Integrated Management of Fish-cum-Duck Forming and its Economic Efficiency and Revenue

by
Hu Bao-tong and Yang Hua-zhu
Regional Lead Centre in China
Asian-Pacific Regional Research and Training Centre
for Integrated Fish Farming, Wuxi, China

Hu Bao-Tong and Yang Hua-zhu
Changjiang Fisheries Research Institute
Wuxi, China

Translated by

NETWORK OF AQUACULTURE CENTRES IN ASIA
Bangkok, Thailand
December 1984

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Integrated Management of Fish-cum-Duck Forming and its Economic Efficiency and Revenue

The integrated fish-cum-duck farming practices has been developing very rapidly in recent years in China, especially in the water-abundant Provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang where there are fast developing, varied and large-scale integrated farms.

The integrated management of fish-cum-duck farming

There are three types of farming practices:

1. Raising large groups of ducks in open water

The ducks are generally let loose to allow free ranching in rivers, lakes and reservoirs during the day but are kept in pens at night. This method is advantageous to the large water body for promoting fish production. It also reduces inputs of animals and plant feeds. This method can be considered as an integrated management model for large water body development. But for those fish farms using fish ponds, this method of integration cannot effectively utilize the duck manure and the unconsumed or spilled feeds.

2. Raising ducks on pond shore

Relatively large duck pen is constructed on flat areas of pond shore with appropriate cemented area for dry and wet run. The duck manure and spilled feeds are flushed daily into the wet run. The dry and wet run are being cleaned once a day. During cleaning, the sluice of the wet run is opened to allow organic manure being washed into the fish pond through a manure ditch. After this, the sluice is closed and fresh water is filled in the wet run. This method has the advantages for centralized management of fish-cum-duck farming and sharing of common facilities but is unable to fully utilize unconsumed feeds and undigested feed-stuff in duck manure as well as unable to take advantage of the “symbiotic” relationship of duck and fish.

3. Raising ducks on surface of fish pond

This is the most uncommon method of integrated fish-cum-duck farming. The dikes of growout or two year old fingerling pond are partially fenced to form the dry run and part of the water area in the pond or the corner of the pond is fenced with used netting material to form the wet run. The ducks are hence reared at the surface of the pond. To economize the use of netting materials, the net-pen is installed 40–50 cm above and below water surface. In this way, fish can enter the wet run for food. In large-sized pond, a small “island” is constructed at the center of the pond for installation of feeding facilities. The stocking density currently practiced in China is higher than that practiced in other countries, averaging 4.5 individual/sq.m. of pen area including the dry run and 3–4 individual/sq.m. of wet run.

The number of ducks to be raised in the fish pond depends on the quality of excreta which again is determined by the duck species, quality and quantity of feeds given as well as the method of raising them. In raising peking ducks, about 7 kg of duck manure per duck is obtained every 36 days by force feeding. The Shaoxin ducks raised in Wuxi, produces 42.5–47.5 kg of manure per duck per year, while the hybrid of Shaoxin and Khaki-Combell ducks produces more than 50 kg per duck. The stocking ratio of ducks depends on the climatical conditions and the stocking ratio and density of the various fish species polycultured in the pond. In the Wuxi municipality, the stocking rate is generally 2000/ha. According to experience, fish yield decreases if stocking is above 4000 ducks/ha. and the major fish species are limited to silver carp, big head carp and Tilapia (above 50%); in addition, frequent changes of water and application of aeration are needed, hence, becoming uneconomical. If raising meat ducks, the stocking size should be lower in view of the large quantity of excreta. Pond fish farming in China is based on the polyculture of 8 or more species. When ducks are raised in the same ponds, the stocking ratio of each species usually remain unchanged, except when the number of ducks stocked exceeds 3,000 ha. ratio of filter feeders and omnivores will be slightly increased and that of grass and Wuchang fish reduced. In other countries where duck farming is integrated with the Chinese carps, common carps is normally the main species with silver and bighead carps as secondary. Based on the fertility of the pond, the stocking ratio of silver and bighead carps with common carps is adjusted accordingly, sometimes tilapia is also used.

The economic efficiency and revenue

The integrated management of fish-cum-duck farming especially raising ducks on the surface of fish pond has been found within and outside the country to be an economically efficient farming practice. The Holei Fish Farm in Wuxi municipality found that in 1980 at a stocking density of 1830–1920 ducks per ha., apart from economizing 20,000 kg of manure, fish production increased by 1770–3540 kg/ha. or 17–30% increase over ponds without duck integration. The same farm in 1981 raised 22,000 ducks, apart from providing over 1000 tons of duck manure and large amount of feed-stuff, it harvested 212,685.9 kg of duck eggs, 6059 kg of duck meat, thus providing the municipality with 24,315 kg of available animal protein which is equivalent to 265,560 kg of available grass carp protein at the same time, the farm reaped a net profit of about 42,000 yuan or US$21,212 (based on internal cost price, 21% lower than state-buying price), which is 10.5% of the total net-profit gained in the year.

From the view point of input-output relationship, integrated fish farming with ducks is considered to be the best model of integration of fish and livestocks. Amongst the various livestocks integrated with fish farming, as it is generally known, the economic efficiency of pig-cum-fish farming from micro-economic stand point is generally not high and low in profit whilst that of cow and fish farming is much better. In the case of integrated fish farming with chicken, there is no “symbiotic relationship” which exists in the case of geese, but the quantity of goose eggs produced is comparatively small and the market demand is low. Hence, fish-cum-duck farming not only has the best economic benefits but also demonstrates a close integrated relationship. When compared with the fish-cum-cow integrated farming, the economic efficiency is higher in the former. By comparing the protein input and output in integrated fish-cum-duck farming, it is found that to produce 1 g. of egg protein from Shaoxin ducks requires 5.53 g of feed protein whilst about 5.55 g of feed protein is needed to produce 1 g. of dairy protein from cow; hence the efficiency of convertion from input to output in both cases are similar. However, it is relatively easier to raise ducks than cow and its economic efficiency and revenue with fish farming far exceeds that of cow. For example, a worker in Holei Fish Farm in 1981 produced 292.6 kg of protein from cow while his counterpart produced 506.6 kg of protein from ducks which is 73% higher. The net-profit per capita in cow farming is 106.79 yuan (based on state-purchasing price) and 1427.08 yuan in duck farming (based on state-purchasing price) which is 35% higher.

Integrated management of fish-cum-duck farming can be further developed towards achieving a higher economic efficiency. By utilizing the natural water body to cultivate high yield aquatic plants as vegetable feeds of ducks and the utilization of waste food from city or municipality to grow earthworm as animal-based feeds. The produce in terms of eggs, meat and fish are further processed before marketing, thus, raising the economic efficiency and revenue in the utilization of energy and nutrient resources.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements are due to Mr. Min Kuan-hong for the translation of the paper into English and to the NACA international staff for the various assistance rendered.