Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[ozexpat]

It all started with on Nov 4. I was sitting watching the sun rise over the bay and Mount Kanlaon when our wonderful maid, Analou informed me we were out of eggs. I gave her a few pesos to run to the sari sari store to buy 4 eggs for our breakfast. While she was gone, the morning parade of chickens went through the yard scratching for bugs and other treats. It suddenly occured to be that we have had chickens for three years and had never eaten an egg or a chicken we had produced ourselves. Our chickens, or all intents and purposes, were decorative.

About half an hour later the tom turkey and my 15 month old son started a stare down. I pulled Lorenzo back and asked Bernie, our gardener, what had happened to the hen turkey. He said that she was sitting on three eggs. We had owned the turkeys for about a year. I had seen hatchling turkeys with the hen but none made it to adulthood. I am in the Philippines for about six weeks a year these days but it dawned on me that our poultry needed attention. Our chickens were native and going broody almost continuously. Sitting on six eggs only and then those that hatched were disappearing before adulthood. We were not getting eggs. The turkey was a hopeless mother. I decided I would buy an incubator, remove the eggs from the coop as soon as they were laid, and then brood the chicks under lights. I was time for research.

 

[ozexpat]

We just received the greatest news of our lives:

The petitions for adoption for both our kids are finalized.

We are now officially parents.

Its still a 6-9 month journey to get them to the USA but its really happening

 

[Tomtommom]

I wanted to share my baby with y'all... she'll actually be a week old tomorrow. Been busy, obviously, and we've had some health issues (nothing severe, more of a nuisance than anything).

Ms Amelia Eleanora (and her daddy)

 

[ozexpat]

Its Jan 3. Almost half way through the incubation.

Today is very windy. We are in the midst of the North East Monsoon period. Its the coldest time of the year here. We have 20 mile an hour winds blowing straight off the ocean. The temp at 11am is just 78 but the humidity is in the 90s. When the wind stops and the sun comes out, the temp will quickly climb to 86. By the looks of it, this will be atleast a day away.

The humidity is concerning. I cannot regulate it. In the incubators the humidity reads 54%.

I can see movement in most eggs. I will cull out the clear ones tonight.

Life is very different here. Trying to live a western lifestyle is expensive but living like a local is very cheap. We live a combination. I will try and describe a little here. Its very easy to romanticizel
Iiving on the beach in a tnird world country with nannies, maids and gardeners, but its not all a breeze. With staff comes responsibility.

Our gardener and maid are married with a son. They have their own basic house on our lot. We provide them with Social Security, Philhealth, most of their food and a combined salary od 120 dollars a month. In addition we profit share our copra - the meat from coconuts sold to a mill for oil. We have 290 fruit bearing trees that Bernie climbs and harvests on our time. On his days off he dries the meat from the nuts and bags it for shipping. A kilo will earn 40 cents to a dollar, depending on a very labile market. We will take a ton to the mill next week. The price is rock bottom at the moment so we will collect abour 400 dollars. Bernies will earn about 150 dollars from his share. He will probably invest it in a yearling Caribau - a water buffalo that can be rented out to sugar cane and rice farmers for ploughing and hauling cane from the fields to trucks for shipping. Although we want Analou and Bernie to feel that they can grow old with us, wewould like them to have an income when they grow older and encourage them to plan for the future - sadly something that is not done here. the Philippines is cursed by consumerism. People would rather have the latest phone than a house or even more nutritious food for their children.

The main staple here is of course rice. A kilo of rice is 30 pesos or roughly 30 cents a pound. A family of four can eat 50kilos in a month. Chicken in the market is 1.30 a pound. Pork is 1.80. Fish is about 50 cents up to a few dollars for high end. The local diet is mostly vegetable soup with rice and a little fish. Fifty dollars can easily keep a local family of four well nourished for a month. We crave western foods as well so wealso buy beef at 2.90 a pound, flour to make bread,canned tomatoes for spaghetti and other ingredients that stop us feeling deprived. I bring loads of non perishable goceries over from the usa when I come as it works out easier and cheaper than going to the big supermarkets in Manila, a plane flight away.

Sadly, rum is a buck a 750ml bottle and cigarettes are 60cents a pack so men die young or slowly decayfrom self abuse. Teenage pregnancy is rife. A bill just passed through govt. that mandates availability of contaception. Hopefully this will help as being a single mother makes it almost impossible to succeed in anything but the sex trade. Our area is very poor. Its hard to help as an individual as you end up with lines of people at your door. We are members of the local Lions club and funnel our philanthropy through the club.

The chickens and their eggs should provide our staff with lots of protein to supplement their diets as well as additional income from egg and breeder trio sales. I would like to make enough to cover feed and make the business self sustaining. An egg sells for 12 cents in the market. In the classifieds a breeding trio of RHode Island reds sells for 120 dollars.

 

[Phage]

Fingers crossed and dreaming of fluffies everywhere

 

[ozexpat]

Lots of developments.

A few things.

Bernie is great but he is just an employee. Employees quit. Its part of life as an employer. He will be replaced.

Analou is actually the key to the advances - not Bernie. My ability to relay instructions via her has been the best part.


I will not offer Bernie more money. He is getting a great deal with the potential to make a lot of money. This is wife driven not money driven.

Every one we have hired leaves when the wife says so.

If they take the business model and try and rebuild it they can but they do not have the knowledge really.

We may already have a replacement.

Chicks are hatching.

Forever forward.

 

[ozexpat]

Our girl got to decide what she will wear today. She chose to be a princess. She is recycling one of her flower girl outfits


Maybe I am just a biased parent, but I think she is such a pretty thing

 

[ozexpat]

happy valentines day

 

[ozexpat]

Greetings Earthlings

I am planning a major update over the next few days.

First I have to catch up a little.

Flying to the Phils on Thursday Dec 22

I will write an update on the flight!

 

[sourland]

I see six weeks becoming extended.