CQUniversity food waste feeding farmed crocodiles in Queensland as hatchlings emerge in their hundreds
It's a mild autumn morning, on a sprawling crocodile oasis in central Queensland and there's movement in the hatchery.
After an incubation period of around 90 days, baby crocodiles are starting to poke their tiny noses out from their egg shells.
"It's an exciting time of the year and we've got about five nests hatching out at the moment," Koorana Crocodile Farm owner John Lever says.
Koorana Crocodile Farm owner John Lever holding one of the hatchlings. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
"From now on there'll be babies hatching out every day for the next two or three weeks and it just works out at this time every year.
"Because when the first summer rains come, the crocodiles are sexually motivated, they build their nests and lay their eggs and they hatch out 90 days later."
More than 1,000 crocodiles are expected to hatch at the farm this season. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
The hatchlings usually weigh around 80 grams and measure 20 to 25 centimetres in length.
"Our best, big eggs, off our older females, we can get them up to 90 to 95 grams," Mr Lever says.
"They're the ones who do best of course, they're stronger."
Baby boom in crocodile lagoons
On Mr Lever's farm, he expects around 1,000 to 1,200 hatchlings this year.
He says the biggest challenge is ensuring all the crocs have access to enough food.
A female crocodile lays on top of an egg nest. (Supplied: Koorana Crocodile Farm)
Once out of their shell, baby crocs enjoy a diet of diced meat.
"The ones that are hatching out today, we won't feed them until next week and then we feed them every day of the week and just start off small," Mr Lever says.
"It's interesting, the food must be very palatable for them and that plays a large part in their consumption.
Koorana Crocodile Farm in central Queensland is home to about 3,500 crocs. (Supplied: Koorana Crocodile Farm)
"Consumption plays a large part in the growth rate — and our economics depends on the growth rate."
At this time of year, thousands of hatchlings are emerging not just on commercial farms, but also in the wild.
In the wild, hatchlings will eat insects, small fish and crustaceans.
Their diet changes as they grow, and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service warns people never to approach a crocodile nest in the wild.
A croc farm food shortage
At Koorana Crocodile Farm, Mr Lever's residents devour about 1,200kg of food per week in total.
The farm is currently home to around 3,500 crocs — and that number is increasing every day during hatching season.
A crocodile at Koorana Crocodile Farm chows down on a wild pig leg. (ABC Capricornia: Megan Hendry)
"When we started the crocodile farm here 43 years ago, there were about five poultry farms in this area that could supply us with old hens or waste products and they all kept disappearing on us," he says.
"The meat works came into the picture and went out of the picture, so I was scratching my head and at a real loss to know where I'm going to get good food supply for our crocs."
Transforming food waste into a croc feast has come at the right time for John Lever and his farm. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
Fast-forward to 2024, CQUniversity has stepped in with a sustainable way to keep the crocodiles well-fed.
It is using food waste from the student residence kitchens to create a feast for the reptiles.
Head chef Stacey Morton said her staff processed anywhere between 70 to 180 chickens a week, which left her looking for a better way to manage the high volume of carcass waste.
Head chef at CQUniversity student residence in Rockhampton, Stacey Morton. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
She said tonnes of waste were now being diverted from local landfill with the help of hungry crocs.
"You save a significant amount of money by breaking down your own chickens, but then you have the wastage," she said.
"We pack the frames back into the chicken boxes they come in and that's part of the sustainability process too."
Crocodiles are on the lookout for food as soon as they hatch. (ABC Capricornia: Aaron Kelly)
Mr Lever said it was tough getting a constant supply of meat for his crocodiles.
"I am after any regular supply of meat that I can lay my hands on and the university came to us with their sustainability program," he said.
"We collect the chickens every week and feed them out to our crocs and it's an essential part of the food strategy."