Yabbies

Dam Stock Yabbies Cherax destructor

Dam stock yabbies are currently available in box loads of 100-200 at $1.23 cents each plus GST. Sorry, due to high demand we are limiting supply to a maximum of 200/customer in an attempt to service as many customers as possible. If you wish for larger numbers of Dam Stock they are available from Blackrock Yabbies at Bulahdelah NSW, but PICK UP ONLY. More info on Blackrock Yabbies.

Technically, you only need one male and one female to start a population but the chance of that male finding that female in your dam is very small and the chance of something happening to one of those crayfish is very large. The more you initially stock with, the greater your chances of establishing a sustainable population.

A blue claw yabby
Blue claw yabby Cherax destructor

Stocking rates are determined based on the surface area of your farm dam. Typically, for a 700-1000m2 surface area dam 200 yabbies is the ideal number to get a sustainable population going quickly. Unfortunately, if its a larger dam you will need to make do with 200 and just wait that bit longer to get your population going. Use the calculation below to determine the surface area of your farm dam. (A good long pace equals 1 metre)

Farm Dam Size Calculator
Farm Dam Size Calculator

If your dam is larger than 1000 m2 surface area then it is recommended that you stock more yabbies initially, buy a couple or more boxes of yabbies. You can buy 200 now and then buy more next month, etc.

Dam stock are the perfect size for any farm dam (5.5-10.5 cm head to tail). They are large enough to be too big for most eels and fish to eat, mature enough to breed right away, small enough not to wander from the dam and small enough that 200 will survive in the box for 5 days in transit (just in case Star Track has a whoopsie or you are well off the beaten track, etc).

Dam Stock Yabbies
Dam Stock Yabbies

Unfortunately, yabbies are on the bottom of the food chain and everything but everything loves a feed of yabbies. Naturally they must be highly prolific and fast growers to survive in the wild, these are perfect attributes for a farm dam owner that likes to grow a feed.

Cooked yabbies ready to eat
Cooked yabbies ready to eat

When you buy dam stock yabbies, you receive mixed sizes from 7 gram to 30 grams in weight. These represent 6 month to 9 month old yabbies (some just grow faster than others). Yabbies are cold blooded animals with growth directly related to water temperature. They grow fast over summer and slow over winter.

Yabbies breed, based on age not size. When they breed and the eggs hatch, typically the offspring are 50/50 male/female yabbies so when you buy dam stock you get roughly 50/50 males and females.

When you buy a box you get 200 yabbies (generally 3-4 extra in case some don’t make it in transit) of which roughly 100 are females. The smallest females at 7 grams will bare 70 eggs whilst the 30 gram females will have 200 eggs. Each female could then breed twice or three times/year. Each of those eggs will hatch into a yabby of which 50% will be females which will all have approx 100 offspring after 6 months, then 200 after 9 months and 300 after 12 months etc., for ever amen. See article for breeding info.

A 15 gram Yabby with 162 hatchlings

Your numbers can grow dramatically and in a good yabby dam it does not matter if you lose 10,000 yabbies each year to predators as there are plenty of replacements.

The most important time is the initial stocking and breeding, you must stock you dam with enough to have breeding and hatching occurring despite what the shags, cranes, turtles and misadventure takes from the population. If you don’t put in enough initially then you will never establish a sustainable population.

Buy Dam Stock Yabbies

We only sell bulk box loads at 100-200/box. We are commercial wholesalers, however, anyone can purchase our yabbies at the wholesale farm gate price. We do not sell small quantities, if you want a few, go to one of our retailers and buy from an aquarium shop, etc.

Dam Stock yabbies are $1.23 each plus GST

100 yabbies = $123.00 + GST = $135

Delivery is via Star Track Express at $88 for the first box and $66 for every additional box. Delivery is to your door. Typically we send on a Monday for eastern States and SA

Release

Yabbies are packed and delivered in a foam (polystyrene) box. This is an esky to keep the yabbies cool in transit.

Foam box
Foam box

Your yabbies are packed in wood wool with a gel pack or frozen bottle to keep them cool. Yabbies are cold blooded animals so when cold they shut down and go to sleep till they arrive at your place. Star track sends tracking emails to you direct and I will send you the Star Track Con note number when despatched so you can track the delivery yourself.

This is what your box of yabbs will look like on arrival
This is what your box of yabbs will look like on arrival

Just open the box, extract the gel pack and tip the rest into your dam. Both the yabbies and the woodwool. The wood wool will act as food for the yabbies over the long term. Try and tip your yabbies into water at least 600 mm deep and try to spread them out a little bit. The yabbies will wander around the dam till they find somewhere they like and set up camp.

Yabbies have a hard exoskeleton that protects them from temperature changes so you don’t need to acclimatize them like you need to do with our fish fingerlings.  

OUR STOCK

Our yabbies are our special genetic strains that we have been culturing for over 30 years. Initial stock was sourced from Crayhaven Aquacultural Industries which was the largest privately owned yabby farm in NSW. For over 20 years as yabby farmers and industry leaders we selected our best yabby strains for breeding each year. In 2004 when I sold that farm I kept some of the best yabby stock for my new farm at Swan Bay. That stock has been nurtured over the years and with the construction of new ponds and the creation of AustSilvers is now available to all comers.

Additionally, as the overseer of the CSIRO Super Yabby program I also had access to the CSIRO super yabbies and used that stock to enhance our Crayhaven improved stock.

Additionally, we used our Mid West Yabby & Fish Traders best stock from our Dubbo, Gilgandra and Peak Hill Farms to also enhance our breeding stock.

The result, today in 2023 is the improved yabby stock we have available for sale from AustSilvers. Our stock is the result of natural selection for fast growth, robust and placid nature.

Sorry high demand and regular customers are now taking all we can supply. We are limiting supply to max 200 to general public at the moment.

Cheers Rob

WARNING Yabbies are one of the few species other than mankind that is increasing its area of domination across the planets surface. All the attributes that make them so attractive to stock your dam are also attributes that can make them invasive in places where they shouldnt be. You need to check you States Fisheries Department to check if yabbies are allowed in your area. All States have regulations as to where yabbies can be stocked into private dams and where they cant. Please NOTE: our yabbies can ONLY be stocked into private dams not any natural waterbody or creek, etc.