Nutria farming is becoming increasingly popular. These rodents provide tasty dietary meat and valuable fur. If you engage in nutria breeding as a business, it is recommended to take many features into account. In order for animals to grow and develop normally, they require high-quality care and nutritious nutrition. Treatment and prevention of diseases are of no small importance.
Advantages and disadvantages of business
Nutria are considered aquatic rodents that are similar in appearance to rats.Their meat has different dietary properties. In addition, the animals are bred to obtain beautiful and warm fur.
Buying an animal
To begin with, it is recommended to buy young animals. Their age should be no more than 2-3 months. The average weight of such animals is 1.3-2.3 kilograms. It is recommended to buy animals in special nurseries.
Before buying animals, you should study their varieties. There are several types of nutria:
- Standard - in color they resemble wild animals. Their fur has a brown or steel tint. Animals are highly fertile. There are up to 6 puppies in 1 litter.
- Golden - this breed was imported from abroad. The weight and size of the animals coincide with the standard ones. In this case, 1 female brings up to 4 puppies.
- Blacks are an Argentinean breed. The parameters of her fertility coincide with the standard one. Purebred animals are distinguished by their deep black color and dark gray fluff.
- White Azerbaijani - have pure white hairs. Usually nutria give birth to a maximum of 4 puppies.
- Italian whites - come in white or cream. There is usually a maximum of 5 puppies in a litter.
Selecting a site and premises
The premises for breeding animals must meet the following criteria:
- brick or wooden building;
- availability of adequate ventilation;
- dry air;
- purity.
It is recommended to install cages in the house. They should be located 70 centimeters from the floor. It is recommended to prepare the room in advance. In this case, the floor should be covered with bedding, and the wooden walls should be covered with metal mesh. Monitoring temperature parameters is of no small importance. In summer, it is recommended that animals have access to a pond or a container with water. This helps prevent heat strokes in animals.
Features of care
When breeding nutria, it is important to provide them with suitable conditions:
- Rodents should not be exposed to drafts or direct sunlight.
- It is recommended to zone the room with enclosures. A place to live, a walking area, and feeding troughs are placed separately.
- For active development and weight gain, animals require space. 200 cells are placed on 0.5 hectares. It is permissible to place 350 animals in them.
- Enclosures can be separated from each other by wooden partitions. They should be sheathed with metal on top.
- Place metal filings at the bottom of the cells.
- It is recommended to strengthen the feeders. They are fixed on the wall or floor.
- The area of the enclosure must be at least 2.5 square meters.
- The walking area should be separated by a fence, and the floor should be concreted.
- Place a swimming pool on the farm territory. This will help the nutria keep its fur clean.
- Monitor temperature parameters. The optimal values are +20 degrees.A decrease in temperature of 2-3 degrees can lead to hypothermia.
Diet
Nutria can feed on any type of grass plant. It is advisable to give them crops that grow near water bodies. Reeds, woodlice, reeds, and horse sorrel are suitable for this. If there are no bodies of water nearby, it is permissible to use vegetables for feeding. It is best to use root vegetables - beets, carrots, potatoes.
Adults, on average, eat up to 1 kilogram of food per day. To speed up their growth and save money, you can introduce cereals and mixed feed into the diet.
Farm employees
At the initial stage, it is best to do it yourself and involve loved ones in caring for the animals. A small farm can be managed by 2 people. As volumes increase, employees will have to be hired, including a veterinarian. Also, during the slaughter period, it will be necessary to attract a specialist in skinning, which will increase the payback parameters.
Animal breeding
Females aged 5 months are suitable for mating. Males must be 1 month older. After mating, it is recommended to separate the animals. After the cubs appear, the female is kept with them for some time. Nutria give birth once every 2 months. There can be up to 15 cubs in a litter.
Disease Control
Nutria have strong immunity. However, sometimes they encounter infections - salmonellosis, streptococcosis, colibacillosis. To avoid this, it is important to monitor the quality of water and feed. Regular cleaning of premises is of no small importance.
Advertising and sales of products
Nutria meat is considered a specific product. To sell products, it is recommended to enter into agreements with retail outlets, supermarkets, and catering establishments. It is better to sell fur without intermediaries.It can be sold to ateliers or businesses that sew outerwear.
Profitability calculation
Profitability depends on several factors:
- number of livestock;
- the price of fur and meat in the region;
- availability of sales points.
To launch a project, on average, 200 thousand rubles are required. With the right approach, breeding nutria is quite profitable. After just six months of work, you can earn over 300 thousand rubles. Nutria breeding has a number of features. For this business to be successful, it is important to provide the animals with quality care and balanced nutrition.
