I once saw a documentary of Dutch man helping out African cattle farmers that were on very dry land. Their cows had nothing to eat so the had no milk. The man made a little pond with the farmer on which they grew duckweed. And because this grows so fast the farmer could feed his cows again and they started to produce milk!
We spread duckweed out and dry it and then mix it in with the chicken feed (50/50) and they eat it like candy. Makes a sizable dent in the feed cost and they seem to lay more eggs.
Its because the duckweed can contain 7%-45% protein to dry mass (growing conditions and species). While Chicken feed protein is about 6%-18%. Who ever thought you could get that much protein from a plant that grows wild on water?
Evan, This should a good read! Research at the University of Illinois indicates that duckweed may also be a good protein source for swine diets. "Duckweed yields more protein per acre than soybeans," said Dr. Hans H. Stein, professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois.
That makes sense. Especially since his pigs seem to like it. It's obviously a fine green addition to the compost pile. Seems to me that complaining about duckweed on the pond is foolish!
Duckweed from what I understand can create omega fats because of the freshwater snails and other fish/shellfish in certain livestock, especially in Pigs.
Couple of thoughts that you may want to implement... 1) Mechanically skim off the duckweed with a floating boom. 2) Use a bed sheet to filter out the duckweed. 3) Mix a little feed with the wet duckweed to coat it and entice the animals to eat it. 4) Use your pallet forks to aerate and turn your compost pile.
I feed duckweed to my chickens. I just dump it into their pen and they go to town. At first it took them a while to figure out it was food. First time introducing something new to them they might be hesitant. Also can be used as Fertilizer and composted.
Yes that is true, my chickens also take a few days to get used to a new kind of food. I get a lot of "waste food" from the grocery store, most of it is still edible for humans, but since it is way more than we can eat, the chickens and horses also get a lot of it. The horses get apples, carrots and bananas and the chickens eat almost everything else. The only things they don't eat are onions and garlic and raw potatoes, but they love boiled potatoes, so we boil them for the chickens.
I can confirm this, it takes a while for them to figure it out. Duckweed has high protien content, moisture is not a negative, it will dry out on its own if it lasts that long.
The time I saw someone using duck weed as feed he was using milk waste and fermenting it. Pigs loved it and it is high in protein. He used a screen to skim his duck weed off his pond.
Yes they will! Actually it’s great for their gut too. We’ve been putting some on our livestock feed for years and I swear y’all it makes them healthier. Much love from Oklahoma
An idea to try is to string a bunch of dollar store pool noodles together with cheap paracord and use it as a 'rake' to pull the duckweed over to one corner of the pond where the pump can more efficiently remove it from the water. Even if it doesn't work it'll still make for a fun video. 😀
YES! I was thinking of a boom system but I overcomplicated it. NikeHM69, your system is brilliant! Simple, easy, lightweight and cost effective. Takota Coen uses it for pig feed with impressive results. Here is the video: th-cam.com/video/CloGPgGE9WQ/w-d-xo.html
I had the same idea for my pond. Mine is about half the size of his and narrows into a bay at either end. My problem isn't duck weed, though there is some, it is pond scum that stays together pretty well and just floats around. When the wind blows steady it pushes all the scum to one bay or the other. But when the wind is swirling or not steady the stuff just floats around wherever. Most of the time I don't care but if you want to swim or float around out there it's just not as nice as when the water is clear. The noodles should do the trick.
Duckweed can double its volume in 24 hours in somewhat ideal conditions. Having a more direct skimming method such as a fine net would likely be more efficient. You don't have to dry duckweed. Mix it in with the normal poultry feed and they will adjust, especially if you can manually skim some duckweed directly next to the shoreline around other plants like the cat tails. There can be small shrimp/snails/etc. which will interest your chickens and turkeys, and as you saw the pigs just don't care.
@@ninja5672, no it implies it is very good at growing when nutrition value is high in the water.. If you have an aquarium, you use duckweed to remove excess nutrition, so instead of water change every week you only need to do it twice a year tops...
This is so painful to watch. I had just as bad of a duckweed problem. I purchased a product called whitecap which now is called sonar and mixed it into a 1 gallon milk jug and walked in a few places and poured it in and walked away. 25 days later ZERO duckweed
Look up the nutrients in duckweed. You may want to feed it regularly to your pigs and chickens. Sometimes chickens take time to warm up to it but usually they love it once it's drier
One farmer I read of used duckweed has a significant portion of his pigs diet. He sent some of the pork to the university to have it tested for nutrional content and they were amazed by the amount of omega3 fatty acids. They compared it to sea fish. The theory is that its from all the snails and fish egg's that were hosted in the duckweed :)
oooh thank you for mentioning snails and fish eggs. I'm about to start growing duckweed for my chickens and ducks, so I will also add fish and snails. Awesome!
Evan, I don't have a clue either but I'm thinking it will make a lot better compose than it does livestock feed. But either way it is a clever attempt to alleviate the duckweed problem. If nothing else it shows you are always thinking and that is one of your best qualities 👌. Thanks for sharing and God bless.
There are a couple of traditional farms that grow duckweed specifically for pigs. They say it helps with marbling and loads them with omega 3s. When I’m done watching I’ll find the video lol
As a leafy green it's very high in nitrogen. You can also sprinkle it thinly on your gardens as a mulch. A few hours in the sun and the water will evaporate or infiltrate, and you'll be left with effectively tiny pieces of straw.
As one of the individuals making the suggestion in your earlier video, it stemmed from watching "Takota Coen" on TH-cam in his video about "milk fed pastured pork" in which they harvested duck weed and cattails to feed to the pigs. It increased the omega 3 content normally seen in seafood. Great video if Y'all get the chance to watch it. Great set up Evan on your skimmer!
I didn't see your comment before I shared the link to Takotas video. I immediately remembered his video when I started watching this one. Takota definitely has an awesome feeding system
Staple a long rope to a bunch of scrap wood, 2x3's 2x4's etc. Then set them on the far shore of the pond opposite the skimmer. With one person on each end of the rope standing apart on the skimmer side will allow you to effectively draw heavy amounts duckweed into the pump area. It would drastically increase the amount of weed to be pumped out. Similar to how they harvest cranberries.
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
jmo, when you redo your pond culvert, instead of just a culvert, put an overflow box, (reference lets dig 18 on youtube). that way any time its flowing, its also skimming
You can only put so much in the compost pile or you will throw off the green/brown ratios. Give the pigs more. What they don't eat, the will till into the soil when they root. Use it as mulch also.
I new a guy (my Dad's friend) that pumps water and duck weed into his pumpkin patch and OMG the pumpkins are probably the best I've seen. Bright colored leathery skin bright meat inside. they make the best pies.
Man I wish I could get my duckweed to grow that well! Edit: Monogastrics can get almost the full nutrition out of duckweed. It has almost no fiber (since it doesn't have any structural need for cellulose since it has no stem really) so the rumen isn't really part of breaking it down.
I've grown duckweed for the sole purpose of aquaponic feed. I think the low fiber has to do with being an aquatic plant, which have stems. Because they rely on suspension, their structure does not need the strength to stand against much greater gravity above water. Fiber supports that strength for land plants.
Put some tilapia in your pond. They will devour that that weed and grow really fast and they are very very good eating. Alternatively I hear you have a problem with grass cut in America grass cut but also very good eating and grow really fast in the summer, the will clear that duckweed in no time.
I like how you said "some of the viewers think maybe it'll be useful for something" lol like people are crazy. Duckweed can double its size 50% every 3 days. It's now recognized as a super food for humans (it's the ultimate protein source) at the bare minimum using it for compost would be useful and every pound of duckweed you take out of the pond means you're pulling pollution and nitrates from the water
The rapid duck weed grow indicates high nutrient levels in the pond. Their removal also removes excess nitrates, which means free fertilizer/compost/mulch. Duckweed is definitely full of other nutrients too. As a green mulch, it keeps weeds at bay and will slowly break down in the soil to add nutrients and organic matter. Previously he mentioned getting grass carp. They will definitely eat duckweed, but prefer other aquatic plants... So might not be the best plan, since he has largemouth bass, and they like weeds. If he tries it, he can feed the carp to his chickens. Carp minnows would be an additional food source for the bass and bluegills, without competing for food sources. Another downside, is if they become populous enough, they will put the nutrients trapped in the aquatic plants, back into the water, which is not helpful. I'm sad the goats won't eat it, as I planned to try this myself one day. Maybe I'll have better luck.
@@dennisfitch7791 only if the duckweed isn't nearing a saturation point based on nutrients and/or space. Duck weed divides quickly, so even removing half wouldn't be a significant issue, and would likely reduce nitrates as it grew quickly to overtake the pond again. Removing some make room for more to grow, plus takes the absorbed nitrates with it. If left, in most climates, eventually some or most will die based on seasonality, returning the absorbed nutrients. I'm sure someone knows the proper ratio for removal. I'd guess would vary based on factors like nutrient density, lighting, time of year, and pond size due to wind and dispersion of the duckweed, and probably between 10 and 50%.
@@dennisfitch7791 no actually that's how you remove nitrates from the system. Duckweed can double every 3 days. You then use the removed duckweed for animal feed or at minimum a compost pile
Evan, here is my experience with duck weed. 1). Any oxygen added to the water will make the duckweed grow faster which seems counter productive. That oxygen comes from the aerator and even the skimmer pump water returning to the pond. 2). I also attempted to skim my pond of duckweed by using 100 ft sections of 7ft tall plastic deer fence. One person was in a boat and the other anchored on land. It collected well and then I manually scooped it into the loader bucket. 3). Finally I used a herbicide with a surfactant. I hated to do this but it was really the best. After dealing with duckweed for years, the pond has been free for 2 years and the kids can swim free of looking like swamp monsters. For reference my pond is around 1/4 acre, in Michigan, and I have not had any fish kills due to these interventions. Thanks for sharing
it sounds like you are doing exactly what my plan is... what was the chemical you used?. Im up in Canada and not sure if we can get it up here but worth a try.. Im not sure on your aeration theory.. I left the aerator off when it was like 34C out and that stuff grew exponentially ... with the aerator running it seems to slow the overall growth at least by a little bit... none the less, a skimming solution is step 1... and your right, I DONT want to use chemicals but I may have to.. thanks,
@@anelson8293 I used Flumigard on the duckweed, it is a herbicide and algaecide. Not trying to self promote but here is a video I did. There are links in the description, hope this helps Is Flumigard the right choice for Duckweed and Watermeal? th-cam.com/video/t9pR2A5ki78/w-d-xo.html
Flumioxazin is what I used, Propeller. Cheapest product I could find and it worked! Had duckweed and even worse watermeal, but my pond is clear this year, no treatments! Gotta start early in season and treat before it covers entire pond. Then you will need to repeat as needed. I would wait until it started coming back, then spray when it all blew to one corner, i could basically treat it from the bank. Good luck!
I like to see this type of experimentation - you never know how it works out or what you may end up with. Excellent skimming setup - I hope it keeps working as well.
That is an amazing amount of organic material. Kudos to you Evan for looking fo a solution. Your front end loader picked it up slick as a whistle. There must have been tons of duckweed on your pond. I imagine if you stockpiled it so it could dry to the moisture content of manure, you could have loaded it onto a manure spreader and distributed it across your hay fields. No reason to think it would not have been an excellent soil builder. It really is "green manure" in composters lingo. You're pigs were just adorable. Such personalities 😊
As a retired organic farmer I can just only envy such a rich resource. I used the lasagna gardening technique. I'm a lazy gardener. Rather than spend a lot of time turning and feeding a compost heap I just put it inches deep on the garden beds. Tomatoes would love 4" of that piled around them. The Cole crops would blossom with that shoveled on wet. No more weeding for you. You can go 8" deep on potatoes. Let the worms plow it into the soil. I have a hard time getting enough 'mulch' to keep my beds well covered. Imagine how red wine cap mushrooms would grow in the edge of your wood chip covered walkway.
We are having the same issues with duckweed! We moved to a new farm that has a couple ponds that are over 2 acres..all duckweed! We put 20 muscovy ducks out there but they don't wanna stay out there and keep running back up to the barn lol. The skimmer idea is awesome. We have pigs that would prob eat it.
Cool I wonder if you could lay a big screen or screen door or get some rolls of fine screen wire and staple it on a skid and build tall sides around it and it would collect and let the water out and you could move it with the tractor and forks maybe make a couple and change them out
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
Ok, duckweed (Lemna) has about 20% crude protein dry weight. This is an incomplete protein. You are correct, animals who are NOT ruminants can easily digest this e.g. chickens, pigs, fish, etc. Ruminants tend to turn the nitrogen into ammonia and lose the nitrogen protein. Most aquatic plants are unpalatable to humans, but duckweed tastes like an alfalfa sprout. Also L. Wolffia (watermeal duckweed) is the worlds smallest flowering vascular plant. Thanks for the video. You are an innovative farmer.
That’s chatgpt's statement regarding duckweed… _"Can I use duckweed to feed livestock? ChatGPT Yes, duckweed can be used as a feed source for livestock. Duckweed is a small, fast-growing aquatic plant that is rich in nutrients, making it suitable for animal consumption. It has a high protein content, ranging from 25% to 45% on a dry weight basis, which makes it an excellent source of protein for livestock diets. Duckweed can be fed to various types of livestock, including poultry, pigs, fish, and even some ruminants. It is often used as a supplemental feed to enhance the nutritional value of the overall diet. Livestock such as chickens, ducks, and tilapia can consume duckweed directly as a significant portion of their diet. One of the advantages of duckweed as livestock feed is its rapid growth, allowing for a continuous and sustainable supply. Additionally, it can be cultivated in small ponds or tanks, making it a suitable option for small-scale or backyard livestock farming. However, it's important to note that while duckweed is a nutritious feed source, it should be used in combination with other feed ingredients to provide a balanced diet for livestock. Each livestock species has specific dietary requirements, so it's essential to consult with a nutritionist or veterinarian to develop appropriate feeding strategies that meet the specific needs of your livestock. Also, be cautious when introducing new feeds into the diet of your livestock and monitor their response to ensure there are no adverse effects or digestive issues."_
If you have an old trailer and can put the hose into and let the trailer catch to weed. Like a big filter. It will already be collected as well. Set the trailer next to the pond. Something like that. Good luck.
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
You could feed the pump line into some sort of tank, stock tank, IBC tote, etc. and then control an outlet with a float valve. That way the duckweed, floating on top, is preserved in the tank, but the water can drain out the bottom and return to the pond.The float valve will ensure that the water level never gets too low, while also never overflowing.
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
Grass carp or Koi Carp. Put a few in your pond and they will clean that vegetation up. It won't happen overnight, but they will slowly eat it away. Plus, getting Koi, they would love that huge pond and the ducks won't mess with them when they are supersized. haha
A few thoughts: Running a pump 2 days to harvest that little amount of duckweed is a losing scenario IMO. Good for tests but not very efficient at all. I'd imagine with a pool net on a long pole you'd be able to harvest that in a few hours. Not saying that should be your method but 2 days of a pump running vs a few hours of light manual labor... I think you'll get my point. As for your animals, not much of a test, I certainly wouldn't draw any conclusions based on it. You need to feed it the same way you would feed veggie/food scraps, or weeds. Pile it up don't sprinkle it around. It will take time for them to become used to it as a food option, but hunger is the best motivator and they will come around to it. But yeah if a cow is expecting grain, and you give it an unfamiliar plant matter, its easy to guess which they are going to choose. As others have stated there is little to none fibrous material in the leaves (there is some in the roots) and it should be easy to digest for all of your animals. As for a compost amendment, it definitely has a significant amount of N and P, is readily available, and when wet can definitely be used as Fuel/Nitrogen/Wets in a compost pile, should heat it up nicely and innoculate all the aerobic AND anaerobic bacteria to keep it healthy and efficient. But I wouldn't worry about composting it until I was up to my ears in it, much much better use as feed for all of your animals. You just need to give them a chance to get used to it, and cut back on the candy grain that costs all the $$$$ eating up your profits.
My biggest question would be, if the aerators are stirring up toxins, will the duckweed transfer those toxins to your non-ruminating animals... potentially transferring them to humans who consume those animals? Just wondering.
Yupp my thought as well about the sprinkling. Some animals like the goats and the cows don't see a pile worth digging into. You should fill their eating troff with it. Goats will eat anything as well!
The problem is duckweed can double in mass every 15 to 24 hours. So you need to get the majority off within a day, then try a skimmer system to try to control it. You can also add some carp to the pond to help control it.
I have used all the mentioned methods to control it .we use copper sulfate. a pound a week in our 1.5 acre pond keeps it in check ,some times we need to use more.duck weed is an invasive weed very hard to get ride of!
Truly glad I stumbled upon your channel. My family were in farming, so it’s great to see that farming is still in vogue. Your personality drew me in to watch your duckweed capture endeavors, so I’m now I’m a subscriber. Your previous commentators are beneficial to further understanding your efforts
That was pretty cool to see. I don't think I would have thought of that great idea. Don't were about giving the meat from the pigs a weird flavor I've fed my pigs lots of different things. Thanks for another great video keep up the great work.
This was great! A thought of mine would be to have the pump and bucket at one end of the pond and the discharge and bale fence at the other to achieve a better cycle and push the Duck Weed towards the pump. Thanks for the time you took to make this video!
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
When I cleaned swimming pools I used a pressure pump with a nozzle to spray all the floating stuff towards the skimmer. The bubbles would push everything that floated and the wind would help (if there was any). Maby an outboard motor on a boat, dragging an anchor comes to mind. It would help get it all in one spot anyway....sort of.
Best suggestion so far. I was thinking a raft or canoe, with a leaf blower. My BIL used bed springs with 2 ropes to pull it back and forth. Cleaned a one acre pond in about 3 hrs. Takes at least two people and a little tractor or big mower. Then he used it like manure. No hassle, no stress, done! No real features around the pond. He'd pull it up on shore a little way, it'd drain all the water right back to the pond. When dry, not too hard to pitchfork it into a little spreader. Two tractors would reduce the deadhead miles around the pond, or pullback thru prevailing wind clear water.That's all I got! Next!!!
Well it was at least a shot to take on the duck weed, but I think the compost will work fine for you also. I'll be curious to know how it turns out after it's been in the compost pile for a for while. I enjoy your videos, it's that down to earth approach that I find pleasing. Thanks for sharing, have a great Friday and weekend ahead.
Duckweed can spread really fast. I've most seen it used to feed fish in aquaponics, but have heard of people feeding it to livestock. I heard it was closed to 50% protein, like algae, so if you start mixing it in with their food it could probably work as a protein supplement if nothing else.
My chickens ate it. It took them a few days to figure it out though. I floated it in a shallow dish so no need to attempt drying it. Once the recognized it as food They would eat it all the same day I filled the dish.
you must have a very understanding and forgiving wife because mine would kick the ever living snot out of me if i put duckweed out to dry on her picnic table.....lol loving the content
If I may allow to share a trick with you...in your another post i shared what we do with duckweed in Indian Villages...now a trick for you wait for day when you have easterly wind and you will be amazed that even with a fishnet you can clear 1 acre pond in 20 mins Max, as duckweeds are densest in South and Southwest part of pond, lake etc. No need for any equipment just a big fishnet and muscle 💪 power bro.
Found this online: Interesting as this plant might be, research on its use in pig feeding is rather scarce. Limited experimental results indicate that feeding more than 5% of dried duckweed in diets for growing pigs can reduce growth performance, indicating either the presence of antinutritional factors or a severely unbalanced protein profile. In contrast, sows fed ensiled duckweed as part of a balanced ration had improved reproductive performance. Practical experience from Russia (thanks to Sergio Stepanow) tells us that pigs enjoy eating large quantities of fresh duckweed, but feed intake drops markedly about one week afterwards. Thus, local farmers feeding fresh duckweed limit its allowance to 1-2 kg per pig per day to avoid feed refusal.
@@jksatte turning something to silage is a bit more complicated. You have to dry it to a certain H2O percentage and then seal it in an environment away from oxygen. Plastic 55 gallon or 5 gallon buckets with seals work for smaller amounts.
I haven’t read all the reactions but seeing this I see energy! Dry to a certain moist level and press blocks out of it. The dry further, this must be flammable stuff.
you could use a float corral to gather the duckweed to a location then make a slow conveyor belt out of window screen to get it out to a holding area or transport. if it was solar powered you could set it up and just let it clean. great vid subscribed
Last year my pond was covered like yours this year my pond has been clear. I'm not sure why. My aerator has been broken all year and I haven't dyed it since early spring. My grass carp are a year old now. The only other thing I did differently was add muck eating enzymes. I thought it was probably a gimmick but who knows, maybe it's ligit. My pond is beautiful though. Subsurface weeds are much less abundant as well. ( I used to have a terrible curly leaf problem ) I don't know what worked but something sure did. Good luck with yours.
Back in Texas in the 90's we had to get a certain fish that would eat the duckweed, our pond was not as big as yours. It did work too... Thanks for sharing Evan.... Love & Peace
From a distance that looks like water meal on your pond. We have a one acre pond that has been invaded by water meal. We are going to set up an aerator.
I have been a Certified Commercial Aquatic Herbicide Applicator for 30 years. 12 oz. of Clipper herbicide per acre will take care of the problem. The product degrades in a couple days. Harms nothing but the Duckweed & Watermeal. Aerator will do nothing but create a 20 foot "hole" in the middle of your pond.
I have watermeal and duckweed on my pond and I'll wait until the wind pushes it to one end and then scoop out with a landing net draped with an old t-shirt to sift the out the material. I then mix with sawdust from band mill and woodshop, and it makes excellent compost for garden. I usually get about a dozen tractor scoops per year. The pond is about 3 acres.
I’ve skimmed that much in less than an hour,used black piped used for extending gutter spouts and a rope ,it floats half way in water,pretty much waded down the bank ,allowing the rope and pipe to make a huge loop while holding both ends,once it got heavy I would pull it over a fine meshed net ,had ropes tied to all corners,pretty much made a sandwich once it folded,than pull it out of the pond,this would open a decent amount of water once the wind would push it to one side or the other
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
Hey there Evan, I'm not one to post any comments but figured that this link to Takota Coen's channel might help you decide on what to do with your duck weed. Fermented and mixed in with your feed for the pigs or what have you would be what I would do. Here's the video to check out: th-cam.com/video/CloGPgGE9WQ/w-d-xo.html Love the channel and the content!
great work here! I saw another farmer taking the duck weed and fermenting with milk and grains to produce a more nutritious food for the pigs. they loved it the most too!
My sister lives by a lake that the water weeds are cut and removed. "Sure, we'll take it and pile it up on the garden,"she said. In one season that pile had shrunk to a fraction of it's size and that garden always did well in that dirt.
If you have a plastic barrel maybe you could drill holes in the side of one that your not using and that way it collects it and drains still. But also I’d try the pig feed but also put it in the compost excellent source of fertilizer. That’s why aquaponics is so great
Works great, im surpriced it works so good. Maby add a timer so its 5 min on then 5 min off just to make the most from each kw of energy so you pump max amount of duck weed when its on. I saw a farmer who ferment duck weed with cow milk for 24 hours and pigs loved it.
Great resource & harvested so well!! At over 1,100 kg protien per hectar free feed & you compose it!!!!! Tilapia & catfish & carp & other fish love it. Give the birds a chance to learn to eat it.
Small John boat with a motor and a large rake with floats on it to skim the top and it'll work. I made my own rake 15 feet wide and did my small lake/pond.
Look at how cranberry growers harvest the cranberries after they have floated them to the water surface . These farmers are pretty clever in reducing costs. I tried using some of the chaff for addition to mulch piles but there was too much weeds
Should be outstanding for the compost pile. I love composting and it's so rewarding each time I turn it and see how it's breaking down and going to be great nutrients for the garden and flowerbed. I don't know anything about pigs, but I'd be cautious feeding them too much duckweed and making them sick. But then again, they eat anything so likely not an issue. As far as collecting the duckweed, maybe buy a dozen large diameter pool noodles and send a rope through them stringing them together, then use it to drag across the pond skimming the surface.
interesting experiment Evan, was very surprised the chickens weren’t interested, will be interesting to see how it goes fun video well shot and put together thanks, very enjoyable👍👍👍👍👌👌
Had a problem with duck weed at a fisherie i used to help look after and i came up with the idea of getting the same type of hose you was using for you put but longer had one end welded up wit a end cap and the other with a air hose connector and we used to roll it out on the bank and fill it with air attach a rope to both ends and pull it across the lakes it really did work a well for us
For pigs, very little research has been done but a 30 percent dried duckweed diet was given to hogs in Vietnam and it resulted in high-nutrient digestibility. But the best thing about duckweed is that it is also edible for humans.
I noticed some folks overseas actually eat duckweed also. I did what you did except run the water into a large bin with cut grass in it and a hole in the bin to allow the water to run out and leave the duckweed inside and dump it when full. And I just let the pump hose skim it off the top of the water and it sucks the water from the surface of the pond.
Think I would try just drying it and mixing it into their regular feed, it's a lot more protein (2.5x for cattle feed) than they are used too...... Maybe a big sheet of somewhat porous (ground retention cloth?) material to both collect and dry duck weed upon? ymmv...
You need some sterile grass carp. They’ll clear that pond up quickly. They eat a lot when they are small and eat less and less as they grow. Add more annually to keep up with their aging. We usually take out the big ones bow fishing but you can line fish them as well. Use them for fertilizer when they are fully grown. Usually takes about 10 fish per acre but you would definitely need more like 15-20 fish per acre. It’s about creating a healthy ecosystem and carp are just part of if. I hope y’all are able to see this message and make it happen. Good luck y’all!
The die off is the problem. Also the reproduction. Tilapia are pretty invasive and will also eat fry and smaller bait fish. Then they make a mess when they die off. That’s the problem we had with them anyway. Sterile grass carp don’t reproduce so they don’t invade the pond. They serve a purpose fertilizing the garden and they keep the pond very clean without having to do anything else. Dying the water is just a bandage to the bigger issue which is a balanced ecosystem. Once the pond is better balanced, it will require very little maintenance. That’s what we’ve discovered in our situation and if it works for us it should work for them too.
Duck weed doubles in volume in about a week. At your rate of removal you can feed the pigs til harvest. Chicken that are not allowed to free range love it. Had issues with dogs had my hens penned up and they ate all I would give them of duckweed and ancharis which is a stem water plant. I grew these for aquarium hobby.
I have been collecting used trampolines to build small Quonset style sheds and greenhouses. I think that the trampoline Mats may make a great filter for the duckweed.
I once saw a documentary of Dutch man helping out African cattle farmers that were on very dry land. Their cows had nothing to eat so the had no milk. The man made a little pond with the farmer on which they grew duckweed. And because this grows so fast the farmer could feed his cows again and they started to produce milk!
We spread duckweed out and dry it and then mix it in with the chicken feed (50/50) and they eat it like candy. Makes a sizable dent in the feed cost and they seem to lay more eggs.
Its because the duckweed can contain 7%-45% protein to dry mass (growing conditions and species). While Chicken feed protein is about 6%-18%. Who ever thought you could get that much protein from a plant that grows wild on water?
Evan, This should a good read! Research at the University of Illinois indicates that duckweed may also be a good protein source for swine diets. "Duckweed yields more protein per acre than soybeans," said Dr. Hans H. Stein, professor of animal sciences at the University of Illinois.
That makes sense. Especially since his pigs seem to like it. It's obviously a fine green addition to the compost pile. Seems to me that complaining about duckweed on the pond is foolish!
Duckweed from what I understand can create omega fats because of the freshwater snails and other fish/shellfish in certain livestock, especially in Pigs.
At the risk of sounding negative I can only think of two words. Losing battle.
Depending on the environment it’s growing in duckweed can be as high as 40% protein. You certainly have a lot of it growing on the pond. Good luck!
@@ElectronicMusicUnderground I think the only solution is atomic.
Couple of thoughts that you may want to implement...
1) Mechanically skim off the duckweed with a floating boom.
2) Use a bed sheet to filter out the duckweed.
3) Mix a little feed with the wet duckweed to coat it and entice the animals to eat it.
4) Use your pallet forks to aerate and turn your compost pile.
my uncle had apond that was real bad with duckweed and he had it aeriated and it worked but he also killed all his fish also.
@@davidboggs1327
Yeah it stops the oxygen from getting to the fish. I'd just stocked our pond and it was a waist of money.😕
This was my thought seems to me it'd be faster
Exactly what I was going to say except for 4) which is brilliant but never occurred to me.
yeah the skimmer pump idea isn't the best or efficient. Get a boom, attach it to the boat, skim large areas all at once.
I feed duckweed to my chickens. I just dump it into their pen and they go to town. At first it took them a while to figure out it was food. First time introducing something new to them they might be hesitant. Also can be used as Fertilizer and composted.
Yes that is true, my chickens also take a few days to get used to a new kind of food. I get a lot of "waste food" from the grocery store, most of it is still edible for humans, but since it is way more than we can eat, the chickens and horses also get a lot of it. The horses get apples, carrots and bananas and the chickens eat almost everything else.
The only things they don't eat are onions and garlic and raw potatoes, but they love boiled potatoes, so we boil them for the chickens.
Put the duck weed into a worm farm , feed the worms to the chickens .
Duck weed doubles in population
every day.
I duck weed in for my chickens.
I can confirm this, it takes a while for them to figure it out. Duckweed has high protien content, moisture is not a negative, it will dry out on its own if it lasts that long.
The time I saw someone using duck weed as feed he was using milk waste and fermenting it. Pigs loved it and it is high in protein. He used a screen to skim his duck weed off his pond.
Yes they will! Actually it’s great for their gut too. We’ve been putting some on our livestock feed for years and I swear y’all it makes them healthier. Much love from Oklahoma
An idea to try is to string a bunch of dollar store pool noodles together with cheap paracord and use it as a 'rake' to pull the duckweed over to one corner of the pond where the pump can more efficiently remove it from the water. Even if it doesn't work it'll still make for a fun video. 😀
Specially if he gets wet messin with the long pool noodle😅
YES! I was thinking of a boom system but I overcomplicated it. NikeHM69, your system is brilliant! Simple, easy, lightweight and cost effective.
Takota Coen uses it for pig feed with impressive results. Here is the video: th-cam.com/video/CloGPgGE9WQ/w-d-xo.html
He doesn't need to buy pool noodles, he can just fill the blue hose with compressed air.
I was wondering about some kind of boom as well. Pool noodles would be a great cheap option if it'll work.
I had the same idea for my pond. Mine is about half the size of his and narrows into a bay at either end. My problem isn't duck weed, though there is some, it is pond scum that stays together pretty well and just floats around. When the wind blows steady it pushes all the scum to one bay or the other. But when the wind is swirling or not steady the stuff just floats around wherever. Most of the time I don't care but if you want to swim or float around out there it's just not as nice as when the water is clear. The noodles should do the trick.
Duckweed can double its volume in 24 hours in somewhat ideal conditions. Having a more direct skimming method such as a fine net would likely be more efficient.
You don't have to dry duckweed. Mix it in with the normal poultry feed and they will adjust, especially if you can manually skim some duckweed directly next to the shoreline around other plants like the cat tails. There can be small shrimp/snails/etc. which will interest your chickens and turkeys, and as you saw the pigs just don't care.
Double every 24 hours!! Wow That’s an incredible source of nutrients then.
@@Kelsdoggy Actually, that would imply the nutrients is low, but volume of material is very high.
@@ninja5672, no it implies it is very good at growing when nutrition value is high in the water.. If you have an aquarium, you use duckweed to remove excess nutrition, so instead of water change every week you only need to do it twice a year tops...
This is so painful to watch. I had just as bad of a duckweed problem. I purchased a product called whitecap which now is called sonar and mixed it into a 1 gallon milk jug and walked in a few places and poured it in and walked away. 25 days later ZERO duckweed
The hay bale dam is a genius idea! That's what we use for our storm water pollution prevention program! Hay bales are cheap and effective filters!
Look up the nutrients in duckweed. You may want to feed it regularly to your pigs and chickens. Sometimes chickens take time to warm up to it but usually they love it once it's drier
One farmer I read of used duckweed has a significant portion of his pigs diet. He sent some of the pork to the university to have it tested for nutrional content and they were amazed by the amount of omega3 fatty acids. They compared it to sea fish. The theory is that its from all the snails and fish egg's that were hosted in the duckweed :)
oooh thank you for mentioning snails and fish eggs. I'm about to start growing duckweed for my chickens and ducks, so I will also add fish and snails. Awesome!
Evan, I don't have a clue either but I'm thinking it will make a lot better compose than it does livestock feed. But either way it is a clever attempt to alleviate the duckweed problem. If nothing else it shows you are always thinking and that is one of your best qualities 👌. Thanks for sharing and God bless.
There are a couple of traditional farms that grow duckweed specifically for pigs. They say it helps with marbling and loads them with omega 3s. When I’m done watching I’ll find the video lol
As a leafy green it's very high in nitrogen. You can also sprinkle it thinly on your gardens as a mulch. A few hours in the sun and the water will evaporate or infiltrate, and you'll be left with effectively tiny pieces of straw.
As one of the individuals making the suggestion in your earlier video, it stemmed from watching "Takota Coen" on TH-cam in his video about "milk fed pastured pork" in which they harvested duck weed and cattails to feed to the pigs. It increased the omega 3 content normally seen in seafood. Great video if Y'all get the chance to watch it. Great set up Evan on your skimmer!
th-cam.com/video/CloGPgGE9WQ/w-d-xo.html
I second that video from Takota.
I 3rd it . I wanted to order from him and he was solid out . Winnner .
I came to say this very thing
I didn't see your comment before I shared the link to Takotas video. I immediately remembered his video when I started watching this one. Takota definitely has an awesome feeding system
Staple a long rope to a bunch of scrap wood, 2x3's 2x4's etc. Then set them on the far shore of the pond opposite the skimmer. With one person on each end of the rope standing apart on the skimmer side will allow you to effectively draw heavy amounts duckweed into the pump area.
It would drastically increase the amount of weed to be pumped out.
Similar to how they harvest cranberries.
This
Of the comments on this video, this is the better procedure.
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
4:12 Rebecca not the only enjoying watching you get soaked. Got a good laugh at you jumpin away.
jmo, when you redo your pond culvert, instead of just a culvert, put an overflow box, (reference lets dig 18 on youtube). that way any time its flowing, its also skimming
You can only put so much in the compost pile or you will throw off the green/brown ratios. Give the pigs more. What they don't eat, the will till into the soil when they root. Use it as mulch also.
It's a great feed for tilapia as well. It's excellent for adding to compost. It doubles every 3-7 days.
I new a guy (my Dad's friend) that pumps water and duck weed into his pumpkin patch and OMG the pumpkins are probably the best I've seen. Bright colored leathery skin bright meat inside. they make the best pies.
Man I wish I could get my duckweed to grow that well!
Edit: Monogastrics can get almost the full nutrition out of duckweed. It has almost no fiber (since it doesn't have any structural need for cellulose since it has no stem really) so the rumen isn't really part of breaking it down.
I've grown duckweed for the sole purpose of aquaponic feed. I think the low fiber has to do with being an aquatic plant, which have stems. Because they rely on suspension, their structure does not need the strength to stand against much greater gravity above water. Fiber supports that strength for land plants.
Put some tilapia in your pond. They will devour that that weed and grow really fast and they are very very good eating. Alternatively I hear you have a problem with grass cut in America grass cut but also very good eating and grow really fast in the summer, the will clear that duckweed in no time.
I like how you said "some of the viewers think maybe it'll be useful for something" lol like people are crazy. Duckweed can double its size 50% every 3 days. It's now recognized as a super food for humans (it's the ultimate protein source) at the bare minimum using it for compost would be useful and every pound of duckweed you take out of the pond means you're pulling pollution and nitrates from the water
I think i posted that it was useful on the last video!
The rapid duck weed grow indicates high nutrient levels in the pond. Their removal also removes excess nitrates, which means free fertilizer/compost/mulch.
Duckweed is definitely full of other nutrients too.
As a green mulch, it keeps weeds at bay and will slowly break down in the soil to add nutrients and organic matter.
Previously he mentioned getting grass carp. They will definitely eat duckweed, but prefer other aquatic plants... So might not be the best plan, since he has largemouth bass, and they like weeds. If he tries it, he can feed the carp to his chickens. Carp minnows would be an additional food source for the bass and bluegills, without competing for food sources. Another downside, is if they become populous enough, they will put the nutrients trapped in the aquatic plants, back into the water, which is not helpful.
I'm sad the goats won't eat it, as I planned to try this myself one day. Maybe I'll have better luck.
the duckweed eats the nitrates so removing it will make nitrates go up causing a bacteria bloom and make cloudy water
@@dennisfitch7791 only if the duckweed isn't nearing a saturation point based on nutrients and/or space.
Duck weed divides quickly, so even removing half wouldn't be a significant issue, and would likely reduce nitrates as it grew quickly to overtake the pond again.
Removing some make room for more to grow, plus takes the absorbed nitrates with it. If left, in most climates, eventually some or most will die based on seasonality, returning the absorbed nutrients.
I'm sure someone knows the proper ratio for removal. I'd guess would vary based on factors like nutrient density, lighting, time of year, and pond size due to wind and dispersion of the duckweed, and probably between 10 and 50%.
@@dennisfitch7791 no actually that's how you remove nitrates from the system. Duckweed can double every 3 days. You then use the removed duckweed for animal feed or at minimum a compost pile
Attach a fine screen to a frame, elevate the frame above the ground on concrete blocks and let the duckweed accumulate on the screen.
Sounds good. Use expanded steel to support the weight.
Great experiment, I use my grass clippings for my chicken house and for nesting cuts down on the smell, really like your compost bins.
Hello from the Netherlands and thanks for the video. Sincerely, Hollandduck
Hoi ik ben van België/Bulgarije
Awesome! Can't wait to see that beautiful pond back in shape.
Evan, here is my experience with duck weed. 1). Any oxygen added to the water will make the duckweed grow faster which seems counter productive. That oxygen comes from the aerator and even the skimmer pump water returning to the pond. 2). I also attempted to skim my pond of duckweed by using 100 ft sections of 7ft tall plastic deer fence. One person was in a boat and the other anchored on land. It collected well and then I manually scooped it into the loader bucket. 3). Finally I used a herbicide with a surfactant. I hated to do this but it was really the best. After dealing with duckweed for years, the pond has been free for 2 years and the kids can swim free of looking like swamp monsters. For reference my pond is around 1/4 acre, in Michigan, and I have not had any fish kills due to these interventions. Thanks for sharing
it sounds like you are doing exactly what my plan is... what was the chemical you used?. Im up in Canada and not sure if we can get it up here but worth a try.. Im not sure on your aeration theory.. I left the aerator off when it was like 34C out and that stuff grew exponentially ... with the aerator running it seems to slow the overall growth at least by a little bit... none the less, a skimming solution is step 1... and your right, I DONT want to use chemicals but I may have to.. thanks,
@@anelson8293 I used Flumigard on the duckweed, it is a herbicide and algaecide. Not trying to self promote but here is a video I did. There are links in the description, hope this helps Is Flumigard the right choice for Duckweed and Watermeal?
th-cam.com/video/t9pR2A5ki78/w-d-xo.html
Flumioxazin is what I used, Propeller. Cheapest product I could find and it worked! Had duckweed and even worse watermeal, but my pond is clear this year, no treatments! Gotta start early in season and treat before it covers entire pond. Then you will need to repeat as needed. I would wait until it started coming back, then spray when it all blew to one corner, i could basically treat it from the bank. Good luck!
7% nitrogen in duckweed, harvesting it from the pond for composting is a great way to recoup some of the losses you get from runoff.
I like to see this type of experimentation - you never know how it works out or what you may end up with. Excellent skimming setup - I hope it keeps working as well.
That is an amazing amount of organic material. Kudos to you Evan for looking fo a solution. Your front end loader picked it up slick as a whistle. There must have been tons of duckweed on your pond. I imagine if you stockpiled it so it could dry to the moisture content of manure, you could have loaded it onto a manure spreader and distributed it across your hay fields. No reason to think it would not have been an excellent soil builder. It really is "green manure" in composters lingo. You're pigs were just adorable. Such personalities 😊
Was interesting and fun to watch your ingenuity and checking out the animals reactions. You are a good sport. 👍👍👍
As a retired organic farmer I can just only envy such a rich resource. I used the lasagna gardening technique. I'm a lazy gardener. Rather than spend a lot of time turning and feeding a compost heap I just put it inches deep on the garden beds. Tomatoes would love 4" of that piled around them. The Cole crops would blossom with that shoveled on wet. No more weeding for you. You can go 8" deep on potatoes. Let the worms plow it into the soil. I have a hard time getting enough 'mulch' to keep my beds well covered. Imagine how red wine cap mushrooms would grow in the edge of your wood chip covered walkway.
We are having the same issues with duckweed! We moved to a new farm that has a couple ponds that are over 2 acres..all duckweed! We put 20 muscovy ducks out there but they don't wanna stay out there and keep running back up to the barn lol. The skimmer idea is awesome. We have pigs that would prob eat it.
Don’t feed ducks till evening then let in coop
Muscovy ducks are not water ducks, so no surprise they want the barn.
What type / breed of pigs do you have ?
Cool I wonder if you could lay a big screen or screen door or get some rolls of fine screen wire and staple it on a skid and build tall sides around it and it would collect and let the water out and you could move it with the tractor and forks maybe make a couple and change them out
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
Ok, duckweed (Lemna) has about 20% crude protein dry weight. This is an incomplete protein. You are correct, animals who are NOT ruminants can easily digest this e.g. chickens, pigs, fish, etc. Ruminants tend to turn the nitrogen into ammonia and lose the nitrogen protein. Most aquatic plants are unpalatable to humans, but duckweed tastes like an alfalfa sprout. Also L. Wolffia (watermeal duckweed) is the worlds smallest flowering vascular plant. Thanks for the video. You are an innovative farmer.
That’s chatgpt's statement regarding duckweed…
_"Can I use duckweed to feed livestock?
ChatGPT
Yes, duckweed can be used as a feed source for livestock. Duckweed is a small, fast-growing aquatic plant that is rich in nutrients, making it suitable for animal consumption. It has a high protein content, ranging from 25% to 45% on a dry weight basis, which makes it an excellent source of protein for livestock diets.
Duckweed can be fed to various types of livestock, including poultry, pigs, fish, and even some ruminants. It is often used as a supplemental feed to enhance the nutritional value of the overall diet. Livestock such as chickens, ducks, and tilapia can consume duckweed directly as a significant portion of their diet.
One of the advantages of duckweed as livestock feed is its rapid growth, allowing for a continuous and sustainable supply. Additionally, it can be cultivated in small ponds or tanks, making it a suitable option for small-scale or backyard livestock farming.
However, it's important to note that while duckweed is a nutritious feed source, it should be used in combination with other feed ingredients to provide a balanced diet for livestock. Each livestock species has specific dietary requirements, so it's essential to consult with a nutritionist or veterinarian to develop appropriate feeding strategies that meet the specific needs of your livestock.
Also, be cautious when introducing new feeds into the diet of your livestock and monitor their response to ensure there are no adverse effects or digestive issues."_
Sure hope you are able to get the duckweed off your pond. Looks like you're doing everything right to be successful. A very good video.
If you have an old trailer and can put the hose into and let the trailer catch to weed. Like a big filter. It will already be collected as well. Set the trailer next to the pond. Something like that. Good luck.
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
You could feed the pump line into some sort of tank, stock tank, IBC tote, etc. and then control an outlet with a float valve. That way the duckweed, floating on top, is preserved in the tank, but the water can drain out the bottom and return to the pond.The float valve will ensure that the water level never gets too low, while also never overflowing.
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
Grass carp or Koi Carp. Put a few in your pond and they will clean that vegetation up. It won't happen overnight, but they will slowly eat it away. Plus, getting Koi, they would love that huge pond and the ducks won't mess with them when they are supersized. haha
A few thoughts: Running a pump 2 days to harvest that little amount of duckweed is a losing scenario IMO. Good for tests but not very efficient at all. I'd imagine with a pool net on a long pole you'd be able to harvest that in a few hours. Not saying that should be your method but 2 days of a pump running vs a few hours of light manual labor... I think you'll get my point.
As for your animals, not much of a test, I certainly wouldn't draw any conclusions based on it. You need to feed it the same way you would feed veggie/food scraps, or weeds. Pile it up don't sprinkle it around.
It will take time for them to become used to it as a food option, but hunger is the best motivator and they will come around to it. But yeah if a cow is expecting grain, and you give it an unfamiliar plant matter, its easy to guess which they are going to choose. As others have stated there is little to none fibrous material in the leaves (there is some in the roots) and it should be easy to digest for all of your animals.
As for a compost amendment, it definitely has a significant amount of N and P, is readily available, and when wet can definitely be used as Fuel/Nitrogen/Wets in a compost pile, should heat it up nicely and innoculate all the aerobic AND anaerobic bacteria to keep it healthy and efficient.
But I wouldn't worry about composting it until I was up to my ears in it, much much better use as feed for all of your animals. You just need to give them a chance to get used to it, and cut back on the candy grain that costs all the $$$$ eating up your profits.
My biggest question would be, if the aerators are stirring up toxins, will the duckweed transfer those toxins to your non-ruminating animals... potentially transferring them to humans who consume those animals? Just wondering.
My chickens wouldn't eat it. They needed hunger i guess.
Yep.. he could have tried mixing it with grain for the cows and 🐐.
Yupp my thought as well about the sprinkling. Some animals like the goats and the cows don't see a pile worth digging into. You should fill their eating troff with it. Goats will eat anything as well!
Man, I congratulate you for your invention.
The problem is duckweed can double in mass every 15 to 24 hours. So you need to get the majority off within a day, then try a skimmer system to try to control it. You can also add some carp to the pond to help control it.
Catfish love it. So if he likes eating catfish, I see it as a win-win.
Now that's generating some biomass!!
I have used all the mentioned methods to control it .we use copper sulfate. a pound a week in our 1.5 acre pond keeps it in check ,some times we need to use more.duck weed is an invasive weed very hard to get ride of!
@@andrewslagle1974 today’s pia is tomorrow’s miracle feed and food.
Truly glad I stumbled upon your channel. My family were in farming, so it’s great to see that farming is still in vogue. Your personality drew me in to watch your duckweed capture endeavors, so I’m now I’m a subscriber. Your previous commentators are beneficial to further understanding your efforts
That was pretty cool to see. I don't think I would have thought of that great idea. Don't were about giving the meat from the pigs a weird flavor I've fed my pigs lots of different things. Thanks for another great video keep up the great work.
Mate, you are a hero. Well played, sir.
This was great! A thought of mine would be to have the pump and bucket at one end of the pond and the discharge and bale fence at the other to achieve a better cycle and push the Duck Weed towards the pump. Thanks for the time you took to make this video!
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
When I cleaned swimming pools I used a pressure pump with a nozzle to spray all the floating stuff towards the skimmer. The bubbles would push everything that floated and the wind would help (if there was any).
Maby an outboard motor on a boat, dragging an anchor comes to mind.
It would help get it all in one spot anyway....sort of.
Best suggestion so far. I was thinking a raft or canoe, with a leaf blower. My BIL used bed springs with 2 ropes to pull it back and forth. Cleaned a one acre pond in about 3 hrs. Takes at least two people and a little tractor or big mower. Then he used it like manure. No hassle, no stress, done! No real features around the pond. He'd pull it up on shore a little way, it'd drain all the water right back to the pond. When dry, not too hard to pitchfork it into a little spreader. Two tractors would reduce the deadhead miles around the pond, or pullback thru prevailing wind clear water.That's all I got! Next!!!
Well it was at least a shot to take on the duck weed, but I think the compost will work fine for you also. I'll be curious to know how it turns out after it's been in the compost pile for a for while. I enjoy your videos, it's that down to earth approach that I find pleasing. Thanks for sharing, have a great Friday and weekend ahead.
That looks like it has very good possibilities in the hot summer when pasture grass goes dormant and you still need to feed your animals.
What an interesting vlog, Evan. I can almost hear your wheels turning. You are an inventor.
Good experiment to test out. We were always trying different things on the farm, sometimes you'd find a dramatic improvement.
This channel is so entertaining to watch, I know its work maintain a farm but to me your living the dream!
Duckweed can spread really fast. I've most seen it used to feed fish in aquaponics, but have heard of people feeding it to livestock.
I heard it was closed to 50% protein, like algae, so if you start mixing it in with their food it could probably work as a protein supplement if nothing else.
My chickens ate it. It took them a few days to figure it out though. I floated it in a shallow dish so no need to attempt drying it. Once the recognized it as food They would eat it all the same day I filled the dish.
you must have a very understanding and forgiving wife because mine would kick the ever living snot out of me if i put duckweed out to dry on her picnic table.....lol loving the content
EZRhino, I agree with your wife.
Lol
You have to culture your animals to eat it. Many do like it dry but I’ve gotten chickens and meat rabbits to eat it wet too. Goats can eat it too.
Give you an "A" for effort trying to tackle the Duckweed
I like the coloring of the Barred Rock Chickens. Evan you know you can't be lucky enough that the farm animals like it!
It would be interesting to do a fermentation experiment with to see if you can turn it into some type of silage
Or duckweed bourbon ?? Country View Acres, fine, old , hand pressed nectar.
Only $49.99/bottle.
Supplies limited.
If I may allow to share a trick with you...in your another post i shared what we do with duckweed in Indian Villages...now a trick for you wait for day when you have easterly wind and you will be amazed that even with a fishnet you can clear 1 acre pond in 20 mins Max, as duckweeds are densest in South and Southwest part of pond, lake etc. No need for any equipment just a big fishnet and muscle 💪 power bro.
Found this online: Interesting as this plant might be, research on its use in pig feeding is rather scarce. Limited experimental results indicate that feeding more than 5% of dried duckweed in diets for growing pigs can reduce growth performance, indicating either the presence of antinutritional factors or a severely unbalanced protein profile. In contrast, sows fed ensiled duckweed as part of a balanced ration had improved reproductive performance.
Practical experience from Russia (thanks to Sergio Stepanow) tells us that pigs enjoy eating large quantities of fresh duckweed, but feed intake drops markedly about one week afterwards. Thus, local farmers feeding fresh duckweed limit its allowance to 1-2 kg per pig per day to avoid feed refusal.
What is ensiled duckweed?
@@jksatte turned into silage
@@nerdy1701 Ok, so it is dried. Can it be bailed somehow?
@@jksatte turning something to silage is a bit more complicated. You have to dry it to a certain H2O percentage and then seal it in an environment away from oxygen. Plastic 55 gallon or 5 gallon buckets with seals work for smaller amounts.
I haven’t read all the reactions but seeing this I see energy! Dry to a certain moist level and press blocks out of it. The dry further, this must be flammable stuff.
Use it for compost. It's high in nitrogen.
you could use a float corral to gather the duckweed to a location then make a slow conveyor belt out of window screen to get it out to a holding area or transport. if it was solar powered you could set it up and just let it clean. great vid subscribed
Last year my pond was covered like yours this year my pond has been clear. I'm not sure why. My aerator has been broken all year and I haven't dyed it since early spring. My grass carp are a year old now. The only other thing I did differently was add muck eating enzymes. I thought it was probably a gimmick but who knows, maybe it's ligit. My pond is beautiful though. Subsurface weeds are much less abundant as well. ( I used to have a terrible curly leaf problem )
I don't know what worked but something sure did. Good luck with yours.
I would try making pellets. 50% regular feed and dry duckweed in the pellet mill
That’s how it’s done! Lol
Back in Texas in the 90's we had to get a certain fish that would eat the duckweed, our pond was not as big as yours. It did work too... Thanks for sharing Evan.... Love & Peace
I just saw a video on duckweed, here the link th-cam.com/video/olMoG6VoW6w/w-d-xo.html
From a distance that looks like water meal on your pond. We have a one acre pond that has been invaded by water meal. We are going to set up an aerator.
I have been a Certified Commercial Aquatic Herbicide Applicator for 30 years. 12 oz. of Clipper herbicide per acre will take care of the problem. The product degrades in a couple days. Harms nothing but the Duckweed & Watermeal. Aerator will do nothing but create a 20 foot "hole" in the middle of your pond.
I read up on duckweed feed for cattle, goats and chickens, You dry the weed then mix it in their feed a 3 to 1 mix is best.
I have watermeal and duckweed on my pond and I'll wait until the wind pushes it to one end and then scoop out with a landing net draped with an old t-shirt to sift the out the material. I then mix with sawdust from band mill and woodshop, and it makes excellent compost for garden. I usually get about a dozen tractor scoops per year. The pond is about 3 acres.
Will other animals eat the dried up duckweed if you mix it in with their regular feed?
It's a great fertiliser
OMG Evan, mix the Duck weed with the normal feeds and every animal will eat it.
I know I was thinking just give it some time. They will take to it.
I’ve skimmed that much in less than an hour,used black piped used for extending gutter spouts and a rope ,it floats half way in water,pretty much waded down the bank ,allowing the rope and pipe to make a huge loop while holding both ends,once it got heavy I would pull it over a fine meshed net ,had ropes tied to all corners,pretty much made a sandwich once it folded,than pull it out of the pond,this would open a decent amount of water once the wind would push it to one side or the other
STRING 20 FT OR MORE OF POOL NOODLES TOGETHER WITH 50 LB TEST FISHING LINE AND TIE A REMOTE CONTROL BOAT TO EACH END. GET TWO PEOPLE TO DRIVE THE TWO BOATS IN TO SHORE GATHERING THE MUCK IN A SMALL CIRCLE. AND THEN USE A LARGE SCREEN FRAME TO PICK IT UP. FEED THE LINE THROUGH THE POOL NOODLES WITH A HEAVY SINKER.
Here me out: Fermented duckweed beer.
Brilliant idea but What about the parasites in the water from where it is sourced?
I live on a canal that's chock full of duck weed. I've always thought it would make great compost. Great video! You've got a beautiful place.
Hey there Evan, I'm not one to post any comments but figured that this link to Takota Coen's channel might help you decide on what to do with your duck weed. Fermented and mixed in with your feed for the pigs or what have you would be what I would do. Here's the video to check out: th-cam.com/video/CloGPgGE9WQ/w-d-xo.html
Love the channel and the content!
Could you use some old one ton bulk bags that used to deliver sand etc to capture it?
Some fish including carp/goldfish eat it.
Yes, I considered that. But I was going to have to order one.
great work here! I saw another farmer taking the duck weed and fermenting with milk and grains to produce a more nutritious food for the pigs. they loved it the most too!
My sister lives by a lake that the water weeds are cut and removed. "Sure, we'll take it and pile it up on the garden,"she said. In one season that pile had shrunk to a fraction of it's size and that garden always did well in that dirt.
If you have a plastic barrel maybe you could drill holes in the side of one that your not using and that way it collects it and drains still. But also I’d try the pig feed but also put it in the compost excellent source of fertilizer. That’s why aquaponics is so great
Works great, im surpriced it works so good. Maby add a timer so its 5 min on then 5 min off just to make the most from each kw of energy so you pump max amount of duck weed when its on. I saw a farmer who ferment duck weed with cow milk for 24 hours and pigs loved it.
I would spread it in a door screen in the sun and wind stream for drying fast, is also healthy for salads
Great resource & harvested so well!! At over 1,100 kg protien per hectar free feed & you compose it!!!!! Tilapia & catfish & carp & other fish love it. Give the birds a chance to learn to eat it.
Well it was worth a try! Pig's like it ! Love watching and listening!
Small John boat with a motor and a large rake with floats on it to skim the top and it'll work.
I made my own rake 15 feet wide and did my small lake/pond.
Look at how cranberry growers harvest the cranberries after they have floated them to the water surface . These farmers are pretty clever in reducing costs. I tried using some of the chaff for addition to mulch piles but there was too much weeds
Should be outstanding for the compost pile. I love composting and it's so rewarding each time I turn it and see how it's breaking down and going to be great nutrients for the garden and flowerbed. I don't know anything about pigs, but I'd be cautious feeding them too much duckweed and making them sick. But then again, they eat anything so likely not an issue. As far as collecting the duckweed, maybe buy a dozen large diameter pool noodles and send a rope through them stringing them together, then use it to drag across the pond skimming the surface.
interesting experiment Evan, was very surprised the chickens weren’t interested, will be interesting to see how it goes fun video well shot and put together thanks, very enjoyable👍👍👍👍👌👌
Had a problem with duck weed at a fisherie i used to help look after and i came up with the idea of getting the same type of hose you was using for you put but longer had one end welded up wit a end cap and the other with a air hose connector and we used to roll it out on the bank and fill it with air attach a rope to both ends and pull it across the lakes it really did work a well for us
That’s Awesome, maybe devise a float for your pump bucket to float out a little ways in the pond may help collect more
For pigs, very little research has been done but a 30 percent dried duckweed diet was given to hogs in Vietnam and it resulted in high-nutrient digestibility. But the best thing about duckweed is that it is also edible for humans.
I noticed some folks overseas actually eat duckweed also. I did what you did except run the water into a large bin with cut grass in it and a hole in the bin to allow the water to run out and leave the duckweed inside and dump it when full. And I just let the pump hose skim it off the top of the water and it sucks the water from the surface of the pond.
Think I would try just drying it and mixing it into their regular feed, it's a lot more protein (2.5x for cattle feed) than they are used too......
Maybe a big sheet of somewhat porous (ground retention cloth?) material to both collect and dry duck weed upon?
ymmv...
You need some sterile grass carp. They’ll clear that pond up quickly. They eat a lot when they are small and eat less and less as they grow. Add more annually to keep up with their aging. We usually take out the big ones bow fishing but you can line fish them as well. Use them for fertilizer when they are fully grown. Usually takes about 10 fish per acre but you would definitely need more like 15-20 fish per acre. It’s about creating a healthy ecosystem and carp are just part of if. I hope y’all are able to see this message and make it happen. Good luck y’all!
The die off is the problem. Also the reproduction. Tilapia are pretty invasive and will also eat fry and smaller bait fish. Then they make a mess when they die off. That’s the problem we had with them anyway. Sterile grass carp don’t reproduce so they don’t invade the pond. They serve a purpose fertilizing the garden and they keep the pond very clean without having to do anything else. Dying the water is just a bandage to the bigger issue which is a balanced ecosystem. Once the pond is better balanced, it will require very little maintenance. That’s what we’ve discovered in our situation and if it works for us it should work for them too.
Duck weed doubles in volume in about a week. At your rate of removal you can feed the pigs til harvest. Chicken that are not allowed to free range love it. Had issues with dogs had my hens penned up and they ate all I would give them of duckweed and ancharis which is a stem water plant. I grew these for aquarium hobby.
I have been collecting used trampolines to build small Quonset style sheds and greenhouses. I think that the trampoline Mats may make a great filter for the duckweed.