My parents live in a small municipality not far from the city of Antwerp in Belgium.
Five years ago the municipality launched a very successful initiative that every family living in that municipality could get 2 chickens for FREE. The idea being to reduce the amount of Vegetable-Fruit-Garden waste as well as to promote composting of such.
My parents got 2 beautiful brown chickens that laid an egg every day (unless when it was very cold). And they actually had so many eggs that they gave them away to everybody visiting them. Last year one of the chickens died, and the other one's egg production has gone down, so my father has decided to get 2 new chickens, once the last one dies (he doesn't want to kill it out of thankfulness for the chicken's egg-contribution all those years).
The municipality initiative of giving 2 chickens for free did stop after 1 year, but when you are a resident of the municipality and hand in your big Veg-Fruit-Garden waste-container, they will still give you 2 chickens in return. In Belgium live full-grown chickens cost between 5 and 50 US $ (depending on the breed), and 10 US S for a live egg-laying chicken is the normal going price...
That is awesome. $5 to $10 seemed to be the going rate before whatever crazy happened in Las Vegas. I don't know if it is hysteria greed or what. In American cities they often do the opposite of what you are describing in Belgium: zoming laws often make it illegal to own chickens. I can get them where I am in Vegas but where my brother is in Toledo he couldn't raise chickens legally even if he wanted to...I never had the heart for killing them either
Hi Amy ... you have talked about a brother in Toledo , there are folks , I believe sell chicks , goats in Ohio and in Michigan north of Detroit. If you do a road trip maybe research the area for this. Also , chicks are for sale at Tractor Supply in the spring .
I'm a bit confused, though. Are you currently still in the US or back in Thailand?
As for chickens -. I've seen baby chicks at the Farm-n-Fleet stores here. Always around Easter too.
I really enjoyed all the info and personal stories. Made me smile picturing the horses tied outside the beer stores. I thought, "Well, much safer than driving", especially if one already has a few under their belt. 😄
LOl the horses know better than you! Some years ago I saw two horses tied to a post on otherwise very busy name drag Nellis in front of a bar title Saloon. It was such an iconic Vegas scene. Regarding where I am the situation is fast moving. I arrived back in Thailand yesterday. I was in Vegas in December January and February
Yes, lol, they DO know better! I had two horses until 2008. They are such beautiful, majestic and powerfully strong animals. My paternal grandfather ( who I never met) was killed by one. On his 30th birthday he wanted to ride one. Well, the horse reared up, my grandfather slid off the back, held onto the reigns so tightly, that, the horse fell back onto him and crushed him.
Thank you for sharing the Vegas Saloon story. Iconic scene indeed! Thanks for clearing up where you are now too. I'm so happy you're back home with your husband. About time, huh? Wishing the very best for you and your family. Soldier on, dear Amy.
Tractor Supply and most other feed stores will have chicks right now. Of course you'll have to brood them for 12 weeks, until they get fully feathered out to keep warm. Lots of info online about how to do that.
You can also order them from a hatchery. I like Privet Hatchery in Portales, NM. Its not too far away.
Over the past 25 years I've kept a number of breeds here. I like Black Copper Marans, a dual purpose breed that lays chocolate colored eggs. They are a calm breed, good setters so they reproduce themselves - you'll never have to buy another. A good dual purpose breed.
Wellsummers are another breed I like - calm, strong foragers and productive layers (very dark brown egg), with a good feed to egg ratio. Poor setters and too scrawny to eat. The BCM's will set dark brown eggs from other breeds.
I have barred rocks right now, another dual purpose breed. I've had Javas, and several other breeds, but I'll soon be going back to a combination of BCM's and Wellsummers.
Here's my take on incorporating chickens into a regenerative backyard farming program.
Tractor Supply or Rural King. It's "Chick Days" right now. Or join Telegram and follow "Make Chickens Great Again" channel. She's got 1000s of followers, all over the country and abroad. I promised there's someone near Vegas who'd help you out.
Beautiful pictures and those prices... Wow!
Wow Amy, that are crazy prices for chickens!
Let me share a nice chicken story/initiative:
My parents live in a small municipality not far from the city of Antwerp in Belgium.
Five years ago the municipality launched a very successful initiative that every family living in that municipality could get 2 chickens for FREE. The idea being to reduce the amount of Vegetable-Fruit-Garden waste as well as to promote composting of such.
My parents got 2 beautiful brown chickens that laid an egg every day (unless when it was very cold). And they actually had so many eggs that they gave them away to everybody visiting them. Last year one of the chickens died, and the other one's egg production has gone down, so my father has decided to get 2 new chickens, once the last one dies (he doesn't want to kill it out of thankfulness for the chicken's egg-contribution all those years).
The municipality initiative of giving 2 chickens for free did stop after 1 year, but when you are a resident of the municipality and hand in your big Veg-Fruit-Garden waste-container, they will still give you 2 chickens in return. In Belgium live full-grown chickens cost between 5 and 50 US $ (depending on the breed), and 10 US S for a live egg-laying chicken is the normal going price...
That is awesome. $5 to $10 seemed to be the going rate before whatever crazy happened in Las Vegas. I don't know if it is hysteria greed or what. In American cities they often do the opposite of what you are describing in Belgium: zoming laws often make it illegal to own chickens. I can get them where I am in Vegas but where my brother is in Toledo he couldn't raise chickens legally even if he wanted to...I never had the heart for killing them either
Hi Amy ... you have talked about a brother in Toledo , there are folks , I believe sell chicks , goats in Ohio and in Michigan north of Detroit. If you do a road trip maybe research the area for this. Also , chicks are for sale at Tractor Supply in the spring .
Beautiful family, Amy.
I'm a bit confused, though. Are you currently still in the US or back in Thailand?
As for chickens -. I've seen baby chicks at the Farm-n-Fleet stores here. Always around Easter too.
I really enjoyed all the info and personal stories. Made me smile picturing the horses tied outside the beer stores. I thought, "Well, much safer than driving", especially if one already has a few under their belt. 😄
LOl the horses know better than you! Some years ago I saw two horses tied to a post on otherwise very busy name drag Nellis in front of a bar title Saloon. It was such an iconic Vegas scene. Regarding where I am the situation is fast moving. I arrived back in Thailand yesterday. I was in Vegas in December January and February
Yes, lol, they DO know better! I had two horses until 2008. They are such beautiful, majestic and powerfully strong animals. My paternal grandfather ( who I never met) was killed by one. On his 30th birthday he wanted to ride one. Well, the horse reared up, my grandfather slid off the back, held onto the reigns so tightly, that, the horse fell back onto him and crushed him.
Thank you for sharing the Vegas Saloon story. Iconic scene indeed! Thanks for clearing up where you are now too. I'm so happy you're back home with your husband. About time, huh? Wishing the very best for you and your family. Soldier on, dear Amy.
Tractor Supply and most other feed stores will have chicks right now. Of course you'll have to brood them for 12 weeks, until they get fully feathered out to keep warm. Lots of info online about how to do that.
You can also order them from a hatchery. I like Privet Hatchery in Portales, NM. Its not too far away.
https://www.privetthatchery.com/home
Over the past 25 years I've kept a number of breeds here. I like Black Copper Marans, a dual purpose breed that lays chocolate colored eggs. They are a calm breed, good setters so they reproduce themselves - you'll never have to buy another. A good dual purpose breed.
Wellsummers are another breed I like - calm, strong foragers and productive layers (very dark brown egg), with a good feed to egg ratio. Poor setters and too scrawny to eat. The BCM's will set dark brown eggs from other breeds.
I have barred rocks right now, another dual purpose breed. I've had Javas, and several other breeds, but I'll soon be going back to a combination of BCM's and Wellsummers.
Here's my take on incorporating chickens into a regenerative backyard farming program.
https://secularheretic.substack.com/p/prepping-chickens-the-ultimate-regenerative
Good luck!
Feed stores or you can order them online to be shipped to you.
Hey Amy, sending the strong Spirit Vibes. 💥
I never received anything related to the Vegas shooting
Hmmm...
Zero Hedge link with silly FBI rationale for why the *lone gunman* shot up the crowd. 😐
Probably in your spam folder? * I hope.
I'll check. I get a lot of stuff and was meaning to give you my own writeup on the Vegas shooting.
👍 Please!
It's a good morning for it! Let me drink my coffee and head out to Wat Muang Mai to fire up my computer I have it all outlined
Tractor Supply or Rural King. It's "Chick Days" right now. Or join Telegram and follow "Make Chickens Great Again" channel. She's got 1000s of followers, all over the country and abroad. I promised there's someone near Vegas who'd help you out.