Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[barbiegirl]

They are called freshwater prawns. I don't have a humidity problem because of the woodstove. It sucks the moisture out of the air. We are hoping to get a nice fillet out of the tilapia.

 

[barbiegirl]

My hubby found this video. I hope my fish get this big!

. I liked how he used old hot tubs. People are always giving them away around here.

 

[dheltzel]

I have bred several of the freshwater prawns in my aquariums (had 30+ in the basement, I can tell you about humidity issues). The main reason I moved on to other fish is that they are mean, to each other and any fish. Keep them very well fed, if you skip a meal, or don't give them enough easy food, they will start to dismantle their tank mates (literally, pulling off legs and antennae for a snack).

Given that I see shrimp for about $5 a pound in the grocery store (and tilapia for $2/lb), I would never try to raise either for eating. Instead, I would breed Bristlenose catfish and sell them to pet shops and wholesalers, then take the money and buy frozen tilapia and shrimp. In fact, frozen tilapia would be one of the foods I would give the catfish to stimulate breeding. Most tropical fish are farm raised in huge quantities, but a few species are tricky for the big farms and yet popular with the pet shops. Bristlenose cats are (IMO) the best of those for small scale breeding at home. Don't plan to make a living at it, it doesn't scale well and your labor must be considered "free" to make it worthwhile, but it's fun.

 

[dheltzel]

Pic of our New Hampshire hens. I posted a pic of the free range roos a few days back, these are his sisters.
These are, by a big margin, the calmest breed we have. They remind me of the cows on the farm, patiently waiting by the door for me to bring them food or treats. I have to push them aside to make room to step into the pen. They are easily picked up and held, though I never really tried to tame them.

I wish I could sex them like the Rhodebars, and that they laid as well (they are still young and seem to take longer to come into lay).

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Pic of our New Hampshire hens. I posted a pic of the free range roos a few days back, these are his sisters. These are, by a big margin, the calmest breed we have. They remind me of the cows on the farm, patiently waiting by the door for me to bring them food or treats. I have to push them aside to make room to step into the pen. They are easily picked up and held, though I never really tried to tame them. I wish I could sex them like the Rhodebars, and that they laid as well (they are still young and seem to take longer to come into lay).

they're gorgeous!

 

[Bettacreek]

LittleMiss, yep, I got the sheep. We put one in the freezer after injury (26lbs of meat) and have the other two bred now. I was milking the one ewe, but let her dry up because of craziness in life.

Wing, if fish is out, the only other thing I can think of is bugs (mealworms, waxworms, red worms, etc) or begging on freecycle or CL or facebook groups for freezerburnt meat for pet use.

 

[wingstone]

LittleMiss, yep, I got the sheep. We put one in the freezer after injury (26lbs of meat) and have the other two bred now. I was milking the one ewe, but let her dry up because of craziness in life.

Wing, if fish is out, the only other thing I can think of is bugs (mealworms, waxworms, red worms, etc) or begging on freecycle or CL or facebook groups for freezerburnt meat for pet use.

I do mealworms by the thousands, keep the heads from butchering for cat food.. kind of why I want the mice...feeds both cats and poultry.

 

[wingstone]

I have bred several of the freshwater prawns in my aquariums (had 30+ in the basement, I can tell you about humidity issues). The main reason I moved on to other fish is that they are mean, to each other and any fish. Keep them very well fed, if you skip a meal, or don't give them enough easy food, they will start to dismantle their tank mates (literally, pulling off legs and antennae for a snack).

Given that I see shrimp for about $5 a pound in the grocery store (and tilapia for $2/lb), I would never try to raise either for eating. Instead, I would breed Bristlenose catfish and sell them to pet shops and wholesalers, then take the money and buy frozen tilapia and shrimp. In fact, frozen tilapia would be one of the foods I would give the catfish to stimulate breeding. Most tropical fish are farm raised in huge quantities, but a few species are tricky for the big farms and yet popular with the pet shops. Bristlenose cats are (IMO) the best of those for small scale breeding at home. Don't plan to make a living at it, it doesn't scale well and your labor must be considered "free" to make it worthwhile, but it's fun.

I can not speak for others but for me it is not always the cost, I am willing to put a lot more cost out there to know exactly what is in that meal.....

With having an autoimmune disease what you eat will determine how good or bad your day will be...

 

[LittleMissPurdy]

They are called freshwater prawns. I don't have a humidity problem because of the woodstove. It sucks the moisture out of the air. We are hoping to get a nice fillet out of the tilapia.

sorry, you did say you had a wood stove..duh..those things are instant dehydrators!! My gram had one, as kids we always ended up running around her house in t-shirts & underwear..it got so hot!!

...Tilapia is such a mild nice fish..I hope they do get big for you!! I hear ya on the Hot tubs..geesh they are everywhere!! I don't think that idea would fly with DH though..fish in a hot tub..nah, not happening.

Pic of our New Hampshire hens. I posted a pic of the free range roos a few days back, these are his sisters.
These are, by a big margin, the calmest breed we have. They remind me of the cows on the farm, patiently waiting by the door for me to bring them food or treats. I have to push them aside to make room to step into the pen. They are easily picked up and held, though I never really tried to tame them.

I wish I could sex them like the Rhodebars, and that they laid as well (they are still young and seem to take longer to come into lay).

they are beautiful!

LittleMiss, yep, I got the sheep.

We put one in the freezer after injury (26lbs of meat) and have the other two bred now. I was milking the one ewe, but let her dry up because of craziness in life.

Wing, if fish is out, the only other thing I can think of is bugs (mealworms, waxworms, red worms, etc) or begging on freecycle or CL or facebook groups for freezerburnt meat for pet use.

cool on the sheep!!

I can not speak for others but for me it is not always the cost, I am willing to put a lot more cost out there to know exactly what is in that meal.....

With having an autoimmune disease what you eat will determine how good or bad your day will be...

..i feel you! The less processed the better, but even then, things will do what they do

..

 

[hendricks115]

I totally understand what you are thinking with the protein benefits...cost analysis may need done to see how feasible it is per pound. if you have access to a large pressure cooker you may consider offering butchering services for spent layers for a dollar a piece...put them through the plucker and straight into the cooker. Process for 90 minutes and then grind. Spread out about a half inch thick on cookie sheets, freeze and then break apart in crumbles. Throw a half pound or so a day into the run as scratch.
.

I kept all the meat scraps (originally for the dog and cats) from my hubbys deer and froze it. I might try this method.