The ducks are beginning to prey on the red tilapias in the pond, a sign of either boredom, diminishing natural food source, or I’m just not sure. My worker is smirking with “I told you so” when I didn’t believe ducks would eat fish (because I refuse to in hopes of them leaving the fish alone). Obviously, the water mimosa and water hyacinth are almost gone.
Nevertheless, it’s a sign to quicken the pace on fencing works for rotational/paddock grazing (something which I’ve been procrastinating for far too long). The pond has to be rested for at least a month while the ducks are driven elsewhere to free range. Meanwhile, the pond has to be fenced up sometime in the future. Best to do so to also safeguard against otters and iguanas too.
Fun fact: These tilapias have been in the pond for about 11 months now (introduced 6 May 2020) without any commercial feed. Their recent growth have been fuelled by the duck’s manuring (leading to algae growth which is then a food source for fish. Note the cycle). For context, tilapias can be harvested within 3-4 months with commercial pellets. I would love to think I have the slowest growing tilapias in Malaysia; something which I’m really proud of amongst all the “unnatural” biggest this and fastest that, etc.
This form of fish rearing is recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the UN to rural folks who can’t afford to buy pellets. But hey, isn’t that slow and potentially depriving me of income? That’s when people misjudge. Hence, the need to put your eggs into many different baskets in farming. The “slow” view is born out from a mono commercial mindset, which this farm eschews.
All in all, the point in this post is to highlight the challenge of preserving a balanced symbiotic relationship between interconnected elements in a permaculture system. Yes, it’s fun to have ducks and fish, and all, but there’s a lot of calculated planning that goes into successfully implementing a system that doesn’t cannibalise itself inside out.
We should be truly humbled by how nature does it. The learning continues.
