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Started By
Message
keeping crawfish alive for a few days
Posted on 3/23/16 at 6:31 am
Posted on 3/23/16 at 6:31 am
i know its been beat to death, but I'm terrible at the search function.
have to keep them alive until Saturday or Sunday. I'm guessing just some ice at the bottom of my ice chest, then towels, then crawfish with a crack in the lid, in the shade? is that how the OB would do it?
before anyone asks why a few days, I started running my traps Monday, and now we're going to my grandparents up in Mississippi on Saturday and Sunday and they want craws.
have to keep them alive until Saturday or Sunday. I'm guessing just some ice at the bottom of my ice chest, then towels, then crawfish with a crack in the lid, in the shade? is that how the OB would do it?
before anyone asks why a few days, I started running my traps Monday, and now we're going to my grandparents up in Mississippi on Saturday and Sunday and they want craws.
1
Posted on 3/23/16 at 6:37 am to maisweh
I've never kept them in sacks for more than 3 days. Any longer and I would take them out of the sacks and use some sort of large container with circulated/oxygenated water (similar to the big tanks they sell shiners in at a bait shop).
If you try to go almost a week in the sacks, you're going to have a lot of dead ones. That being said, yes you'll need ice on the bottom with a layer in between so the crawfish don't actually freeze to death. Then wet towel on top and prop the ice chest up on an angle so the water drains. Also keep it in the shade and keep the lid popped so they don't suffocate.
If you try to go almost a week in the sacks, you're going to have a lot of dead ones. That being said, yes you'll need ice on the bottom with a layer in between so the crawfish don't actually freeze to death. Then wet towel on top and prop the ice chest up on an angle so the water drains. Also keep it in the shade and keep the lid popped so they don't suffocate.
Posted on 3/23/16 at 6:51 am to The Last Coco
no sacks, I've just been emptying traps in my ice chest and boiling later in the day. Now everyone wants crawfish this weekend so I wont be boiling today or tomorrows catch until Saturday.
I do have a large tub and one of those attwood livewell pumps with the PVC sprayer that runs off of 12v that I use for keeping shrimp alive a few days.
I do have a large tub and one of those attwood livewell pumps with the PVC sprayer that runs off of 12v that I use for keeping shrimp alive a few days.
Posted on 3/23/16 at 7:09 am to maisweh
I would sell what you catch the next couple days, take that money and buy crawfish Saturday. Boom, problem solved. I think you would have a lot of dead ones by Saturday.
Posted on 3/23/16 at 7:26 am to DownSouthDave
I found this, most of which I do anyway. I lay ice on the bottom of chest then use some 4" by 4" boards laid cross ways to keep them out of the water and not touching the ice. put towel on top then bag ice of top of towel. Spray with water 4-5 times a day.
STORING AND KEEPING YOUR LIVE CRAWFISH ALIVE
Here are simple, easy to follow instructions on how to PROPERLY STORE your live crawfish for 1 to 3 days and have all of them still kickin' when it comes time to get things cookin'.
Keep your live crawfish in the sack they come in, do not let them out.
Keep the sack or sacks in a very LARGE ice chest, laying down so the sack is horizontal. Try not to crowd them.
Do not store sack standing up. Do not let them out of the sack.
Don't have a huge ice chest? Beg, borrow, buy or steal one from somebody.
Place a soaking wet towel or t-shirt over the sack in the chest.
Place an UN OPENED bag of cubed ice on top of the crawfish sack in the ice chest.
Leave the lid up on the ice chest about one quarter to one half inch so they can get some air.
Keep ice chest with live crawfish in it in total shade like in the garage, your shop or the carport.
Keep away from heat sources and out of the reach of children, pets and wild animals. (This includes your drunk buddies.)
Keep out of the sun (they don't need a tan) Sun will kill them.
Keep out of the wind (they don't fly kites) Wind will dry out the gills and kill them.
Keep out of the water (their swimming days are over ) You will drown them or suffocate them and this will kill them.
Turn your crawfish sack over daily if you are keeping two days or more.
Keep any ice water that ends up in the chest drained out.
DO NOT USE DRY ICE! Dry ice will kill them.
Do not store in a regular refrigerator, always in an ice chest.
NOTE: when washing and or purging your live crawfish, get the water out of the house and be sure it is tepid, warmish (not hot!) water.
The water coming out of your garden hose is still about 38 degrees and way too cold for them, the cold water will shock them and put them into a sleep state and you will think they are dead, but they aren't.
STORING AND KEEPING YOUR LIVE CRAWFISH ALIVE
Here are simple, easy to follow instructions on how to PROPERLY STORE your live crawfish for 1 to 3 days and have all of them still kickin' when it comes time to get things cookin'.
Keep your live crawfish in the sack they come in, do not let them out.
Keep the sack or sacks in a very LARGE ice chest, laying down so the sack is horizontal. Try not to crowd them.
Do not store sack standing up. Do not let them out of the sack.
Don't have a huge ice chest? Beg, borrow, buy or steal one from somebody.
Place a soaking wet towel or t-shirt over the sack in the chest.
Place an UN OPENED bag of cubed ice on top of the crawfish sack in the ice chest.
Leave the lid up on the ice chest about one quarter to one half inch so they can get some air.
Keep ice chest with live crawfish in it in total shade like in the garage, your shop or the carport.
Keep away from heat sources and out of the reach of children, pets and wild animals. (This includes your drunk buddies.)
Keep out of the sun (they don't need a tan) Sun will kill them.
Keep out of the wind (they don't fly kites) Wind will dry out the gills and kill them.
Keep out of the water (their swimming days are over ) You will drown them or suffocate them and this will kill them.
Turn your crawfish sack over daily if you are keeping two days or more.
Keep any ice water that ends up in the chest drained out.
DO NOT USE DRY ICE! Dry ice will kill them.
Do not store in a regular refrigerator, always in an ice chest.
NOTE: when washing and or purging your live crawfish, get the water out of the house and be sure it is tepid, warmish (not hot!) water.
The water coming out of your garden hose is still about 38 degrees and way too cold for them, the cold water will shock them and put them into a sleep state and you will think they are dead, but they aren't.
This post was edited on 3/23/16 at 7:31 am
Posted on 3/23/16 at 7:30 am to maisweh
quote:
I do have a large tub and one of those attwood livewell pumps with the PVC sprayer that runs off of 12v that I use for keeping shrimp alive a few days.
That should work. They shouldn't drown if the water is oxygenated properly.
Posted on 3/23/16 at 7:37 am to rodnreel
I can agree with all of that, except...
What garden hose are you using?!?
quote:
The water coming out of your garden hose is still about 38 degrees
What garden hose are you using?!?
Posted on 3/23/16 at 8:40 am to DownSouthDave
Or just find a co op and make a trade. 6 sacks now for 5 sacks on Saturday.....something like that
Posted on 3/23/16 at 10:18 am to rodnreel
quote:
Do not store in a regular refrigerator, always in an ice chest.
My parents have been buying crawfish the Wednesday before Good Friday for the last year's storing them in the extra refrigerator. May have 1 or 2 pounds of dead ones from 2 sacks.
Posted on 3/23/16 at 2:53 pm to CHEDBALLZ
FYI - here's a copy/paste from a friend of mine who has his Ph.D in Crawfish and works at the LSU AG Center Rice Research Station in Crowley ...
..."As stated, keep chilled with high humidity. An ice chest works fine with ice placed on top of sack. As ice melts, the water dripping down will keep gills moist (necessary for respiration). No need to leave lid cracked but do leave plug open or loose and end propped up slightly so water drains out rather than submerge crawfish on bottom. The survival rate at this point will largely be dictated by how well they were handled during and after harvest and how long they have been out of their habitat by the time you receive them. Under the best of conditions, it's hard to get much more than 5 or 6 days without significant mortality. "
..."As stated, keep chilled with high humidity. An ice chest works fine with ice placed on top of sack. As ice melts, the water dripping down will keep gills moist (necessary for respiration). No need to leave lid cracked but do leave plug open or loose and end propped up slightly so water drains out rather than submerge crawfish on bottom. The survival rate at this point will largely be dictated by how well they were handled during and after harvest and how long they have been out of their habitat by the time you receive them. Under the best of conditions, it's hard to get much more than 5 or 6 days without significant mortality. "
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