Integrated fish-duck farming

Raising ducks over fish ponds fits very well with the fish polyculture system as the ducks are highly compatible with cultivated fishes. The system is advantageous to the farmers in many ways.

Duke house on the pond

Duke house by the dike

1. When given free range over the pond surface, ducks fertilize the pond by their droppings. Ducks have been termed as manuring machines for their efficient and labor-saving method of pond manuring, resulting in complete savings on pond fertilizer and supplementary feed which accounts for 60% of the total cost in conventional fish culture.

2. Ducks keep water plants in check.

3. Ducks loosen the pond bottom with their dabbling and help in release of nutrients from the soil which increase the pond productivity.

4. Ducks, while swimming in the water, aerate the water and have been termed as blological aerators.

5. No additional land is required for duckery activities as the duck houses are constructed on the pond dikes.

6. Ducks get most of their total feed requirements from the pond in the form of aquatic weeds, insects, larvae, earthworms, etc. They need very little feed and farmers normally give kitchen wastes, molasses, rice bran, etc., for the purpose.

"Biological AERATORS; "

CULTURAL PRACTICES

Successful pond management is the basis of profitable fish culture. Build pond (about 1000 sq m) near your house, to enable you to take proper care of your ducks and fish and to discourage poaching.

Check the pond dikes and repair the damages, if any. Deepen the pond so that it retains more than 1 m depth during the dry season.

Drain or dry the pond and remove or kill all the remaining fish stock from the pond by applying 15 kg bleaching powder and 15 kg urea/1000 sq m.

Urea and bleaching powder may be applied one after the other and the dead fish netted out. Alternatively, 250 kg of Mahnood cake (Basia latifolia) may be applied which not only kills fish but also acts as pond fertilizer

Repair dike damage

Manure the pond with a basal dose of cattle dung @ 500 kg/1000 sq m. Stock the pond with fingerlings 7 days after poisoning as the toxicity of bleaching powder lasts for about one week. The fingerlings of over 10 cm size should be stocked as the smaller ones are likely to be preyed upon by the ducks. The recommended rantes of stocking (per 1000 sq m at a stocking denity of 600) are:

Some alterations can be made on the stocking density and species ratio depending upon the pond conditions and availability of seed.

Grass cam should be fed regularly with aquatic or terrestrial vegetations. The grass carp should be fed before the Indes are allowed to come out of the Inde house, otherwise they will spread the weeds over the entire pond surface.

Species carps

HARVESTING

The fish which attain marketable size should be harvested and the rest allowed to grow further.
Final harvesting may be done 10-12 months after stocking.

Calendar for duck-fish farming

DUCK FARMING

Egg-laying by ducks depends upon many factors, including breed and strain, but good management contributes considerably towards the achievement of optimum egg-flesh production.

The ducks do not need elaborate housing since they remain in the pond most of the day. A low-cost night shelter made of bamboo or any other cheap material should be available in the area either on the pond embankment or on the water surface. The house should be well-ventilated and so designed that the washings are drained into the pond.

About 30 ducks are sufficient to fertilize a pond of 1000 sq m; this number only needs a (house) floor area of 13-4 sq m. About 3-4 month-old ducklings are kept on the pond after giving them necessary prophylate treatment and safeguard against epidemic.

Water hyacinth

Chopped

dukes eating choped weater hyacinth

The ducks can find natural food from the pond. They will need very little supplementary feed which can come from household wastes, such as kitchen leftovers, rice bran, broken rice and spoiled cereals, if any. Alternatively, a balanced feed may be purchased and given @ 50 g/bird/day.

Ducks are susceptible to afflotoxicosis; therefore, mouldy feed or feed kept for long time should be avoided.

The ducks start laying at the age of 24 weeks. Laying boxes with straw may be kept in the duck house for egg-laying.

Proper sanitation and health care are very important to maintain a healthy stock. A sick bird is easy to detect: it becomes listless, its eyes lack brightness and watery discharge comes out of the eyes and nostrils. The sick bird should immediately be isolated and treated.

The eggs are collected every morning from the duck house as the ducks lay eggs only at night. The ducks lay eggs for two years; after two years, they should be culled.

Fish-duck farming material flow

Rupee budget for fish-duck farming in 0.1 ha pond.

Cash flow for integrated fish-duck farming for 0.1 ha. pond.

* Cash inflow starts from October when the ducks start laying.
** Cash inflow increases in February and April when partial harvesting of fish is done.