Homesteaders

[lazy gardener]

well with all this talk about CWD now affecting humans, i was thinking of another way to get meat. so i have had the idea before (talked about it a bit) but am going to set up a small aquaculture system, where i live we can raise trout and tilapia (with a permit for the tilapia). so i talked and thought about and going to be trying to set up what i call the aquatic research center (lol) so here is my plan on getting fresh fish year round.

tilapia (hoping i can get a permit for them) can get them any time of the year, from my local hatchery, from some research they take between 9-12 months to reach 1.5lbs so am hoping 9 months for 1 lb (hoping that is reasonable) and with a 300 gallon tank i hope to be able to raise some where between 20-60 fish (the plan is to start very small) at 1 lb each that is again between 20-60 lbs of fish (live weight) with a dress out of about 50% filleting them (i fillet every thing from pike to trout) that is about 10-30 lbs of fish fillets in 9 months of work (and by work i mean feeding and maybe topping water every week or so) then take a few months off for summer camping and start back up again in the fall.

Have you had much experience with fish tanks? While, on the surface (pun intended) aquaponics sounds like it would be easy, there is a vast difference between the theory, and the actuality. It takes a lot of intervention to monitor water quality. Something as simple as a plugged filter, or a few dead fish can turn the water into a toxic mess, either with high bacteria counts which raise the ammonia levels, or a drastic change in pH. pH levels even change during a 24 hour period, based on available light and how that interacts with plant matter.

I don't want to rain on your parade, and indeed aquaponics is on the back burner of my brain... for a future project. But... it's not quite as simple as it looks. Will be watching to see how well your system falls into place and becomes productive!

 

[wyoDreamer]

I can't find any detailed info on that study with the monkeys, nothing beyond the "monkeys were fed cwd positive meat and 2 tested positive for prion disease". I like to know the details because things are easily skewed to how someone wants it to sound. I did find a detailed report on how it may be very remotely possible for it to transfer to people but no evidence that it does or can. A lot more evidence that it can't out there.

 

[wyoDreamer]

not promoting you to eat venison or not to eat venison. It is an individual choice.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

well no fish project for me, (this year at-least) due to weather and space issues in the shop. so that is sad news was really hoping for this but life is life.

on the other had coyote almost attack my dog. (dog was outside) and the thing came up to her. so now that they are worth some money going to trap them. so that will be interesting.

also went deer hunting and got nothing, (i did not hunt by family and friends got a few shots off at deer but never hit anything) so there is that.

and for all this scare about CWD so far like wyo said nobody has got CWD from it, (now trichinosis from deer is what i worry about) but domestic pork has it as well just cook it well done. as long as the government still says that we are safe for eating deer i will eat deer (can't be much worse then these factory farmed steroid meats).

 

[itsasmallfarm]

okay we have a badger on our farm. going to be trapping it and going to keep every one up to date on this

so am going to be using a coni-bear trap to note a 220, would use a 330 but the ground is half frozen going with the smaller trap. planning to dig the trap in about 8-12 inches in the hole so nothing else but the badger will set the trap off/get caught in it. will update every one on how this works out.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Ooh, be careful, badgers are nasty!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Good luck with the Badger trapping.

My friend had a badger dig a den at the end of his driveway. Big one too! He went out with a shovel and a gun to fill in the hole. The next morning the hole had been dug out again - so he filled in the hole. After three times, the hole never go dug out again and the badger never came back. They seem to have a range that they will wander through. Clean out all the game and then move on.

 

[itsasmallfarm]

update: still no badger yet.
also the fish project is a go now, we decided due to the nice weather we will give it a try this year, so here is the plan.

got two 55 gallon drums (that had hog casings so food safe) going to pretty much make them fish tanks, (add gravel to the bottom, add air stone, add filter,add aquarium heater) pretty much a fish tank, then add fish either tilapia (if i can get a permit to raise them) or going with a back up plan of trout. will update as project goes on.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I was thinking old discarded jacuzzis would be perfect for raising fish.

 

[lazy gardener]

the fish project is a go now