CATDOLL : CATDOLL: How to raise turtles in rice fields?

How to raise turtles in rice fields?

(1) Principles and functions of raising turtles in rice fields Raising turtles in rice fields is to use the effective water surface of the rice fields to raise turtles without affecting rice planting. During the planting and breeding process, rice can absorb fertilizers in the fields to purify the water environment, which is beneficial to raising turtles. The activities of turtles can remove weeds in the fields and scare away pests such as mice. At the same time, the excrement discharged can fertilize the fields, which can prevent diseases, promote growth, and improve economic benefits.

(2) Basic conditions for raising turtles in rice fields The water used in rice fields should be pollution-free water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs. The rice fields should be easy to fill and drain and have sufficient water sources. It is best to grow single-season rice.

(3) Basic facilities for raising turtles in rice fields ① Escape prevention facilities: It is best to use asbestos tiles to place fences horizontally in the ridges around the rice fields for turtle breeding, and the fences must be solid and strong. In addition, fences should be set up for inlets and outlets. The fences should take into account both the drainage of farmland and the escape prevention of turtles. Therefore, it is best to use wooden gate frames with iron mesh for the inlet and outlet. The mesh size should not exceed 5 cm, and an overflow port can be made on the gate to allow overflow when heavy rain exceeds the standard water level. ② Dig a turtle ditch: The purpose of digging a turtle ditch is to provide a place for turtles to hide when fertilizing and spraying pesticides on the farmland, and also a place for them to hide from enemies when the field is dry. Turtle ditches are generally dug in rice fields 2 meters away from the ridges. Depending on the size of the rice fields, the fish ditches can be dug in the shape of a cross, a field, a mouth, a sun, or a well. The fish ditches are 40 cm deep and 50 cm wide. It is best to dig fish ditches after the rice seedlings turn green and stand upright. ③ Set up a feeding platform and a sunbathing platform: The feeding platform is set up on the sides of the ditch. The feeding platform can be made of cement tiles, which is both a feeding platform and a sunbathing platform. It can be placed along the slope of the ditch, and it is best to fix the bottom with wooden stakes.

(4) Stocking turtle seeds For raising turtles in rice fields, in addition to being healthy and disease-free, each turtle must be no less than 350 grams. Only after several months of breeding in rice fields can it grow into a commercial turtle weighing more than 500 grams. When stocking turtle seeds, it is required to be disinfected with 3% salt water for 5 minutes. When stocking, the turtle seeds should be placed in the turtle ditch and allowed to swim around. At the same time, artificial feed should be immediately placed on the feed board to allow the turtles to find the feeding point as soon as possible and form the habit of eating at the feeding point. Therefore, it is absolutely forbidden to stock turtles casually. The best time to stock turtles is after the seedlings turn green and stand upright, because if it is too early, they may damage the seedlings. The stocking density is 200 per mu for feeding, and 35 per mu for non-feeding.

(5) Feeding and management

① Feeding: Feeding for turtles in rice fields is divided into two times a day, usually at 9:00 and 16:00. Feed can be purchased from manufacturers, or it can be prepared in pellet form according to local feed resources. Especially in places with fresh and active animal feed resources, such as small fish, fresh and non-rotten internal organs of livestock and poultry, the breeding effect is also good. But when feeding, it should be cut into small pieces or beaten into minced meat, and the fish paste and flour should be mixed into pellets for feeding. Do not feed the whole. Feeding should be done to make the turtles full and eat well, and it should be flexibly increased or decreased according to the eating situation and climate change. Some people worry that turtles will catch frogs in the fields, which will be detrimental to rice pest control. In fact, this worry is unnecessary. Because frogs in the fields are more active and responsive than turtles, it is difficult for turtles to catch frogs except for those that are sick and injured. In addition, due to artificial feeding, turtles rarely take the initiative to prey on aquatic animals with stronger activity than them when they have food security. On the contrary, some insects, insect eggs, snails, fish, etc. in the fields are good feed for turtles and can also bring benefits to rice planting.

② Patrol the fields: Patrol the fields is very important when raising turtles in rice fields. Because during the breeding process, there will be large rats, snakes and some wild cats and other enemies that will invade, which will not only directly endanger the turtles' lives, but also bring disadvantages to the turtles' escape after drilling holes. Therefore, when patrolling the fields, you must carefully check the water inlets, outlets and retaining walls. If you find enemies and holes, you should immediately remove and repair them. In addition, spraying pesticides and fertilizing is a routine management of rice fields, but if you don't pay attention, it will also cause poisoning to turtles. Therefore, before spraying pesticides and fertilizing, you should first go to the rice fields, drive the turtles into the water of the turtle ditch, and then spray pesticides and fertilize. When spraying pesticides and fertilizing, you should also try not to spray the pesticides into the ditch to avoid poisoning and death of turtles. When patrolling the fields, attention should also be paid to changes in the water level in the rice fields, especially on rainy days, when night patrols should be strengthened. If the retaining wall is found to be tilted or collapsed, it should be repaired in time. The debris stuck to the gate frame and the fence should also be cleared out in time to avoid clogging the mesh and affecting overflow. Damaged areas of the field ridges should also be repaired in time to prevent the wall from collapsing and escaping.

(6) Fishing and temporary rearing Fishing is usually done before or after rice harvest. Of course, it is best to look at the market situation and trap turtles of sufficient size and put them on the market in time. Trapping can be done with an inverted whisker cage. If someone wants to buy turtles the next day, the trap cage can be placed in the turtle ditch next to the feed table that night. If they are not on the market, do not put the cage in, otherwise the turtles will not be able to move and forage normally and will become sick and die. Finally, drain the water, clean the bottom, catch and bury them for transportation, but not all of them can be caught. Therefore, even after cleaning the bottom, the escape prevention wall should not be removed. Wait until the number of turtles caught is close to the survival rate of the stocking number before giving up. In order to facilitate fishing, some places take advantage of the habit of turtles to burrow into the sand bottom. First, a cement board is laid at the bottom of the turtle ditch, and then about 20 cm of fine sand is laid on the board. When the water is released, most turtles will burrow into the sand layer, which makes fishing easier, but it increases the facilities and costs. In some places, rice fields need to be plowed in autumn, and the caught turtles cannot be sold for a while. At this time, it is best to build a small temporary breeding pond with bricks in your own yard or indoors, and cover the pond with 30 cm thick tidal sand. Generally, if the temperature does not exceed 15℃, 30 turtles can be placed per square meter, and they can be temporarily raised for about 1 month.

This article is from: China Agricultural Press "China Biotechnology Development Report"

Will soft-shell turtles burrow into the soil when kept in a fish pond?

Soft-shelled turtles will burrow into the soil when kept in a fish pond, but they can be mixed with other turtles. The specific reasons are as follows: \x0d\x0a First of all, the anti-escape facilities must be good to prevent the turtles from climbing over and escaping, causing unnecessary losses. The number should be controlled at 60 per mu, that is, one turtle lives in 10 to 15 square meters. Soft-shelled turtles are ferocious and aggressive by nature. If the density is too high, they will kill each other, which is not good for growth, and the wounds are easily infected and die. \x0d\x0a At the same time, several small islands should be built in the wild environment for the turtles to move around. In terms of feeding, of course, you can raise them, but since you want to raise high-imitation wild soft-shelled turtles, you can't use soft-shelled turtle feed. You should feed them with animal viscera, small fish, shrimp, etc. When feeding with small fish, you must deal with the small fish in advance, because although the soft-shelled turtle is the king of the water body, the soft-shelled turtle has poor swimming and flexibility, so you must deal with it when feeding the soft-shelled turtle with fish. How to deal with it specifically. \x0d\x0a I can give you some advice. As the saying goes, fish swimming in shallow water are played with by shrimps. Shrimp can catch fish in shallow water. Build a small pond in shallow water next to the island and put live fish in it. Not only can it ensure that the fish will not die for a long time, but it can also serve as food for Wangqiao Lu Liba. Wild turtles grow extremely slowly. According to different conditions in the north and south, the north generally can only grow about 150 grams a year. The south is slightly faster than the north, but it is also below 250 grams. Therefore, it takes at least 2 to 3 years to breed wild turtles. Soft-shelled turtles can be raised with fish. Don't worry about this. Soft-shelled turtles are not as smart as fish. They usually attack fish by surprise. Few healthy fish will be eaten by soft-shelled turtles.