by-DR. Sanjeev Kumar Singh,SMS,KVK, Hazaribag, Jharkhand.
In this article we are going to learn about 2 type of IFS model.
1. Fish-cum-Poultry Farming
2.Fish cum Duck farming
Much attention is being given for the development of poultry farming in India and with improved scientific management practices; poultry has now become a popular rural enterprise in different states of the country.
• Apart from eggs and chicken, poultry also yields manure, which has high fertilizer value.
• The production of poultry dropping in India is estimated to be about 1,300 thousand tons, which is about 390 metric tones of protein.
• Utilization of this huge resource as manure in aquaculture will definitely afford better conversion than agriculture.
Stocking Density of Fish:
• The application of poultry manuring in the pond provides a nutrient base for dense bloom of phytoplankton, particularly nano plankton which helps in intense zooplankton development.
• The zooplankton has an additional food source in the form of bacteria which thrive on the organic fraction of the added poultry dung. Thus, indicates the need for stocking phytoplanktophagous and zoo planktophagous fishes in the pond.
• In addition to phytoplankton and zooplankton, there is a high production of detritus at the pond bottom, which provides the substrate for colonization of micro-organisms and other benthic fauna especially the chironomid larvae.
• Another addition will be macro-vegetation feeder grass carp, which, in the absence of macrophytes, can be fed on green cattle fodder grown on the pond embankments.
• The semi digested excreta of this fish forms the food of bottom feeders.
• For exploitation of the above food resources, polyculture of three Indian major carps and three exotic carps is taken up in fish cum poultry ponds.
• The pond is stocked after the pond water gets properly detoxified.
• The stocking rates vary from 8000 – 8500 fingerlings/ha and a species ratio of 40 % surface feeders, 20 % of column feeders, 30 % bottom feeders and 10-20 % weedy feeders are preferred for high fish yields.
• Mixed culture of only Indian major carps can be taken up with a species ratio of 40 % surface, 30 % column and 30 % bottom feeders.
• In the northern and north – western states of India, the ponds should be stocked in the month of March and harvested in the month of October – November, due to severe winter, which affect the growth of fishes.
• In the south, coastal and north – eastern states of India, where the winter season is mild, the ponds should be stocked in June – September months and harvested after rearing the fish for 12 months.
Use of poultry litter as manure :
The fully built up deep litter removed from the poultry farm is added to fish pond as manure.
Two methods are adopted in recycling the poultry manure for fish farming
The poultry droppings from the poultry farms is collected, stored it in suitable places and is applied in the ponds at regular instalments
• Applied to the pond at the rate of 50 Kg/ha/ day every morning after sunrise.
• The application of litter is differed on the days when algal bloom appears in the pond. This method of manurial application is controlled.
Constructing the poultry housing structure partially covering the fish tank and directly recycling the dropping for fish culture
• Direct recycling and excess manure however, cause decomposition and depletion of oxygen leading to fish mortality. It has been estimated that one ton of deep litter fertilizer is produced by 30-40 birds in a year.
• As such 500 birds with 450 kg as total live weight may produce wet manure of about 25 Kg/day, which is adequate for a hectare of water area under polyculture.
• The fully built up deep litter contain 3% nitrogen, 2% phosphate and 2% potash. The built up deep litter is also available in large poultry farms.
• The farmers who do not have the facilities for keeping poultry birds can purchase poultry litter and apply it in their farms.
• Aquatic weeds are provided for the grass carp.
• Periodical netting is done to check the growth of fish. If the algal blooms are found, those should be controlled in the ponds.
• Fish health should be checked and treat the diseased fishes.
Poultry husbandry practices:
The egg and chicken production in poultry rising depends upon multifarious factors such as breed, variety and strain of birds, good housing arrangement, blanched feeding, proper health care
Housing of birds
• In integrated fish-cum-poultry farming the birds are kept under intensive system. The birds are confined to the house entirely.
• The intensive system is further of two types – cage and deep litter system.
• The deep litter system is preferred over the cage system due to higher manurial values of the built up deep litter.
• In deep litter system 250 birds are kept and the floor is covered with litter. Dry organic material like chopped straw, dry leaves, hay, groundnut shells, broken maize stalk, saw dust, etc. is used to cover the floor up to a depth of about 6 inches.
• The birds are then kept over this litter and a space of about 0.3 – 0.4 square meters per bird is provided.
• The litter is regularly stirred for aeration and lime used to keep it dry and hygienic.
• In about 2 month’s time it becomes deep litter, and in about 10 months time it becomes fully built up litter. This can be used as fertilizer in the fish pond.
• The fowls which are proven for their ability to produce more and large eggs as in the case of layers, or rapid body weight gains is in the case of broilers are selected along with fish.
• The poultry birds under deep litter system should be fed regularly with balanced feed according to their age.
• Grower mash is provided to the birds during the age of 9-20 weeks at a rate of 50-70 gm/bird/day, whereas layer mash is provided to the birds above 20 weeks at a rate of 80-120 gm/bird/day.
• The feed is provided to the birds in feed hoppers to avoid wastage and keeping the house in proper hygienic conditions.
Egg laying:
• Each pen of laying birds is provided with nest boxes for laying eggs.
• Empty kerosene tins make excellent nest boxes.
• One nest should be provided for 5-6 birds.
• Egg production commences at the age of weeks and then gradually decline.
• The birds are usually kept as layers up to the age of 18 months. Each bird lays about 200 eggs/yr.
Harvesting:
• Some fish attain marketable size within a few months.
• Keeping in view the size of the fish, prevailing rate and demand of the fish in the local markets, partial harvesting of table size fish is done.
• After harvesting partially, the pond should be restocked with the same species and the same number of fingerlings depending upon the availability of the fish seed.
• Final harvesting is done after 12 months of rearing. Fish yield ranging from 3500-4000 Kg/ha/yr and 2000-2600 Kg/ha/yr are generally obtained with 6 species and 3 species stocking respectively.
• Eggs are collected daily in the morning and evening. Every bird lays about 200 eggs/year.
• The birds are sold after 18 months of rearing as the egg laying capacity of these birds decreases after that period.
• Pigs can be used along with fish and poultry in integrated culture in a two-tier system. Chick droppings form direct food source for the pigs, which finally fertilise the fish pond.
• Depending on the size of the fish ponds and their manure requirements, such a system can either be built on the bund dividing two fish ponds or on the dry-side of the bund.
• The upper panel is occupied by chicks and the lower by pigs.
Economics of Fish-cum-Poultry:
a) Expenditure Rs.
1 Construction of Pond,Water Supply Channel, Installation of Tube well/Renovation/Lease Amount 25000
2 Electricity & Water charges 60000
3 Construction of Poultry Shed ( Rs.150000/- for 10 years) 15000
4 550 Chicks 8250
5 22500Kg Poultry Feed 230000
6 Medicines for Fish & Poultry 50000
7 Fishing, Sale of Poultry Birds & Labour 40000
TOTAL EXPENDITURE 428250
b) Income
Sale of 6000 KG Fish 300000
Sale of 118750 Eggs 415625
Sale of 500 KG Poultry Birds 50000
Total Income 765625
c) Net Income(B-A) 337375
Note : The income may vary on the productivity and market price of a pond and poultry inputs/ by products
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2. Fish cum Duck farming
Benefits of fish cum duck farming:
• Water surface of ponds can be put into full utilization by duck raising.
• Fish ponds provide an excellent environment to ducks which prevent them from infection of parasites.
• Ducks feed on predators and help the fingerlings to grow.
• Duck raising in fish ponds reduces the demand for protein to 2 – 3 % in duck feeds.
• Duck droppings go directly into water providing essential nutrients to increase the biomass of natural food organisms.
• The daily waste of duck feed (about 20 – 30 gm/duck) serves as fish feed in ponds or as manure, resulting in higher fish yield.
• Manuring is conducted by ducks and homogeneously distributed without any heaping of duck droppings.
• By virtue of the digging action of ducks in search of benthos, the nutritional elements of soil get diffused in water and promote plankton production.
• Ducks serve as bio aerators as they swim, play and chase in the pond. This disturbance to the surface of the pond facilitates aeration.
• The feed efficiency and body weight of ducks increase and the spilt feeds could be utilized by fish.
• Survival of ducks raised in fish ponds increases by 3.5 % due to the clean environment of fish ponds.
• Duck droppings and the left over feed of each duck can increase the output of fish to 37.5 Kg/ha.
• Ducks keep aquatic plants in check.
• No additional land is required for duckery activities.
• It results in high production of fish, duck eggs and duck meat in unit time and water area.
• It ensures high profit through less investment.
Stocking Density of fish:
• The pond is stocked after the pond water gets properly detoxified.
• The stocking rates vary from 6000 fingerlings/ha and a species ratio of 40 % surface feeders, 20 % of column feeders, 30 % bottom feeders and 10-20 % weedy feeders are preferred for high fish yields.
• Mixed culture of only Indian major carps can be taken up with a species ratio of 40 % surface, 30 % column and 30 % bottom feeders.
• In the northern and north – western states of India, the ponds should be stocked in the month of March and harvested in the month of October – November, due to severe winter, which affect the growth of fishes.
• In the south, coastal and north – eastern states of India, where the winter season is mild, the ponds should be stocked in June – September months and harvested after rearing the fish for 12 months.
Use of duck dropping as manure:
• The ducks are given a free range over the pond surface from 9 to 5 PM, when they distribute their droppings in the whole pond, automatically manuring the pond.
• The droppings voided at night are collected from the duck house and applied to the pond every morning.
• Each duck voids between 125 – 150 gm of dropping per day.
• The stocking density of 200-300 ducks/ha gives 10,000 – 15,000 kg of droppings and are recycled in one hectare ponds every year.
• The droppings contain 81% moisture, 0.91% nitrogen and 0.38% phosphate on dry matter basis.
Duck husbandry practices :
The following three types of farming practice are adopted.
Raising large group of ducks in open water
• This is the grazing type of duck raising.
• The average number of a group of ducks in the grazing method is about 1000 ducks.
• The ducks are allowed to graze in large bodies of water like lakes and reservoirs during the day time, but are kept in pens at night.
• This method is advantageous in large water bodies for promoting fish production.
Raising ducks in centralised enclosures near the fish pond
• A centralised duck shed is constructed in the vicinity of fish ponds with a cemented area of dry and wet runs out side.
• The average stocking density of duck is about 4 – 6 ducks/sq.m. area.
• The dry and wet runs are cleaned once a day. After cleaning the duck shed, the waste water is allowed to enter in to the pond.
Raising ducks in fish pond:
• This is the common method of practice.
• The embankments of the ponds are partly fenced with net to form a wet run.
• The fenced net is installed 40-50 cm above and below the water surface, so as to enable the fish to enter into the wet run while ducks cannot escape under the net.
Selection of ducks and stocking:
• The kind of duck to be raised must be chosen with care since all the domesticated races are not productive.
• The important breeds of Indian ducks are Sylhet Mete and Nageswari.
• The improved breed, Indian runner, being hardy has been found to be most suitable for this purpose, although they are not as good layers as exotic Khaki Campbell.
• The number of ducks required for proper manuring of one hectare fish pond is also a matter of consideration.
• It has been found that 200 – 300 ducks are sufficient to produce manure adequate enough to fertilize a hectare of water area under fish culture.
• 2 – 4 months old ducklings are kept on the pond after providing them necessary prophylactic medicines as a safeguard against epidemics.
Feeding
• Ducks in the open water are able to find natural food from the pond but that is not sufficient for their proper growth.
• A mixture of any standard balanced poultry feed and rice bran in the ratio of 1:2 by weight can be fed to the ducks as supplementary feed at the rate of 100 gm/ bird/day.
• The feed is given twice in a day, first in the morning and second in the evening.
• The feed is given either on the pond embankment or in the duck house and the spilled feed is then drained into the pond.
• Water must be provided in the containers deep enough for the ducks to submerge their bills, along with feed.
• The ducks are not able to eat without water. Ducks are quite susceptible to afflatoxin contamination, there fore, mouldy feeds kept for a long time should be avoided.
• The ground nut oil cake and maize are more susceptible to Aspergilus flavus which causes aflotoxin contamination and may be eliminated from the feed.
Egg laying:
• The ducks start laying the eggs after attaining the age of 24 weeks and continue to lay eggs for two years.
• The ducks lay eggs only at night. It is always better to keep some straw or hay in the corners of the duck house for egg laying.
• The eggs are collected every morning after the ducks are let out of the duck house.
Harvesting:
• Keeping in view the demand of the fish in the local market, partial harvesting of the table size fish is done.
• After harvesting partially, the pond should be restocked with the same species and the same number of fingerlings.
• Final harvesting is done after 12 months of rearing.
• Fish yield ranging from 3500 – 4000 Kg/ha/yr and 2000 – 3000 Kg/ha/yr are generally obtained with 6 – species and 3 – species stocking respectively.
The eggs are collected every morning. After two years, ducks can be sold out for flesh in the market. About 18,000 – 18,500 eggs and 500 – 600 Kg duck meat are obtained.
Reference: agropedia
