Are ASF worth breeding as feeders?

[rufretic]

I raise them.

If you don't handle them they are demons. Cull all the biters after the young are 21 days old an keep doing it till your colonies are nice.
You can't add a new adult male to the colony, the females will kill him. Leave some sub adults females an males in if you want new blood.
They grow sloooooow. It's four months for a big adult. They can breed at two months.

I use a 1.3 colony. I started with a 1.2 an the kids dropped the male an one female in front of the Main Coon shop cat. OK, the ASF jumped, they do that unlike the rats. So, one female has given me five breeding colonies. I culled her after her litter of twenty was 21 days old. She was a biter.



My ASF breed better then anything I've tried in cement tubs. They even breed an raise young better then the rabbits.

My snakes will eat rats or ASF anytime. But ASF will put weight on faster an draw a feeding response from picky eaters.


If your prey dealer won't sell females, they just want to keep making money off you.

PM me if your near the Eastern Shore, I'll hook you up with a young colony.

What temp do you keep yours at? My buddy that breeds them thought they were slow growers at first too, but unlike rats, they like the heat. He moved them to his fish room that I believe he heats to 80 degrees and now he almost can't keep up with production and they are growing ridiculously fast! If you keep yours in the air conditioned house at 68-70 degrees, that may be why they are growing slow. I would try raising their temps a little bit if possible and see if it helps.