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 flock 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 profession of raising and growing crops 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 and what plants to grow 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 leading to loss of money and effort. But only then can we farmers limit risks in production" - Mr. Dien expressed.

Meeting Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien on the days when the weather changes from winter to summer, around the end of February of the lunar calendar, the "old farmer" said that this is the time of the changing seasons, which is very unfavorable for re-herding in livestock farming. He pointed to the rows of xoan dau trees blooming with purple flowers in a corner of the garden and hills, "every time the xoan flowers bloom, I temporarily stop re-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 diseases can easily spread to livestock. The erratic weather will greatly affect the resistance of livestock, especially the young stage.

Every year, Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien raises 3 batches of chickens, each batch has about 300 chickens and only multiplies the flock after the season change 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 failed to multiply his herd and breed young animals during the blooming season of the xoan flowers, and the animals often died or were infected with diseases, becoming weak and stunted, causing a noticeable decrease in productivity. "Therefore, for many years now, during the blooming season of the xoan flowers, 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 blooming season of the xoan flowers, I have temporarily stopped increasing my livestock herd due to unfavorable market developments and losses," said Mr. Nguyen Duc Dien.

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 has increased day by day, 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 tea hill of more than 1 hectare 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 fertilize tea plants. Combined with investment in building concrete roads leading to tea hills, and repairing water pipes to ensure irrigation for tea areas. 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 of about 6 tons also brings 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 180 quintals/hectare.