Earning Money from Breeding Nutrias

Breeding nutria (or marsh beavers) is one of the most profitable and potentially lucrative business ventures on a small family farm. These animals do not require overly complex care, are not aggressive, and are not picky eaters. As a result, you obtain sought-after fur and a large quantity of lean meat (an adult male can reach a length of 70 cm and weigh 15 kg, while females are usually 20% lighter). This makes the profitability of such a business very high, with associated risks being extremely low.

Housing Conditions

The only significant challenge in breeding nutria is creating a special swimming pool for them. These aquatic animals love to dive a lot so having free access to water is essential for their nutrition, weight maintenance, and fur quality.

Other than that, nutria are not demanding in terms of living conditions. It is important to note that they do not tolerate cold well. Therefore, the building should maintain a minimum air temperature of plus 8 degrees. Also, avoid keeping them at temperatures above 40 degrees to prevent heat stroke and death risks.

Optimal housing includes maintaining a temperature of 15-20 degrees with 20-25 square centimeters of feeding and roaming space per individual. Young nutria can be housed in larger groups of up to 15 individuals. Pregnant females should have separate accommodations.

To save space, nutria housing can be stacked in 2-3 tiers. It is crucial to plan convenient access for delivering feed, water, and cleaning cages. If the houses are made of wood, it is advisable to cover the interior walls with iron to prevent the nutria from chewing on them. Remember that nutria are highly sensitive to external noise, so avoid location near construction sites or noisy areas.

Another vital step is setting up a bathing area. This can be a concrete trough or a simple flat tub with a diameter of at least 40 cm. In the cage for mother nutria and offspring, create a gentle slope in the pool to help the young ones climb out with wet fur.

Cleaning the cages should be done daily, removing food remnants, waste, and regularly changing drinking and bathing water.

Diet

Nutria are not picky eaters and can be fed various types of food, such as:

1) Herbaceous plants. Alfalfa, barley stems, clover. Optimal daily amount is 250-300 grams in the summer, preferably soaked before feeding.

2) Grain concentrates (with rye and barley). Feed 120-170 grams daily, cooked or soaked in boiling water.

3) Pressed cakes and fish meal. Offer 5-10 grams per day.

4) Hay. A winter alternative to herbaceous plants, provide 250-300 grams per day per individual.

5) Fresh carrots and cabbage.

6) Potatoes. Can be given raw or boiled before feeding.

7) Tubers. Clean root vegetables thoroughly before feeding. Limit beet consumption for pregnant females to avoid premature labor.

8) Algae. A highly beneficial feed type for nutria, should constitute about 20% of the overall diet.

9) Supplementary feeding. Nutria enjoy eating poplar, birch, and oak branches, as well as reeds, beet or carrot tops, corn, and grapevine.

Avoid feeding nutria toxic plants (tansy, dogbane, digitalis) and branches from ash, linden, or ash trees.

If given a choice, nutria will eat their favorite foods first and trample the hay and grass. Therefore, mixing the food into a homogenous mass is recommended.

Nutria are strong animals capable of moving and overturning feeders and drinking troughs easily. Therefore, it is advisable to secure the feeding containers to the cage.

Feed nutria twice a day, with a ratio of 40% of the feed in the morning and 60% in the evening. Focus on grain concentrate in the first half of the day and grass and fresh vegetables in the evening.

Breeding

Mating can begin at 6-7 months of age for nutria. This age ensures healthy offspring. Breeding is usually done in groups, where 10-15 females are introduced into the pen with a sexually mature male. Around 45 days later, each female is checked for pregnancy by feeling their abdomen for developing embryos.

Birth occurs approximately 150 days after mating, with no human intervention needed, as the offspring are born fully developed. Within 2-3 days, they start eating, and by one month, they reach one kilogram in weight, at which point they can be separated from the mother.

Nutria are usually raised until they are 7-8 months old (average lifespan of 6-7 years). After this age, their growth significantly slows down, and further maintenance becomes financially unfeasible. Harvesting a male at this age can yield 2-3 kilograms of high-quality meat and a good pelt.

Thus, nutria breeding can be a profitable and low-effort business venture with proper management, offering good returns on minimal investments.

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