Old farmer shares experience in raising livestock and poultry

In Trung Thanh village, Yen Khe commune, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien's family used to develop livestock and poultry farming with herds of up to several hundred animals. Mr. Dien said that in 2022, he raised a herd of pigs that sometimes reached nearly 40, including 6 sows that gave birth. As for the chickens he raised, every 1-2 months, he would add a herd of 150-300 meat chickens. In addition, he also raised 4-5 fattened buffaloes and cows.

Mr. Dien said: “There was a time when I sold the piglets from 6 sows, I was able to buy a car to serve the transportation of family members. However, from the end of 2022 until now, my family's herd has less than 20 pigs. Of which, only 1 sow is left. In addition to African swine fever, the price of live pigs has continuously decreased, combined with the increasing price of animal feed, forcing me to reduce the herd and plan to take a break for a while in the near future."

Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien (in black shirt) said he will reduce the scale of pig farming. Photo: HT

Having been attached to Yen Khe land and the livestock and farming profession for more than half of his life, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien said that the successes as well as failures in the harvest, in what animals to raise, what plants to plant have given him valuable lessons. "Through my practical experience, I have realized that finding ways to limit diseases and increase productivity for crops and livestock is very difficult, sometimes resulting in a loss of money and effort. However, only then can we farmers limit risks in production" - Mr. Dien expressed.

Meeting Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien on days when the weather changes from winter to summer, around the end of the second lunar month, the "old farmer" said that this is the time of the changing seasons, which is very unfavorable for livestock herding. He pointed to the rows of xoan trees blooming with purple flowers in a corner of the garden, "every time the xoan flowers bloom, I temporarily stop herding and building livestock, including cattle and poultry".

Explaining his experience, Mr. Dien said that the season of xoan flowers blooms from the end of February to the beginning of April of the lunar calendar. This is also the time of changing seasons, the weather changes erratically, sometimes hot, sometimes cold, combined with drizzle, so sources of disease can easily spread to livestock. The erratic weather will greatly affect the resistance of livestock, especially when they are young.

Every year, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien raises 3 batches of chickens, each batch has about 300 chickens and only increases the flock after the changing seasons at the end of March and the beginning of April of the lunar calendar. Photo: HT

After many years of raising cattle, pigs, chickens, geese, ducks, and even pigeons, Mr. Dien said that many times he had increased his herd and bred young animals during the "period" of xoan flowers blooming, but all failed. The animals often died or were infected with diseases, weak and stunted, causing a noticeable decrease in productivity. "Therefore, for many years now, during the xoan flower blooming season, I have stopped creating herds and breeding livestock and poultry. I wait until the end of the xoan season, from about half of the fourth lunar month, when the weather starts to warm up, to consider buying more breeding animals. But in 2023, even after the xoan blooming season, I will temporarily stop increasing my livestock due to unfavorable market developments and losses." - Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien expressed.

According to Mr. Dien, from the end of 2022 to the beginning of 2023, the price of live pigs has dropped sharply from 80,000 VND/kg to only 50,000 VND/kg now. In addition, the price of animal feed is increasing, causing farmers to lose more and more money.

To maintain his income, Mr. Dien switched to intensive investment to increase the productivity of industrial tea plants by increasing organic fertilizers and proactively providing water for 1 hectare of tea.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien's 1 hectare tea hill provides a stable income. Photo: PV

“I take advantage of manure from livestock, combined with other by-products such as straw, rice husks, and corn stalks to compost and increase fertilizer for tea plants. Combined with investment in building and pouring concrete on the road leading to the tea hills, repairing water pipes to ensure irrigation for the tea area. This year's spring tea crop is priced about 1,000-1,500 VND/kg higher than usual, plus increased productivity, so with 5 harvests per year, the output reaches about 6 tons, which also gives a better income than livestock farming" - Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien said.

In Yen Khe commune, people are currently focusing on taking care of tea trees and investing in organic fertilizers to increase productivity. Tea trees are currently generating higher income than livestock. Yen Khe commune currently has 620 households growing tea with a total area of ​​nearly 300 hectares, of which 17 hectares are designed, 276.89 hectares are for business, with a yield of 18 tons/ha.