Thanh Hoa farmers let ducks live in ‘hotels’

Earning high income from raising ducks

Casually saying "life is all about push and pull" for fun, but sometimes Le Quang Hoa (Thanh Hoa City) has to admit that coming to agriculture is honestly fate. “No one thought that one day a doctor would also raise ducks," he said.

In the past, apart from being a doctor, Hoa also worked in the solar power system installation business. One day he was testing the installation of large-scale rooftop solar power for a farm in Thanh Hoa province, and a quick conversation between Hoa and the farm owner made him change his mind from solar power business to agriculture.

In 2023, Hoa and Vu Duc Nghiem (an acquaintance from Hau Loc, Thanh Hoa) gathered more than VND 10 billion to build 6 duck farms in an area of ​​more than 7,000 m2 in Quyet Thang village, Van Thang commune, Nong Cong district. The duck farm owners signed a cooperation contract with C.P. Vietnam Company to receive technology transfer, breeds, etc.

Considering the large-scale livestock farming model, risks of disease and unstable market prices, creating a linkage for production and processing is the optimal choice, ensuring stable output and income for investors like Hoa and Nghiem.

Vu Duc Nghiem, the farm manager, said, "Each duck farm is currently capable of raising more than 6,000 commercial ducks, totaling 5 - 6 batches per year. The time from when the ducks are 1 day old until they are sold is 45 - 50 days. Each duck weighs approximately 3.5 kg. On average, each year the farm imports 200,000 ducks from C.P. Vietnam Company, equivalent to hundreds of tons of duck meat. After deducting expenses, investors earn roughly VND 2 billion per year”.

Good disease control is key

Raising livestock is not too difficult, but it is crucial to control the disease. It is not too much of a task for Hoa because with his expertise as a physician, Hoa possesses a deep understanding of the disease-causing mechanisms of viruses and bacteria to come up with ways to prevent and use appropriate antibiotics.

According to Hoa, if the livestock is raised in a free-range model, it will require a lot of labor and affect the surrounding living environment, making it difficult to control diseases. As for contract farming, the farm will invest in the whole package from breeds, feed, and techniques, so the ducks can live in a disease-free environment. This is an important factor for the ducks to grow quickly, have uniform weight, have little loss, and thus meet quality standards when sold.

“Since C.P. Vietnam provides support and consults when developing the barn system, ducks in concentrated farms will receive adequate nutrition, healthier and less susceptible to disease, while the flock becomes easier to control. The ducks are bathed and rested in a mesh house that is no different from... a hotel. The ducks are monitored and quarantined under the supervision of a veterinarian, ensuring proper development at each stage. Every day at the farm, there is a veterinarian and a technician on duty, along with workers taking care of the ducks,” Hoa said.

Pham Ngoc Luan, Technician of C.P. Vietnam Company, said that contract farming must meet the strict requirements on farming techniques and disease prevention set by the company.

“Ducks are vulnerable to viral and bacterial diseases. Therefore, in the breeding process specifically large-scale breeding, farmers need to properly implement full vaccination combined with the addition of antibiotics, digestive enzymes, and supplements to enhance the ducks' resistance. Each duck must be vaccinated 4 times from the time it is raised (1 day old) until it is sold to be guaranteed in terms of antibodies.

“The barn must be clean and airy to limit infectious diseases. After each batch, we instruct workers to clean the barn, spray disinfectant, sprinkle lime powder and dry the barn to receive the new batch of ducks. Periodically, workers will weigh the ducks and supplement nutrients if they show signs of slow growth,” said Technician Luan.

Thanh Hoa currently has 620 livestock farms. Most of the farms have developed sustainable linkage models. In terms of poultry farming, many large enterprises in the province have organized linkages and developed a widespread livestock processing system among the people.

This province is encouraging households to develop livestock farming in the direction of farms and family farms associated with businesses to increase economic efficiency, improve production levels, and ensure the supply of high-quality products to large-scale slaughterhouses and processing plants.