A visitor to Creek Street Micro Farm brought us five Redclaw, one of which was berried female (carrying eggs).

We set up an aquarium home for the expectant mum.  We're told that her eggs about 10 days away from hatching.  Once they've hatched, we'll keep the Redclaw fry in the aquarium for a few days before releasing them into our duckweed tank to grow out.

I've always wanted to breed and rear freshwater crayfish but I was under the impression that their aggressive behaviour toward one another meant that they needed plenty of space.  This is difficult to provide in tanks which is why freshwater crayfish like yabbies and redclaw are usually grown out in ponds.

Our visitor, who knows a lot about freshwater crayfish, has undertaken to teach us more about these intriguing creatures.....to the point where we can produce sufficient of them to meet our own needs.

The remaining crayfish (which were too large to be used for breeding) went into the freezer to kill them before boiling them in some salted water.  We ate them....and they were good, too.