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On‐farm trials of an integrated fish‐cum‐poultry farming system using indigenous chickens
Author(s) -
Njoku D. C.,
Ejiogu C. O.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
aquaculture research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-2109
pISSN - 1355-557X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2109.1999.00325.x
Subject(s) - biology , broiler , stocking , oreochromis , zoology , fish farming , poultry farming , integrated farming , biomass (ecology) , fishery , agronomy , agriculture , fish <actinopterygii> , ecology , aquaculture
The effect of replacing exotic broilers with indigenous chickens in vertically integrated homestead fish ponds as a means of improving the income status of the small‐scale farmer was investigated. Ponds integrated at 1000 chickens ha –1 provided the optimal water quality for fish survival and growth. Excreta load was 3600 kg ha –1 month –1 (dry matter); water pH 8.6; total alkalinity 65.0 mg L –1 ; dissolved oxygen 8.0 mg L –1 ; biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) 2.0 mg L –1 ; ammonia 0.02 mg L –1 ; total phosphates 10.0 mg L –1 ; primary produc tivity 86 mg C m –2 h –1 ); biomass chlorophyll a 9.8 μg cm –3 ; and standing crop 2.85 × 10 3 cells mL –1 . Fish recovery, weight gain and total yield (18.25 tons ha –1 ) for Heterobranchus longifilis, Valenciennes 1840, and 14.90 tons ha –1 for Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus 1758) exceeded the production (3.50 tons ha –1 and 2.10 tons ha –1 , respectively, for H. longifilis and O. niloticus ) from ponds integrated with broiler chicken at the current optimum stocking rate of 1500 chickens ha –1 . Indigenous chickens offered higher resistance, accepted crop wastes and trash as food and generated an excreta load similar to that from more expensive broiler chickens. Economic analysis of the ventures revealed substantial net income at all levels of poultry integration with indigenous chickens as against a net deficit of –=N210 000 ($2470.6) incurred by the farmer using exotic broilers. From a cost–benefit ratio of 1:2.6 in T 2 (1500 indigenous chickens ha –1 ) and 1:0.6 in T 4 (1500 broilers ha –1 ), a net income of =N1.60 ($0.019) accrued to the farmer from every =N1.0 ($0.01) invested in the integrated system using indigenous chickens as against a net deficit of =N0.40 ($0.005) on invested capital using broiler chickens at the same 1500 chickens ha –1 level of poultry integration.