BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beekissed]

I think maybe a word about fattening birds for slaughter, and having extra fat on layers. We don't really want fat layers, do we?

Nope. I sure don't. That's why I said the biggest problem with this breed is feeding less and less as they glean more and more at certain times of the year. When they start true laying season they tend to trim down a good bit and start looking a little rangy, then I can start giving them a little more feed supplement to aid in their production efforts. Even then it's not as much as most folks are feeding and I keep the protein at 16%...never go higher than that.

 

[DesertChic]

I'm loving all of these stories. Ignorance may or may not be bliss...but it's a wonderful source of entertainment for those in the know. (And I've been the ignorant one more often than I care to recount.)

I'm ecstatic to say that I FINALLY have my aquaponics setup at least partially stocked with fish and the plants are now going in. It's been quite a battle with more than a couple "redos" of the work my hubby did for me, and once we got the system running smoothly we discovered that as of 2016 Arizona has banned owning and raising Tiliapia as they've now classified it as an invasive species. I was told, "Get goldfish" and "Get Koi", but the whole point of this venture was to raise my own food and those two ornamental fish simply don't fit the bill. I did manage to covertly acquire some Tilapia and am now doing all I can to convince Game & Fish to make allowances for aquaponics enthusiasts, but it's proving to be an uphill battle. Apparently they're convinced that all of our dry riverbeds will soon be overflowing with this invasive fish. I was even told by one employee that there haven't actually been any negative reports of Tilapia taking over AZ water systems, but since it's been a problem elsewhere (she specifically mentioned Australia), they don't want to take any chances.

It frustrates me how hard our government agencies work to keep people from growing their own food.

 

[Beer can]

@DesertChic even in your own tanks?!! I can almost understand the snakehead fish ban, they don''t want people to 'maybe' release them into the wild, but tilapia and koi?!! They are raised everywhere in the US as far as I know...

 

[bnjrob]

I'm loving all of these stories. Ignorance may or may not be bliss...but it's a wonderful source of entertainment for those in the know. (And I've been the ignorant one more often than I care to recount.)

I'm ecstatic to say that I FINALLY have my aquaponics setup at least partially stocked with fish and the plants are now going in. It's been quite a battle with more than a couple "redos" of the work my hubby did for me, and once we got the system running smoothly we discovered that as of 2016 Arizona has banned owning and raising Tiliapia as they've now classified it as an invasive species. I was told, "Get goldfish" and "Get Koi", but the whole point of this venture was to raise my own food and those two ornamental fish simply don't fit the bill. I did manage to covertly acquire some Tilapia and am now doing all I can to convince Game & Fish to make allowances for aquaponics enthusiasts, but it's proving to be an uphill battle. Apparently they're convinced that all of our dry riverbeds will soon be overflowing with this invasive fish. I was even told by one employee that there haven't actually been any negative reports of Tilapia taking over AZ water systems, but since it's been a problem elsewhere (she specifically mentioned Australia), they don't want to take any chances.

It frustrates me how hard our government agencies work to keep people from growing their own food.

UGH. It is very frustrating. I truly believe they are trying to keep people from being self-sufficient - if you control the food, you control the people. Soooooooo, any idea what other fish would work in an aquaponics setup?

 

[Beer can]

@DesertChic are hybrid bluegills legal?

 

[nanasacres]

UGH.  It is very frustrating.  I truly believe they are trying to keep people from being self-sufficient - if you control the food, you control the people.   Soooooooo, any idea what other fish would work in an aquaponics setup?

Govt control by starvation, dependence. Good for you for recognizing it. Do what you can to educate others. Thats why this site is so important and beneficial.

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

UGH. It is very frustrating. I truly believe they are trying to keep people from being self-sufficient - if you control the food, you control the people. Soooooooo, any idea what other fish would work in an aquaponics setup?

I think trout or some kind of salmon would work?? I found this issue pretty early on when I was fantasizing about aquaponics. You have to check the local regulations, and some fish do better in different temperatures of water, blah blah blah, which can make a huge difference in a local setup.

 

[Kusanar]

I'm loving all of these stories. Ignorance may or may not be bliss...but it's a wonderful source of entertainment for those in the know. (And I've been the ignorant one more often than I care to recount.)

I'm ecstatic to say that I FINALLY have my aquaponics setup at least partially stocked with fish and the plants are now going in. It's been quite a battle with more than a couple "redos" of the work my hubby did for me, and once we got the system running smoothly we discovered that as of 2016 Arizona has banned owning and raising Tiliapia as they've now classified it as an invasive species. I was told, "Get goldfish" and "Get Koi", but the whole point of this venture was to raise my own food and those two ornamental fish simply don't fit the bill. I did manage to covertly acquire some Tilapia and am now doing all I can to convince Game & Fish to make allowances for aquaponics enthusiasts, but it's proving to be an uphill battle. Apparently they're convinced that all of our dry riverbeds will soon be overflowing with this invasive fish. I was even told by one employee that there haven't actually been any negative reports of Tilapia taking over AZ water systems, but since it's been a problem elsewhere (she specifically mentioned Australia), they don't want to take any chances.

It frustrates me how hard our government agencies work to keep people from growing their own food.

Catfish should be ok, they're a nice bottom feeder and will clean up anything that gets to the bottom of the tank, I'm in the planning stages of an aquaponics setup and I was planning on putting bluegill and catfish in the tank since the bluegill stay near the surface and the cats stay near the bottom.

Maybe a trout species?

 

[hellbender]

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

@DesertChic, I've looked at this carefully, as I plan to set this up myself one day. There are limits on certain tilapia here in Texas as well - because of bad actors who dump fish in the waterways when they don't want to deal with them anymore, and the fish then proliferate and become invasive and damage the native ecosystem. But in Texas you ARE allowed to have Mozambique tilapia without an exotic species permit because they cannot overwinter in the wild/native waters (too cold for them outside of your controlled and sheltered system). The climate is similar state-wise here as there. (I think you can also have catfish - and indeed, the catfish are less sensitive to temperature issues in your system.)

Double check to see if they allow Mozambique tilapia. If not, that might be somewhere to start if you want to advocate for changing the rules. Sometimes you can get all male ones as well (though I understand that's not for sure).

If you Google "Texas tilapia" you'll find lots of info.

- Ant Farm