1. The Fish Pond Design

When deciding on the fish pond site and design, there are some key factors to be considered and they include;

Source of water to fill the pond and how the same water will be brought to the pond:

• The general rule is that the pond water inflow and outflow should equal the pond volume over the period of a month.
• If the inflow is too low, water quality may suffer from oxygen depletion and/or accumulation of toxicants.
• If the water outflow is too high, large amounts of beneficial algae may be flushed out from the pond.
• The water should keep the pond full throughout the culture period. The pond should fill up in less than a week.
• Place screens on pond inlets and outlets to keep out predators, insects, and unwanted fish and also to retain the cultured fish.

Size, shape, and depth of the pond:

• Relatively shallow ponds are productive. However, the shallow end should be at least 0.5m deep to avoid invasion by weeds and predation of the fish.
• The size and shape of the pond can vary depending on the fish species, fish population, and the farmer’s preferences.
• It’s worth noting that if you want to produce fingerlings, you will require more small ponds whereas a food fish producer requires relatively large ponds.

The slope of the pond bottom:

• The bottom must have a sufficient slope for good drainage.
• A slope with a drop of 2cm for every 10m along the pond bottom is appropriate.
• If the slope is too gentle, the pond will not be easily drained.
• If the pond is too steep, it may be too shallow at one end or too deep at the other end. The pond should be drainable.

Height, width, and slope of the dyke:

• The perimeter and feeder roads are required for movement of machines during construction and harvest.
• If you plan to drive on the dykes, build them at least 3m wide on top and at the base.

Soil types:

• Topsoil is high in organic material and should not be used to construct pond dykes.
• Land should be composed of good quality soil, with little or no gravel or rocks either on the surface or mixed in.
• Areas with rocky, gravelly, or sandy soil are not suitable for pond construction.
• Soil that will be used to build the dykes must contain at least 20 percent clay so the finished pond will hold water throughout the growing period.

2. Species suitable for culture in your region/ Target Market

There are Four major fish species which can do well in the East African climatic conditions. These are Nile perch (Lates niloticus), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) and Trout

Nile perch

One of the largest freshwater fish, Lates niloticus reaches a maximum length of nearly two meters (more than six feet), weighing up to 200 kg. Mature fish average 121–137 cm although many fish are caught before they can grow this large.
A fierce predator that dominates its surroundings, the Nile perch feed on fish (including its own species), crustaceans, and insects; the juveniles also feed on zooplankton.

Tilapia

This is a warm water fish and is mainly cultured in a freshwater environment. It thrives well in water temperature of between 20-35 degree Celsius. It attains sexual maturity at two months. Tilapia feed lower in the food chain i.e. feeds mainly on phytoplankton, zooplankton, and detritus.
Stocking rates range from two to six fingerlings/m2, depending on the level of management. Male tilapia are known to grow almost twice as fast as females.
It is, therefore, preferable to stock only males (monosex culture) to achieve the fastest growth and reach market size in the shortest possible period, resulting in more proteins and profits. A major management problem of pond-cultured tilapia is an excessive reproduction and the subsequent stunting of fish due to overcrowding.
Methods of controlling overpopulation include manual sexing of fish, use of sex-reversal hormones to produce all males, and use of predators.
The success of these methods may rest with how well a fish farmer understands the techniques.

Catfish

It grows in the same agro-climatic regions as tilapia. The water temperatures of between 26-33 degrees Celsius are ideal. It attains maturity at two years of age or at 200-500 grams. It feeds mainly on zooplankton. Their stocking rate is 100-450 fry/ m2.
Catfish has a drawback of high mortality of fry especially during the first 14 days after eggs hatch

Trout

It’s a cold water fish and it’s best grown in high altitude regions where water is cooler. Its presently limited by the availability of seeds and quality feeds in the country.

3. Pond preparation for stocking

The procedure below should be followed by the farmer to the latter when preparing the pond for stocking. These steps will help boost the productivity of the pond.

• For an old pond, drain all water and allow it to dry for 14 days.
• Apply lime to the pond bottom and dyke slopes. Choose agricultural limestone (CaCO3) for application in your fishpond
• Apply organic fertilizer in the pond before filling it with water. The most common examples of organic fertilizers are animal manures (from cattle, poultry, donkeys, rabbits, sheep, and goats) and decaying plant matter, such as cut grasses.
• Fill the pond with water.
• Apply inorganic fertilizer in the pond after it has been filled. Apply DAP and UREA to your fishpond at the following rates: wwDAP: 2 g/m2/week (or weekly applications of 15 tablespoons DAP for every 100 m2) wwUREA: 3 g/m2/week (or weekly applications of 30 tablespoons urea for every 100 m2).

4. Fish feeds

There are various feeds that can be offered to the fish in the pond. Some commonly available feeds include:

• Meals
• Crumble
• Dry sinking pellets
• Moist sinking pellets
• Floating pellets

The feeds can be formulated so as to meet the body requirements of the fish species. This can be done as follows:
i. Cottonseed cake— 37%
ii. Wheat bran— 57%
iii. Fresh shrimp— 6%
iv. Vitamin Premix
Feed ingredients can be hand ground or a manual grinder can be used. It’s important to adhere to the four fixes (4Fs) when feeding fish. These are:

• Fixed feed quality.
• Fixed feed quantity.
• Fixed feeding location.
• Fixed feeding time.

The fish should be fed between 10 am and 4 pm when the water temperatures and dissolved oxygen content are reasonably high and the fish are active.

For more advice on fish farming Please Contact Us

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Poultry farming is profitable alright, but a lot of people still fail and incur lots of losses in this business. Poultry farming has been in existence for ages and while some people have smiled to the bank and expanded their businesses, a lot of investors have blamed themselves for going into the business.

No business is easy. There is always the risk of failure in any business. Even if it is just selling candies; if you do not do it right, you cannot succeed at it.

Every business has its ‘trade secrets’ and a lot of people fail in business because they do not know the trade secrets of their respective businesses. Poultry, just like any other business out there has its trade secrets which you have to know to increase your chances at success.

Some of the trade secrets to expand your poultry business include the following-:

1. Start small

Don’t start large scale poultry farming if you are inexperienced in the business. I have seen a lot of people make this mistake and it is wrong. They read about how people are making millions from poultry farming and then they go ahead to invest their live savings into the business. Some even go and obtain loans to start a business that they are inexperienced at.

For a business like poultry farming, you have to start small and then expand gradually as your business grows and demands for your products increase. You should also do a proper feasibility study before you go into the business. If there are too many competitors or if the supply for poultry products exceeds the demand in your area, then look for somewhere else to start your business or look for another business to start. There are several other lucrative businesses in the livestock farming industry that you can consider.

2. Consider Meat Packaging and Production

A lot of people get their poultry products from grocery stores and supermarkets. Very few people still buy live animals because they feel it is less stressful when you buy already packaged meat which you can use to make your meal in few minutes. Therefore, you should really consider having your own meat production and packaging business to sell the products from your farm.

Once you have your poultry farm, starting a meat packaging company is fairly easy. Just create a space for butchering and cleaning the animals, hire butchers and buy equipment that would make the job mechanized and faster, some refrigerators and then approach Food and Standards Regulatory Authorities for a license and boom!

3. Have your own sales outlet

Another way to expand your poultry business is to have your own sales outlet and not rely only on supplying to retailers. You don’t have to have too many sales outlets; you can start with just one. You can sell your own branded chickens and chicken parts and fresh eggs to consumers.

4. Offer Mobile Sales and Delivery Services

Twenty-four hours in a day is just not enough for some people because of the kind of busy lives they lead. Now, imagine having to cook, shop for groceries, tend to the kids and do all sort of other house chores and still maintain a 9-6 job. It’s really not easy for a lot of working parents and this is why mobile sales and delivery services always works.

A lot of people see such services as a lifesaving one; a service that brings you necessities without dealing with stress and traffic. With a van or motorcycle, you are ready to start offering such services within your area.

5. Employ sales representatives

Don’t think that your business is too small to employ sales reps or that poultry business is not serious enough to have sales representatives. Right here in my office, I have someone who brings me fresh eggs weekly and frozen chicken when I feel like having chicken.

She’s a sales rep and earns commission for each item she sells. I have also been able to introduce her to my colleague and friends who also buy from her regularly. Now, her employer is a very smart poultry farmer because even when I buy from the grocery store, I only buy their products. Having a sales representative is a good way to increase awareness for your products and increase sales too.

6. Have your own Hatchery

Instead of purchasing day old chicks, it’s more cost effective to have your own hatchery for hatching new chicks. You would be able to reduce the costs of hatching and also increase output compared to outsourcing the service.

7. Produce your own feed

Another tip for growing your poultry business is to have your own feed mill for producing chicken feed. Chicken feed production is not so hard; if you can learn how to raise chickens, then you can learn how to produce chicken feed and if you are able to reduce the costs of producing feed, you would be able to increase the overall profitability of your business.

8. Employ Experienced Staff

Another way to grow your poultry business is to employ people who are experienced to handle the operational aspects of the business. If you have a really large poultry farm, you can employ business consultants to suggest ways through which you can expand your poultry business.

9. Take Stock regularly

You should keep an eye on the output from your farm. You should have a store where eggs are stored and have some people who would be in charge of stock keeping and counting the chickens regularly. This would help to prevent thefts.

For more advice on poultry, Please Contact Us

• NECROTIC ENTERITIS CAUSE AND PREVENTION

The post Tips for Growing / Expanding Your Poultry Business appeared first on Sokies Feeds Limited.