linuxusr
Songster
Hello All,
I am writing this post "just for fun." I want to apprise you of what it's like buying chickens in the Dominican Republic.
Building my coop is a work in progress and slow at that. While that's going on I decided to find out where to buy my hens so that when my coop was ready, I'd be ready.
First, everyone I talk to seems to divide chickens into two categories: criollos and gringos. The latter are for killing and eating. They kill on the spot when you go to market. The former are for eggs. What actually distinguishes these two, I don't know. Since I'm "just getting my feet wet" what I am presenting is superficial.
In the capital, Santo Domingo, I am told that there are two markets I can go to to buy criollos: Mercado Nuevo and Mercado Las Minas (on the East side, across Ozama River). I went to Mercado Nuevo, the largest market. There we had to ask about ten people where the live chickens were. They were located not in the central market but on the side, in an area behind a muddy lot. The first chickens I saw, about 20 cramped in a smallish cage, were in bad shape; no gloss on the feathers, dull combs, dusty, some cannibalism. I then asked to see the youngest. I was then led inside down a narrow corridor inside a small room. This fellow, once he understood that I knew some things about chickens and would be returning to buy was most helpful. (In my youth in Marshfield, Massachusetts it was my job to take care of 10 Rhode Island Reds and 1 Bantam rooster).
I have to get my chicken taxonomy straight (one genus? different species? varieties?) but the young hens he showed me were distinctly different. More on that when I buy my hens, then I'll take photos and be more specific. Thankfully, these hens were in much better condition. They cost RD$150.00 each or about $2.50. \
I don't blame the guy for the bad shape of the first hens. The D.R. is a poor country. I believe the owner does not have money for their care and is barely eking out his own existence. The only reason the young hens were in better condition, in my opinion, is because not enough time had passed for their inadequate care. Eventually, they'll look just like the other ones.
Meanwhile I checked milled corn prices: RD$650 for 50 lbs. = $11.20. Meanwhile, closer to my house at a vet's called Agro Marva, I found that I can buy 100 lbs. for RD$970 or about $16.70.
I'll next check the other market. When I'm ready to buy my hens, I may end up going to both markets and picking the best from each. Probably I'm buying only three. I have to see how my composting waste management goes first, before I add.
I'll add more as I learn more.
I am writing this post "just for fun." I want to apprise you of what it's like buying chickens in the Dominican Republic.
Building my coop is a work in progress and slow at that. While that's going on I decided to find out where to buy my hens so that when my coop was ready, I'd be ready.
First, everyone I talk to seems to divide chickens into two categories: criollos and gringos. The latter are for killing and eating. They kill on the spot when you go to market. The former are for eggs. What actually distinguishes these two, I don't know. Since I'm "just getting my feet wet" what I am presenting is superficial.
In the capital, Santo Domingo, I am told that there are two markets I can go to to buy criollos: Mercado Nuevo and Mercado Las Minas (on the East side, across Ozama River). I went to Mercado Nuevo, the largest market. There we had to ask about ten people where the live chickens were. They were located not in the central market but on the side, in an area behind a muddy lot. The first chickens I saw, about 20 cramped in a smallish cage, were in bad shape; no gloss on the feathers, dull combs, dusty, some cannibalism. I then asked to see the youngest. I was then led inside down a narrow corridor inside a small room. This fellow, once he understood that I knew some things about chickens and would be returning to buy was most helpful. (In my youth in Marshfield, Massachusetts it was my job to take care of 10 Rhode Island Reds and 1 Bantam rooster).
I have to get my chicken taxonomy straight (one genus? different species? varieties?) but the young hens he showed me were distinctly different. More on that when I buy my hens, then I'll take photos and be more specific. Thankfully, these hens were in much better condition. They cost RD$150.00 each or about $2.50. \
I don't blame the guy for the bad shape of the first hens. The D.R. is a poor country. I believe the owner does not have money for their care and is barely eking out his own existence. The only reason the young hens were in better condition, in my opinion, is because not enough time had passed for their inadequate care. Eventually, they'll look just like the other ones.
Meanwhile I checked milled corn prices: RD$650 for 50 lbs. = $11.20. Meanwhile, closer to my house at a vet's called Agro Marva, I found that I can buy 100 lbs. for RD$970 or about $16.70.
I'll next check the other market. When I'm ready to buy my hens, I may end up going to both markets and picking the best from each. Probably I'm buying only three. I have to see how my composting waste management goes first, before I add.
I'll add more as I learn more.
