Koi farms face all kinds of predators.  Over the years we have dealt with herons, otters, kingfishers, muskrats, ducks (you should see how many half inch koi they can swallow!), etc., but we are now facing one of our toughest challenges….RATS!!!  Ugh, yes, rats!!  We have always had cats around the farm that would help us keep our rodent populations down, but we noticed this spring that there were no cats anywhere on the farm, which in turn has lead to a huge rat population.  We didn’t realize how bad it had become until we started harvest clean-up.  Once the areas around our barn were landscaped we were able to see exactly how many holes were dug in the ground.  It seems as though there is a whole underground system the runs under our barn and even under one of the greenhouses.  We are using Hav-A-Hart traps, but we need something on a much larger scale.  There is always the prospect of using poison, but that can be a very scary prospect with having mudponds.  So our first round attempt at outsmarting the rats is  to trap them underground.  The area has been tilled and rolled (just like we do in our mudponds) today…we’ll let you know how it turns out…

We invite you to join us in the B.E.T.N. experience….Breeder’s Eye on Tategoi Nisai -

Harvest season marks the end of another koi season for most hobbyists. But for the breeder, this season comes to close at the same exact time the next season begins.  As koi are harvested from the mud ponds the breeder is examining each koi to see the progress made over the past 6 months in the mud ponds. During this evaluation the breeder is already deciding which fish should receive higher investment in terms of winter growing facilities.  These koi are kept in low stocked, heated, highly maintained greenhouses to obtain maximum potential during their time in the indoor concrete ponds. These special koi are called TATEGOI.

Take an educational journey with us over the next 12 months as we follow the development of these chosen Tategoi.  We are offering these koi to be purchased now from the “breeder’s harvest view.”  Over the next few months these koi will be reevaluated and their progress will be shared thru our blog.  At each evaluation the koi the may increase or decrease in price.

It’s your choice – Invest now for the lowest possible price for a Nisai Tategoi or wait for more information as the koi progress with supplied information ( pictures, text and video), BUT be prepared for those koi which remain Tategoi over the next year to increase in price! The koi will be taken off sale in May when the koi return to the mud ponds for the summer until they are harvested in the fall, at that point all bets are off until next fall.  So, how are you B.E.T.N.?

The koi are priced according to size:

30-34.5cm     $1,000

35-39.5cm     $1,500

40-45cm        $2,000

The photo of the koi was taken on harvest day, so you see what the breeder sees.

Price includes:
Growout Greenhouse Keeping until May 2010
Mud Pond Growing Fee from May 2010 – Fall 2010 Harvest
Greenhouse Quarantine for Fall 2010

Optional Annual Insurance Fee:
The Annual Insurance Fee is $300 which covers the koi until December 31, 2010.  The Annual Insurance covers ONLY death, damage, and/or deformity.  The Annual Insurance will provide the purchaser the ability to choose a new koi in the following year’s B.E.T.N.

All of these koi were determined to be female at their October 2009 harvest.  In the event that a sold koi is determined to be male prior to entering the mudpond in May 2010, the owner will have the option to choose a new koi of equal value from the remaining koi for sale in B.E.T.N.

For more info http://www.qualitykoi.com/koicatalog/123-2009-2010-betn

NT08-130, Showa, 30cm, $1000

NT08-114, Showa, 35cm, $1500

NT08-072, Sanke, 40cm, $2000