Integrated fish cum poultry farmingIntegrated Farming System is a resource management strategy to achieve economic and

sustained agricultural production to meet diverse requirements of farm household while preserving the resource base and maintaining high environmental quality. This farming system seems to answer the problems of increasing food production, increasing net farm income, improving nutritional status, promoting natural resource management, sustainable use of land, water and biota. Integration of chicken with fish farming might be an economically viable and productive system for both rural farmers and commercial entrepreneurs.Supplemental feed and fertilizers –

the high cost inputs in fish farming are not needed in such systems and the cost of inputs is therefore reduced. Poultry manure is a complete fertilizer, with the characteristics of both organic as well as inorganic fertilizers.ADVANTAGES OF POULTRY CUM FISH FARMING:1.Procurement of fish, poultry meat as well as chicken eggs from same farming system.2.Water from fish pond can be used for poultry husbandry practice.3.The transportation cost of the manure is not involved.4.The nutritive value of applied fresh manure is much higher than dry and mixed with bedding materials e.g. saw dust or rice husk.5.Some parts of the manure is consumed directly by the fish.6.No supplementary feed is needed for the fish.7.No extra space is required for chicken farming. Chicken sheds can be constructed over the pond water or on the dyke.8.More production of animal protein will be ensured from the same area of minimum land.9.The overall farm production and income will increase.

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. Utilization of this huge resource as manure in aquaculture will definitely pave way better

conversion than agriculture.Stocking Density of Fish

The application of poultry manuring in the pond provides a nutrient base for growth 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.

The selected species should be compatible with each other The species and their combination ratio should be adjusted according to the amount of feed stuff

and manure that are expected to be made available by the other sub-system As far as possible the species should fast growing

FISH

FISH POND

Bacteria

FISH POND

MANURE

WASTE FEED

NUTRIENTS

PHYTOPLANKTON

MACROPHYTES

ZOOPLANKTON

DIRECT CONSUMPTION CATFISH TILAPIA

FISH

Selected fish should be hardy and resistant to common diseases and parasites

The species should be able to tolerate low oxygen levels and high organic content in the water.

Use of poultry litter as manure Two methods are adopted in recycling the poultry manure in fish farming1.The poultry droppings from the poultry farms is collected, stored it in suitable places and is applied in the ponds at regular installments.2. Constructing the poultry housing structure partially covering the fish tank and directly recycling the dropping for fish culture

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. 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, balanced feeding, proper health care. In the integration of fish and poultry farming both egg type and meat type are farmed. In the cage and deep litter system both egg type and meat type are grown.

a. Housing& Feeding of birds

In integrated fish-cum-poultry(chicken) 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. Chick mash– 40- 45 gm/ day Grower mash– 50- 70 gm/ day in 5- 6 times a day from 8- 18 weeks age of birds. Layer mash– 80- 110 gm/ day in 3- 4 times a day from 18 weeks age of birds.

The feed is provided to the birds in feed hoppers to avoid wastage and keeping the house in proper hygienic conditions.

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.

b. Egg laying Each pen of laying birds is provided with nest boxes for laying eggs. Empty kerosene tins/card board /sand bed make excellent nest boxes. One nest should be provided for 5-6 birds. Egg production commences at the age of 19/20 weeks and then gradually decline after 65 weeks. The birds are usually kept as layers up to the age of 18 months. Each bird lays about  280

eggs/yr. Eggs are collected daily in the morning and evening. The birds are sold after 18 months of rearing as the egg laying capacity of these birds decreases

after that period.

c. 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. Grass carp attain 1 kg weight in 7-8 months, Rohu, Catla,Mirika etc. attain 1 kg weight in 1 year. 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.

For 1 ha pond ie. 7000-8000 fishes, 500-600 birds are required. In 1 year, 25-30 birds can produce 1 ton deep litter. Daily 50 kg / ha poultry dung is applied to fish pond.   Space 

required for 1 bird is 0.3 to 0.4 m2. So, 1 house can accommodate 250 birds. For 1 ha pond, 2 poultry houses with housing capacity of 250 birds should be prepared.

PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED IN POULTRY-FISH INTEGRATED FARMING:1.Construction expenses:     The expenses for earth moving, RCC work, workshop, repair and spare parts, cost of construction materials, like- brick, rubble, steel, cement, etc. need to be surveyed. The major item of construction expenses goes for earth moving and RCC work. Earth moving can be done either manually or mechanically depending on the cost of labour.2.Marketing facilities:The farmed product can be sold either to internal market or to export market. In both cases the taste of consumer and the provision for supplying the product to the consumer should be observed.3.Growth of unwanted aquatic weed in the pond:Unwanted aquatic weeds are needed to be removed from fish pond as it reduces the pond productivity. These unwanted aquatic weeds could be removed- manually, mechanically, chemically and biologically. If possible manual removal method is better. Grass carp, java puthi, tilapia, etc. are good biological agent in removing aquatic weed from fish pond. Chemicals such as 2-4 D, 4 D Ester, Simazine. Paraquat, Urea etc. can also be used.4.Weed fishes, insects, unwanted organisms etc. in the pond:These need to be removed. Removal can be done by repeated netting or by using chemicals. Soap-oil emulsion (soap: oil :: 1: 3) over the pond water surface is most commonly used technique to kill the insects in fishponds. Mohua oil cake@ 200- 250 ppm or tea seed cake@ 750 –975 Kg/ha(100- 130 Kg/bigha) give encouraging result in controlling weed fishes of a pond and it also helps in reducing the quantity of organic fertilizer required by 50%. Commercially available bleaching powder@ 97- 113 Kg/ha (13- 15 Kg/bigha) can also be used as fish toxicant.5.Algal bloom:Some time a thick layer of algal bloom of brown or green colour is seen over the water surface of pond. This can be removed from fish pond by using a piece of split bamboo followed by liming based on water PH as mentioned earlier. Chemicals like- coppersulphate @ 0.1- 0.5 mg/lit. of water or diuron@ 0.3- 0.5 mg/lit. of water also helps in controlling this bloom.6.Partial replenishment of water:Since total dewatering is not possible, so depending on the feasibility some percentage of pond water may be pump out and the same is refilled with new water. But the water depth should be restricted to 2- 2.5 m for good production of fish.7.Ammonia in pond water:Ammonia occurs in pond water in two forms i.e. ionized and unionized. Unionized ammonia toxic to fish. Ammonium (NH4) is lethal to fishes only at a level above 16 ppm while ammonia (NH3) is lethal at a level above 0.02 ppm. If the unionized ammonia concentration is increased then the fish may die. Control the water temperature, pHand also the concentration of phytoplankton in the pond and for that purpose take the proactive measures given in case of changes of water pH& temperature.

8.Phytoplankton bloom:The sudden increase of population of certain planktonic algal group as thick mass in water is called phytoplankton bloom. It is identified by the deep green or blue green or reddish green colour of the pond water. During the day time phytoplankton produces excess oxygen and during

night and cloudy days they absorb dissolved oxygen from water for their respiration resulting dissolved oxygen depletion and fish mortality. The death and decay of algae also cause dissolved oxygen depletion. The reason for this algal bloom in pond water is the presence of excess nutrients in water. Therefore if this problem encountered in the fish culture pond then supply poultry manure to the pond should immediately be cut off and the remedial measures should be taken as mentioned in the case of algal bloom cited in the renovation measures of a pond which can not be dried.

9. Changes in water temperature:It leads to loss of appetite of cultured fish. Fish will also shows poor growth and they become susceptible to diseases. If the water temperature changes to a marketable level then supplying feed and fertilizer to the pond should immediately be stopped. Replenishment of water from a nearby source, harvesting the table size fish, etc. are some of the corrective measures to be taken for it.Note: Apart from the above cited water quality parameters the other water quality parameters to be noted are- total alkalinity, turbidity, micronutrients, chemical pollutants, insecticide, organic matter, presence of aquatic vegetation, etc. are to be checked regularly for good production from a fish pond.

10. Fish health management:Cultured fish should be checked regularly for their health. If any deviation in their normal behaviour is seen then they should be treated with the advice of an expert

11. Health management in poultry:Poultry birds  suffer from viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal and nutritional diseases. Keeping the poultry house clean and dry and vaccinating the farmed stock of the poultry birds against all the viral diseases can help in maintaining a healthy stock of chicken. Before bringing the poultry birds into the house the house and utensils to be used in the farming practices should be disinfected. The farm chicken should be fed with balanced feed. The poultry birds should be dewormed at least once in a month. The veterinary expert should be consulted for any type of poultry disease and accordingly steps may be taken.Using antibiotic in poultry may harm the fish in pond.

In integrated fish-layer farming systems, direct deposit of fresh chicken manure to fish ponds can produce enough natural fish feed organisms, thus maximising profit and reduces production and feed cost. Higher production of animal protein can be achieved from the same area of minimum land with this system. Integrated layer-fish farming systems also provide employment opportunities. Poultry manure is a complete fertilizer. The most valuable poultry production systems for fish production are those systems which produce nutrient-rich and collectable waste. Layers produce more calcium and phosphorus-rich excreta than broilers. The direct use of egg laying where the birds are of constant weight and produce fairly constant levels of waste, are easier to manage than broilers in which waste availability is cyclical.

POND PREPARATION FOR STOCKING OF FISH:Side slope should be 1.5:1. Embankment should be 1 ft more than the high flood level of the selected site. In case of clayey soil, pond dyke’s external side should be 1:1.5 & internal side slope should be 1:2.Construction of inlet and outlet should be done, fencing is also required. Fill the pond with fresh water to a depth of 2-2.5m.Liming:Depending upon the soil and water pH, requirement of quicklime in kg/ha:pH                    quicklime(kg/ha)4-5 20005-6                    12006-6.5                 10006.5-7                  4001/3rd of the required is applied initially to the pond and rest amount is divided into 11 installments and applied monthly.Fertilization:Done after 7-10 days of liming. Fertilizers used are both organic and inorganic.Cow dung @ 5300-5500 kg/ha/year is applied as organic fertilizer.Inorganic fertilizerUrea @ 100-110 kg/ha/yearSingle super phosphate @ 22-26 kg/ha/yearMurate of potash @ 95-100 kg/ha/yearApplied after 7 days of application of organic fertilizer.1/3rd of the required amount is applied initially and rest amount is divided equally in 11 installments and applied monthly.

Production:In this poultry-cum- fish farming from a hector of water spread area pond in 1 year 3500- 4000 kg fish, 650 kg chicken meat and 120000 nos. of chicken eggs can be produced.

Duck-FishCulture

DUCKS ARE ALLOWED TO SWIM IN A RESTRICTED AREA OF POND

Duck-fish integration is the most common integration some parts of India. A fish-pond being a semi-closed biological system with several aquatic animals and plants, provide excellent disease-free environment for ducks. In return ducks consume juvenile frogs, tadpoles and dragonfly, thus making a safe environment for fish. Duck dropping goes directly in pond, which in turn provide essential nutrients to stimulate growth of natural food. This has two advantages, there is no loss of energy and fertilization is homogeneous. This integrated farming has been followed in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Tripura and Karnataka. Most commonly used breed for this system in India is the ‘Indian runners’.It is highly profitable as it greatly enhances the animal protein production in terms of fish and duck per unit area. Ducks are known as living manuring machines. The duck dropping contain 25 per cent organic and 20 per cent inorganic substances with a number of elements such as carbon, phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, calcium, etc. Hence, it forms a very good source of fertiliser in fish ponds for the production of fish food organisms. Besides manuring, ducks eradicate the unwanted insects, snails and their larvae which may be the vectors of fish pathogenic organisms and water-borne disease-causing organisms infecting human beings. Further, ducks also help in releasing nutrients from the soil of ponds, particularly when they agitate the shore areas of the pond.

For duck-fish culture, ducks may be periodically allowed to range freely, or may be put in screened resting places above the water. Floating pens or sheds made of bamboo splits may also be suspended in the pond to allow uniform manuring. The ducks may be stocked in these sheds at the rate of 15 to 20/m2. It is better if the ducks are left in ponds only until they reach

marketable size. Depending on the growth rate of ducks, they may be replaced once in two to three months. About 15-20 days old ducklings are generally selected. The number of ducks may be between 100 and 3,000/ha depending on the duration of fish culture and the manure requirements.

For culturing fish with ducks, it is advisable to release fish fingerlings of more than 10 cm size, otherwise the ducks may feed on the fingerlings. The stocking density of fingerlings also depends on the size of pond and number

of ducks released in it. As the nitrogen-rich duck manure enhances both phyto- and zooplankton production, phytoplankton-feeding silver carp and zooplankton-feeding catla and common carp are ideal for duck-fish culture. The fish rearing period is generally kept as one year and under a stocking density of 20,000/ha, a fish production of 3,000-4,000 kg/ha/year has been obtained in duck-fish culture. In addition to this, eggs and duck-meat are also obtained in good quantity on an annual basis.

DUCK HOUSE ON DYKE

Water quality maintenance in pond1 ha = 2.5 acre , 1acre = 4047 sqmt*Clay loam soil with 20-30% clay is having good water holding capacity*Availability of good quality water throughout the year*Pond should be rectangular in shape , 1-5 acres*Dyke width – 2-3 ft Inner slope – 2:1 (horizontal :vertical) Outer slope – 1.5:1 (horizontal :vertical)*Depth- 6-7 ft Water depth -4-5 ft Free board- 2ftMaintenance of water quality*Eradication of aquatic weed *Liming *Manuring *Periodical water exchange*Aeration during early hours of day to maintain DO level more than 5 ppmUse of lime in pond*To disinfect the pond * To maintain correct pH of water (7.0-8.5)*Increase the availability of nutrients , primarily phosphorous to aquatic plants and phytoplanktonsLime (CaCo3) Dose200-250kg/ha/year , Half of the dose is used before stocking(mix with bottom soil –plough- fill water) and rest in 2-4 equal instalments .Dose should be fixed based on soil pH of pond.Time of limingLime should be applied between 12 am and 3 am when water becomes more acidic due to higher level of carbon-di-oxide concentration because of respiration of aquatic plants and animals.Time of manuringManuring is done between 12 pm and 3 pm when oxygen concentration in water is more . For bacterial degradation of manure oxygen is required.Type of fishes Size of fishes :2-3 inchesCarp (fresh water )fishes : Catla, rohu and mrigalStocking rate : 6000-8000 fingerlings/haChinese carps : Common carp,silvercarp.grass carpCat fish , TilapiaAmount of manure

FYM@8000kg/acre/year(2000kg initially and 120 kg /week)

Poultry manure@4000kg/acre /year(1000kg initially and 60 kg /week)

Pig dung@8000kg/acre/yearDose same as FYM

Bio gas slurry20lt/day

Stocking of fish*After 15-20 days of manuring , when the colour of the water turns greenish or greenish brown indicating good crop of plankton

Stocking ratioSurface feeder(3),Column feeder(4),Bottom feeder(3).Eg. If for 1 acre 5000 fingerlings are to be stocked then 1500 surface feeder(Catla and silver carp) , 2000 Column feeder (Rohu and grass Carp) and 1500 Bottom feeder (Mrigal and common carp)Measures to be adopted to control algal growth*Suspend manuring for few days * Exchange 25% of pond water with fresh water*Introduce silver carp which feeds on phytoplankton and keep algal growth under checkManagement practices to be followed for maintaining good water quality1.Periodic water exchange for removal of organic wastes and toxic gases 2. Aeration during early hours of the day to maintain optimum oxygen level i.e. more than 5 ppm and decomposition of dead organic matter 3.regular liming for disinfection 4. No over manuring

FISH-DUCK INTEGRATED FARMING ADVANTAGES

1.The fish can utilize the feed spilled by ducks(10-20% feed/day/duck) and some fishspecies feeds on duck droppings. About 30-35% dry feed consumed by the duck areusually undigested and excreted in droppings.

2. Due to high manorial value of duck droppings complete savings (60%) on pond fertilizersand supplementary feed is possible.

3.Ducks loose the pond bottom and help in release of nutrients from the soil whichincrease the pond productivity.

4.No additional land is required for ducker house.5.Ducks keep the growth of aquatic plant in check.6.Ducks get 30-50% of their total feed requirement from the pond in the form of

Aquatic weeds, insects, molluscs. 7.Major quantity of droppings are spread by the ducks themselves over the wholepond area.

8.Higher rate of production of fish, duck eggs and meat per unit area and time.9.More profit though investment is less.

Suitable duck breedsNageswari,SylhetMete,KhakiCampbell,Indian Runner etc.

Stocking density200-300 ducks/ha of pond ;6000 fingerlings/ha pond

Catla-1200 Silver carp -1200Rohu-1200 Grass carp-600Mrigal-1200 Common carp-600

Duck droppingsAnnual manure production 30 kg/duck/year.Duck droppings contain 81% moisture and 0.91% Nand 0.38% P2O5

Duck houseIt should be made on the pond dyke or over the pond surface with the help of locally availabilitymaterial like bamboo, cane, thaches etc.In case of duck house is built on the pond surface , a small bamboo bridge is constructed to supply the supplementary feed and collection of eggs. Another bridge is constructed from the duck house to the pond surface for helping the ducks ascend and descend to pond water. Duck houses should be well ventilated for air circulation and should be exposed to direct sunlight.Ducklings of above 21 days of age are allowed in the pond. Space required per duck is 2.5-3 sqft/duck.

Supplementary feed for duckApart from duck weeds like Lemna.Azolla and Wolfia ,supplementary feed in the ratio of poultry layer feed and fine rice bran (1:2) is fed at the rate of 100 gm/duck/day.

Production parameters(Annual basis/ha)

Fish – 3500-4000 kg Eggs-18000-18500 Duck meat -500-600 kg