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We netted this one and about a 100 others on the Touw river at Wildernis. I have added them to the 12 or so that I already have in the pond in the backyard.

(Edit 11 May 2014 – Some of the Tilapia I still have in my tanks carry these blood lines. The Touw River is even cooler than Port Elizabeth’s river’s so I suspect the fish we netted there are naturally selected for cold water tolerance)

Though the hen was sitting on eight eggs. only three hatched. I have made a cage for the hen and chicks to be kept in. This should keep them safe from the other chickens and from rats.

The ducks eat anything green, So what I have done is to put up a little fence separating the east end of the pond near the chicken run, from the rest of the pond. The fence runs through the water. I have planed waterplants and veggies on the protected side. In the water I am growing duck weed, which the Tilapia can eat from underneath.

We bought three Venda Fowl, from a touch farm that was closing down. Two hens and a rooster. They are great. I built a fence seprearting them form the duckpond because I don’t want them scratching everything to pieces.

Edit 11 May 2014 – What we found is that the ducks completely demolished the duckweed and another vegetation very quickly. The water, even from these few ducks became very dirty, too dirty to keep Tilapia in any reasonable way.

I have decided to farm. I am not waiting for retirement. I am not waiting to buy farm land some time in the distant future. I am starting now.