable option is to breed crayfish in artificial ponds. They are easy to create. A depth of 1-2 meters and a water surface area of ​​30-60 sq.m is sufficient. The average farm usually consists of 3-4 such reservoirs. One of the main conditions is a shore with a lot of clay and a rocky bottom. In such conditions, crustaceans can more easily set up their burrows and reproduce better.

The water in artificial reservoirs must be changed. For this purpose, a drainage system is installed during construction. At least once a month, 30% of the water is drained from the pond and new water is added. It cannot be completely changed, since the established favorable microclimate for crustaceans can be disrupted. During the season, each female produces 30 offspring, but the crayfish will reach marketable status only after six years. Growing in such conditions has several advantages:

• Minimum costs for arranging a reservoir;
• Food costs are reduced due to the formation of natural food in the pond;
• Labor costs throughout the entire growing period are practically absent.

Disadvantages of such a business:

1. Breeding crayfish in ponds is possible only in certain regions where winters are not severe and the pond does not freeze completely;
2. Waiting six years for the animals to grow increases the payback period for the initial costs;
3. Low population density per 1 sq.m. artificial reservoir.

Technology for growing crayfish at home

The next way is to set up a farm for breeding crayfish in aquariums at home. An artificially created microclimate, which will be maintained regardless of the time of year, contributes to the stable, continuous weight gain of animals. The cultivation of arthropods is carried out in an aquarium with a volume of 250 liters. Soil is poured at the bottom and driftwood is laid. This way, at home, the habitat will be close to natural. 350 animals can live on one square meter at the same time.

The most interesting, and one might even say mysterious, process of reproduction of crayfish in an aquarium. This phenomenon has not been fully studied even by scientists. The female’s readiness to reproduce is determined by a large number of factors: microelements in the environment, its acidity and others. For this process it is necessary to allocate a separate aquarium, at least 200 liters. Animals usually mate in the fall. To produce offspring, it is necessary that there be twice as many females as males. The female lays eggs on her paws and is in close contact with her offspring all the time. After the birth of the crustaceans, they are transplanted into a separate reservoir. The natural process of molting leads to the death of some of the young animals, and the surviving animals continue to grow and gain the required weight.

Where to place such a number of aquariums at home? This is a logical question to which many enterprising businessmen have already found an answer. The basement in a house is often an area that becomes cluttered and does not bring any benefit. At the same time, there are excellent living conditions for animals such as crayfish. Growing crayfish in your own basement does not require large material costs. Additional heating or lighting is not needed if the temperature in winter does not drop below +7 degrees. The aquariums are installed on special shelves and the crayfish farm is ready for use.

On sale today it is difficult to find young crustaceans sold to farmers for breeding at home. Typically, entrepreneurs catch them in the nearest pond or buy them secondhand during the fishing season. Then begins the process of comprehending the mystery of animal reproduction, described above.

How much can you earn from raising crayfish?

Everyone who has practiced crayfish business claims that it is quite a troublesome business, but profitable. In a pond with an area of ​​25 sq.m. you can grow 30 kg of crayfish. One kilogram costs about 500 rubles. Minus the costs of feeding and care, the net profit is 26 thousand rubles. The disadvantage of the business is its duration, but if the entrepreneur has the patience to wait 6-8 years for the results of his work, then further income will increase every year. Experts advise starting to grow crayfish in parallel with another main activity.

How much money do you need to start a business?

To start your own crayfish breeding business at home, you can start with 100,000 rubles. However, this will most likely not be a business, but a kind of hobby, since with such investments it will most likely not be possible to get a big profit. A full-fledged business will require significantly higher expenses. Everything will depend on the number of ponds located on the territory of the private farm and the number of individuals.

How to choose equipment

In cases of growing crayfish in artificial ponds, you will need to purchase pipes and drains, waterproofing and flow filters, an oxidizer and aerators, and measuring instruments. When offspring appear, the young animals will need to be separated from the adults. This will require concrete pools.

Which OKVED code must be indicated for crayfish farming?

Freshwater fish farming or code 03.22. It is this that will need to be reflected in various documents, including those submitted to the registration authority for registering a new business entity.

What documents are needed to open

The package of documents will directly depend on the chosen organizational and legal form. If volume production is being established, then it is better to register as a limited liability company. To do this you will need to prepare:
Charter and a copy of the decision of the shareholders meeting to create a legal entity in the form of a limited liability company;
provide information to both the director of the company and the chief accountant;
pay the state fee and obtain a legal address;
open a bank account and register with government agencies.
For small production volumes, it is enough to open an individual entrepreneur. The list of documents here is somewhat smaller than for legal entities. You will need a photocopy of your passport and a receipt for payment of the state duty, a standard application form and a copy of the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).

Which tax system to choose for crayfish farming

The best option for paying taxes when running the above business is the imputed income tax. It should also be indicated in the application submitted for registration.

Do I need permission to open?

To legalize the sale of grown crayfish on your own farm, you will need to obtain permission from the sanitary and epidemiological station. No other permits or licenses are required.

Nowadays you won’t surprise anyone with crayfish breeding farms. They successfully operate and develop throughout the country and bring considerable income to their owners.

Choosing a growing method

The amount of profit depends on what method of breeding crayfish is used at the enterprise: in an aquarium, in a home pond or

In aquarium

Today, crayfish can be grown for sale not only in rural areas, but also in the city. Now city dwellers will smile with a grin and go to evaluate the size of their bathtub. Only they breed crayfish not in the bathroom, but in special large aquariums.

To begin with, it is better to rent a business premises and buy it over time. Only after you have settled all the issues with rent can you start buying aquariums. It’s better to start with 10-15 pieces and if everything works out, then after a few months buy a larger quantity.

Advantages of breeding crayfish in aquariums:

1. It is easier to control the condition of your pets.
2. Less feed consumption.
3. Control of water temperature, which contributes to the accelerated development of young offspring.
4. There is no long period of cold wintering, which makes it possible for young animals to grow more efficiently, and for an entrepreneur to receive their first income 3-4 months faster;
5. You can stock crayfish larvae in aquariums and save on the purchase of young animals or adults.

The process of growing crayfish is quite intensive and it is possible to make a profit only a year after starting the business.

Features of choosing an aquarium for crayfish:

• The volume of the aquarium should be chosen from 250l.
• The walls of the container must be made of strong plastic, or attached to the pool so that the metal does not come into contact with water.
• It is better to choose products with low (up to 1 m) walls and a wide bottom. This makes it easier to care for crayfish and keep the bottom of the aquarium clean.

At the present stage, growing crayfish in pools as a business has proven itself well in urban environments and rural areas where there are problems with water supply.

At home (artificial pond)

Growing crayfish in an artificial reservoir is considered by many to be the simplest and most inexpensive option for starting the industrial cultivation of crayfish. This option does not require a large investment. Provided that you have your own land: a summer cottage or a house in a suburban or rural area.

In order for a business to work, it is necessary:

1. Build a pond (optimal depth 1-3 m) and line the bottom with large stones and create conditions so that crayfish can freely dig holes. Recommended reservoir area 30-60 sq.m.
2. Make several concrete pools for holding and fattening young livestock.
3. Launch broodstock or larvae.
4. Stock up on the necessary food.
5. Provide the household with an additional source of water and a reliable drain so that water can be freely drained if necessary.

Growing crayfish at home has its own peculiarities. In an artificial reservoir it is necessary to change the water every 2-3 weeks. For the winter, it is better to completely catch the entire population so that the crayfish do not suffocate under the ice, or build a pond, which immediately increases costs. If the crayfish successfully overwinter, then the additional costs for insulation can be offset by the breeding stock, but you can only take risks if the depth of the reservoir is more than 2.5 meters.

The pond cannot be built in a sunny place!

In a natural body of water

The simplest and most affordable way to breed crayfish at home is to release the breeding stock or larvae into an ordinary natural pond. First you need to find a body of water that meets the necessary requirements:

• the presence of a rocky bottom and sandy shores;
• suitable bottom for constructing burrows;
• The reservoir must be environmentally friendly and have shaded banks. It’s good if weeping willows grow on the banks of the reservoir, which create shade and coolness.

When growing crayfish in artificial and natural reservoirs, the main problem for farmers is poachers, who not only spoil and steal the livestock using crayfish traps, but also greatly reduce the prices of the products. The way to deal with them is quite simple:

• On your own and artificial ponds, you can stretch a net over the surface, install streamers with bells and hire watchmen.
• It is possible to create a group of farmers that will control the markets in the region and block poachers’ access to wholesale buyers.
• Guaranteed product quality and regular delivery are what all customers value and what poachers cannot guarantee.

To grow crayfish in a natural pond, you need to allocate money to buy livestock and feed. With this growing method, feed costs are significantly reduced, but there is no way to control the water temperature, as a result of which the crayfish will be 30% less in weight than their relatives who grew up in a home pond or aquarium.

Preparatory work

Before investing a considerable amount in a business, you need to familiarize yourself with the cultivation of crayfish and the conditions for keeping them in practice. In order to better understand and see everything, you can ask to visit such a farm and ask the owners as much as possible about the life and habits of their pets.

They won’t reveal all their secrets to future competitors, but they will already have an idea of ​​the work and what the farm should look like.

Today on the Internet there is a lot of literature and practical advice that will help you cope with problems during your work, but recommendations from professionals are always very valuable.

Preparing your place of residence

Crayfish live in burrows. This is their natural habitat, and before purchasing breeding stock, it is necessary to create comfortable conditions for the crayfish and bring them as close to natural as possible.

A rocky bottom, a lot of sand, pebbles and algae are what will allow crayfish to feel at home in a new place.

If you plan to grow crayfish in aquariums, then the day before the animals are introduced, you need to start the entire system (if you plan to plant algae, then a week before, simultaneously with planting greenery).

Adult female crayfish can eat their larvae and young. To avoid this, it is recommended to separate adult livestock from young animals. To do this, you will need additional containers (aquariums or swimming pools).

Proper preparation of the place for keeping and growing crayfish will greatly facilitate the settlement process and make the adaptation of the queen cell painless and comfortable.

Acquisition of cancer families

You should not immediately buy a large number of breeding stock. If the farm is small, then you can start with 100 females and 20 males. They can be bought at a farm that is engaged in a similar type of business or caught in a river. It is better to buy crayfish from specialists who can advise on a species that is resistant to disease and stress and will tell you how to properly care for it in the first months.

Among the industrial types of crayfish there are:

• Australian crayfish (the most fleshy species, requires special care, is suitable for growing in aquariums, uses small fish, compound feed, and greens for food).
• Blue Kuban crayfish (a fast-growing medium-sized species, does not tolerate temperatures above 26 degrees, loves rocky, sandy soils with a lot of snags and holes, omnivorous).
• Marbled crayfish (demanding about water temperature and prefers large aquariums, swimming pools or artificial ponds). 20 adult individuals will require neither less nor more - 100 cubic meters of water for their full growth and reproduction. The peculiarity of this species is that it reproduces by parthenogenesis (both female and male). It is necessary to separate adults from young animals.

Start of an enterprise

In order for a business to work and bear fruit, it is necessary to take into account several important factors that are the key to success.

When to start breeding?

The beginning of establishing a farm plays a very important role in this type of business, since it is designed for a season and most types of crayfish do not tolerate wintering well.

The best time to start a farm is the beginning of April, with the arrival of the first warmth.

By the beginning of summer, each female will have eggs under her tail, which will detach after 10 days, and the process of laying eggs will begin in the female in a new circle. The offspring from these larvae will be ready for sale in a year. It is precisely because of such a long growth period that experts recommend starting a farm with young crayfish, which can be raised and sold this year, leaving a few individuals for reproduction.

Business registration

Every self-respecting entrepreneur and manufacturer registers his enterprise before starting work. What does this give? Buyers have confidence that they are clients of a reputable company, and the entrepreneur himself has the opportunity to calmly sell his products on the market and cooperate with stores and wholesale companies.

Registration of this type of business is carried out according to OKVED code 01.21, which indicates that the enterprise is engaged in breeding domestic animals.

For the right to retail trade, it is necessary to add code 52.23, which indicates the right to retail sale of fish and shellfish.

Purchase of feed

Crayfish happily eat feed, larvae, earthworms, greens, and small bottom fish. It is not difficult to purchase compound feed - it is always available at the farm market or feed mills, of which there are plenty in every city. It’s not difficult to stock up on greens yourself, but you’ll have to look for suppliers of mosquito larvae and earthworms.

The earthworm is often found in greenhouses, and mosquito larvae are grown by companies that are associated with the fishing business. Ask fishing rod and tackle retailers who supplies them with bloodworms, and set up regular deliveries with that supplier.

Let's sum it up

In our country, this type of business is relatively young, since it is mistakenly believed that the development of a crayfish farm requires huge investments. The fact that it takes about a year to wait for the first sale of a product is also not inspiring. But fears go away and everything falls into place if you understand the features of this business and calculate all the costs and approximate income.

How long does it take from start to sale of the finished product?

Growing crayfish is a business for people who work for results and know how to wait.

And you need to wait about a year from the first planting of the queen cell to the sale of the finished product, if the livestock is raised in a pond.

With the aquarium method of propagation or in indoor pools, where it is possible to control the water temperature, the sale of finished products is possible 3 months faster. This is due to the winter period, when crayfish are dormant and eat very little. Indoors this process can be regulated.

Estimated Costs

A considerable amount of start-up capital is required in order to launch a large farm with modern equipment, but you can start small and divide the development of your business into several stages. To get started, you need to draw up a business plan for breeding crayfish and focus on several important factors in your calculations:

• Cost of breeding stock, which fluctuates from 200 to 1000 rubles per 1 kg. depending on the type of crayfish and the season of purchase.
• Method of breeding crayfish: indoors in aquariums, in an artificial reservoir or in a natural aquatic environment.
• Purpose of the product: sale for breeding stock, sale of live products on the market, processing.

For the construction of one pond with an area of ​​60 square meters. necessary 80-150 rubles(depending on depth). The main part of the costs goes to drainage pipes, waterproofing materials, and drainage construction. For a year in a given reservoir, if you run about 500 females (80 kg of breeding stock), can be reared up to 13,000(about 3.5 tons) of young animals, the market value of which ranges from 200-250 rubles per 1 kg.

The minimum annual income from growing crayfish in a pond is 300-450 thousand rubles and fully covers the costs of constructing a pond, pools, purchasing feed and queen cells.

In order to start this type of business indoors you must:

1. Large high (up to 4 m in height) room (price varies depending on location);
2. Aquariums for keeping crayfish (optimal size - 2 m wide, 3-4 m long), sand and algae for filling the aquarium + compressors, pumps and thermometers for heating water. The cost of one aquarium, equipped with everything necessary, fluctuates around 50 000 rubles
3. We must not forget about food for crayfish. Bloodworms or earthworms are best. They can be purchased from wholesale manufacturers who work for fish and fishing stores. On average, it takes about 20 thousand rubles.
4. And, of course, the crayfish themselves. One pool is designed for an average of 50 individuals (1 male for 4-5 females).

If you can’t invest a lot of money, then you can try the old-fashioned, long-proven method and raise a population of crayfish in a small natural pond. In this case, you will only have to spend money on breeding stock and additional feed. But in this case, unfortunately, it will not be possible to control the reproduction and migration of your pets.

Profit calculation

Growing crayfish on a home farm is a rather long and labor-intensive process, but the farmer receives a hundredfold for his efforts. Even with the most expensive method of growing crayfish - aquarium - all costs for the purchase of equipment and breeding stock are recouped after the first year of cultivation.

If the river method of growing crayfish is less expensive, then when comparing “costs - profits”, preference should still be given to growing crayfish in a home pond.

With the right approach, despite considerable costs, the profit is about 300,000 rubles from a pond of 60 sq. m. and several small pools or small ponds. With the aquarium method of propagation, such a profit is very difficult to achieve in one season, even though the products are ready for sale several months faster.

Pitfalls of the crayfish farming business

Every business has its own secrets and pitfalls that must be taken into account in your work and included in the calculations of your business plan.

The following factors have a great influence on business development:

1. Crayfish go underwater for the winter, but do not hibernate. This means that the water should not be allowed to freeze strongly.
2. Not all types of crayfish tolerate cold water and are intended for growing in an unheated pond.
3. We must not forget about infectious diseases. It is necessary to carry out preventive work in a timely manner and stock up on medications.
4. Water for a pond or aquarium should be soft and free of salt.
5. Females with eggs should be immediately transferred to a separate container and care should be taken that they do not eat them after laying the eggs in the sand or mule.

If you have no experience in breeding crayfish, then it is better to start working with river breeding stock.

There are not so many pitfalls and you can recognize them only by working independently or if you have an experienced adviser nearby.

Where do crayfish spend the winter?

In the natural environment, crayfish spend the winter in their burrow. They do not fall asleep, like frogs, and even crawl out to hunt. But they are very slow and spend a minimal amount of energy and do not gain weight.

If a crayfish finds a place to winter in a natural reservoir, then when constructing a custom pond, you need to take care of this and throw a lot of snags and large stones on the bottom, make mounds of sand and clay.

The crayfish breeding business in our country is still quite young, and the demand for domestic products is growing every year. If you choose the right method of cultivation and correctly approach the organization of the work process, then in a year you can already get the first result, and in a few years you can become the owner of a farm for growing crayfish, which will supply high-quality products and breeding stock not only to your region, but also to neighboring areas .

Every business involves costs, risks and excitement, which are rewarded with profit and the fulfillment of dreams. For your dream to come true, you need to calculate all possible threats and only then start working.

Breeding crayfish on a private plot is a simple and profitable business. To raise arthropods at home, you need to acquire a pond and maintain minimally comfortable conditions for its inhabitants. Experts give recommendations on where to start and how best to build the process of growing crayfish. Video tips will help you understand in more detail.

Basics of crayfish breeding. Preparatory work

The entire process of growing crayfish can be established with minimal financial investment. But you will have to be patient. Crayfish grow over 2-3 years. Accordingly, starting from scratch, until this time you will not receive either delicious meat or profit. But you will need to constantly feed the animals and care for them.

The efficiency of the process is influenced by the quality of the crayfish used for reproduction:

1. For breeding, it is better to use purchased purebred individuals. Crayfish caught in a regular reservoir grow more slowly.
2. Adult arthropods should be purchased. You can raise young animals on your own.
3. The optimal ratio of males and females for good offspring is 1:2.

For breeding it is better to use purebred crayfish

It is calculated: to get 1 ton of crayfish, you need to buy 400 females. For a beginner in water management, 40 pieces will be enough for the first time. They are sold in specialized fishing companies. This to a certain extent guarantees the authenticity of the type you have chosen.

Advice. You don't have to buy males if the females have eggs on legs.

How to properly equip a pond

Water is the natural habitat of crayfish. For home breeding, both natural and manually created reservoirs are used. Good housing for arthropods has the following qualities:

• area - 30-60 sq. m;
• depth - 1-3 m;
• optimal heating is not lower than +18 °C, otherwise the crayfish will go into hibernation;
• The water is completely renewed every 2-3 weeks.

Attention! You cannot renew more than 30% of the volume of a reservoir at a time. This will lead to disruption of the microclimate.

The advantage of natural reservoirs is the presence of a clay or sandy bottom with a silt cushion: it is in such conditions that crayfish dig their burrows and create a comfortable microclimate. The downside is that the growth rate of crayfish is slowed by 3 times.

Pond for growing crayfish

Aquariums are most often used as artificial places. This is quite expensive: you will most likely need several containers. Maintaining the correct temperature in them is easier, but more expensive. You can install filter units at the inlet to the aquarium and save yourself from the need to manually refresh the water.

Advice. People who decide to start breeding crayfish for sale choose aquariums. All costs for additional equipment are paid off due to the rapid growth of crayfish.

The best types of crayfish to breed at home

Having equipped a place for growing, proceed to purchasing a living base for propagation. The following varieties are popular among crayfish lovers:

• Australian. Has a good layer of meat. It is grown only in buried artificial reservoirs. Comfortable volume for 3-4 individuals - 100 l. Inside, you should equip many holes and shelters for feeding, resting, and molting. They eat dead fish, bread crumbs, algae, and special food.
• Blue Cuban. Small looking. It is unpretentious, except that it needs a water temperature of about +26 °C. The water itself must be hard. It is also necessary to equip many shelters in the reservoir. The species develops into an adult in just six months.

Blue Cuban crayfish

• Marble. Large and meaty. Capricious about leaving. Requires water heating to +20…+28 °C, relatively large amounts of feed. The comfortable volume of the reservoir is 100 liters for 20 individuals. In reproduction, one individual acts as both a female and a male. Fry should be removed due to the risk of cannibalism.

Attention! The initial purchase of crayfish for breeding is not the last. To get a full-fledged herd that can independently reproduce its numbers, periodic purchases will be needed over 5 years.

Crayfish Care

The main features of caring for a herd of crayfish will help you get full-fledged and healthy individuals:

1. Separate and transplant each new young generation to another pond.
2. In the spring, catch the females and transplant them into another container. This will help prevent cannibalism and maintain the size of the colony.
3. The optimal temperature for females is +22 °C or slightly lower.

Crayfish are known scavengers. Their diet includes fish remains and algae. However, when breeding at home, animals should be supplemented. To do this, use vegetables, boiled meat, plankton, larvae, worms, the same algae and fish. You can buy special food at a pet store.

Attention! You can't overfeed crayfish. It's better not to feed.

The ratio of 1:2 males and females is relevant based on physiology. One crayfish can fertilize only two females. If after that he sees another one, he will probably decide to eat it. After fertilization, the layer of eggs is located under the shell of the female. By the end of next spring it moves to its hind legs. On average, about 20 young crayfish emerge from the eggs of one arthropod, although at home, experienced breeders reach 60.

Breeding crayfish for sale is a profitable business

An important sign of normal development of livestock is molting. Cancer sheds its shell, which has become too small for it, and acquires a new one. Young individuals do this about 8 times a year. In the next 365 days of life, this number is reduced to 5, then to 3-4. The normal growth rate for cancer is a weight of about 50-60 g and a body length of about 10-12 cm by the end of the second year of life.

Additional equipment for crayfish breeding

Greater efficiency can be achieved by improving the living conditions of animals. To do this, for example, you can equip a pond with an air compressor. The device will prevent water from stagnating in the pond. An oxidizer will do a good job. In autumn, the device is installed at the bottom of natural reservoirs and in winter saturates the water with oxygen.

For open ponds, stakes and lakes in cold weather, the installation of greenhouses is relevant. They retain heat, maintaining a normal temperature level for crayfish. Farmers also use various filters to keep the pond clean, and polypropylene frames to retain water in the pond.