Raising porcupines also makes you rich quickly.
(Baonghean.vn) -Mr. Le Van Than's porcupine farm in Phuc Son hamlet (Nghi Van commune, Nghi Loc district, Nghe An province) currently has a fairly high income, from 80 to 100 million VND per year.
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Porcupine is the largest species in the rodent family. Weighing about 15-20 kg, body length 65-75 cm, tail length 6-12 cm, whole body covered with spines, neck has a high mane of hair, end of tail has a tuft of hair. This is the characteristic to identify the species.
When we came to visit his model, at first we heard that porcupines are very aggressive, but he said, "I don't know what to say. Please come here and see for yourself." Strangely, when they got to the cage, these porcupines were not afraid of strangers and came close to ask for food. He said that raising porcupines does not require much effort and expense. The food source for porcupines is very proactive, easy to find, and is mainly tubers, grains, and green vegetables. These types of food are very easy to find in the countryside. As for the cage, it is not complicated, it just needs to be airy and have enough light. He said that at first, he did not understand the science or their habits, so when feeding porcupines, they would bite each other. After learning about the breeding techniques of some localities, they still build caves in the cages for porcupines to live in, but he does not build caves for porcupines, for the following purposes: During the day, when he wants to feed the porcupines, they go into their caves to sleep, so it is difficult to see them. Secondly, porcupines often go out to eat at night, so he turns on the lights to create a habit for the porcupines to eat all day. He keeps 2-3 porcupines in each cage.
According to him, taking care of porcupines is easier than raising goats or pigs... Every day, you only have to clean them once because porcupine droppings are similar to goat droppings and during the raising process, there have been no signs of porcupines getting sick. He said that porcupines also like to bathe but only dip their feet in the water and stroke themselves, never dipping their whole bodies in the water. Each year, a female porcupine only gives birth to 2 litters, each litter has 2 babies, the porcupine's breeding season is in March-April and October-November. After giving birth, the baby porcupines have enough soft hair but their eyes are not open yet, and they suckle themselves immediately after birth. The weight of a newborn porcupine is from 0.2-0.3 kg. Male porcupines reach sexual maturity after 12 months, while female porcupines reach sexual maturity after 15-16 months. After 2 months, the baby porcupines separate from their parents to give birth to a second litter. In particular, porcupines have very good resistance. He said: New cassava leaves are not edible for cattle, but porcupines can eat them normally. The price of porcupine seeds is currently very high, from 8 to 10 million VND/pair.
Every year he sells 2 batches of breed, each batch is 5 pairs. So every year he has from 80 to 100 million VND. This is a model that every farmer can participate in to enrich themselves.
Article and photos: Cao Minh Hung -Nghi Loc Agricultural Extension Station
