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

[ozexpat]

they probably do not have communications restored. they are on a very small island

http://www.sibuyan.com/sibuyanisland.html

it appears the typhoon skirted below Marily's island. The tourist resort island of boracay was between Sibuyan and the storm and it received little damage

 

[ozexpat]

now word from Sibuyan i'm guessing the cell towers are not working at the monent
Marily is healing up, pain level is down to about a 2

now about those pigs OZ
1st what will 120 pigs smell like?
i think i would go for about 1/2 that # & see how things work
as far as a 5 ton truck goes
i used own a tractor trailer & i had to lay out $25,000 to maintain the truck & trailer
now granted i would drive 100,000 miles a year but my point is
large trucks require large outlays of cash at times to keep them up & running
around here 4 new tires on the back of a dump truck will set you back about $2,000

i think i would find a local guy who already owned a truck that would do the job
give the guy a free pig & maybe buy some fuel for him
much cheeper than owning a heavy truck

I am glad your good wife is healing

the pig smell? i would have to ask those who live down wind

seriously - most will be piglets but thats why we will start slowly

the truck - it would be just for local runs - it would cost 80-100 bucks to get 30 pigs to market. no vehicle is the best investment but timing sale of pigs and ability to bring them home if needed adds up. a truck in the phils will be good for 20+ years.

V

Isuzu Elf 10ft tray double wheels

Japanese surplus

$6000

 

[piglett]

I am glad your good wife is healing

the pig smell? i would have to ask those who live down wind

seriously - most will be piglets but thats why we will start slowly

the truck - it would be just for local runs - it would cost 80-100 bucks to get 30 pigs to market. no vehicle is the best investment but timing sale of pigs and ability to bring them home if needed adds up. a truck in the phils will be good for 20+ years.

V

Isuzu Elf 10ft tray double wheels

Japanese surplus

$6000

an Isuzu truck like what you have pictured is a good long running truck
i was looking at both Isuzu & mitzubishi at one point
the Isuzu doesn't have as good of an engine was the word that i got from a guy who owns a shop that works on big trucks
the mitz. will run 400,000 miles if you take care of it (that is why they are so loved by jeepney owners)
i ended up buying a smaller toyota instead but i do like those Japanese cabovers

 

[ozexpat]

i could always get one of these

12 inch tires 850cc 3 cylinder engine

 

[piglett]

i could always get one of these

12 inch tires 850cc 3 cylinder engine

that is what Marily & i want to get for her dad in the province
there is a guy north on manila who always has a bunch for sale
last time i was there we went for a little ride in one
i would get the one that is 4x4 & has a low range
some are just set up for the highway, some are more set up to be worked
i would go with good meaty tires but not oversized tires

they also have some with a longer body on the back

 

[ozexpat]

that is what Marily & i want to get for her dad in the province
there is a guy north on manila who always has a bunch for sale
last time i was there we went for a little ride in one
i would get the one that is 4x4 & has a low range
so are just set up for the highway, some are more set up to be worked
i would go with good meaty tires but not oversized tires

they are an ideal utility vehicle in the phils. they run 3000 reconditioned

i would not fit in it though

how are the chooks laying pig?

 

[piglett]

they are an ideal utility vehicle in the phils. they run 3000 reconditioned

i would not fit in it though

how are the chooks laying pig?

i am 5'10" & i fit in the cab no problem , & i tip the scale at about 200lbs so i'm not all that small
your built more like my "little" brother
6'4" 340 lbs

the silkies are on the case
nothing yet from the orps
i added a 5 gallon free choice feeder for the orps
i plan to keep it full at all times
i am also giving them fermented feed which they love during the day
i also got them a bag of scratch so they will get some of that each day till it is gone
their new feathers sure do look nice
so i think eggs will arrive soon

 

[ozexpat]

After 3 days we have power back on.

80 eggs incubating and 2 chicks were our only losses.

All of my wife's family is ok - as with Bernie's.

Its back to work on the fence. Cement prices will no doubt double for the next week until the government puts a stop to gouging and sets ceilings on building supply prices. I had 50 sacks delivered before the storm.

Five islands were hit hard by the typhoon. Lyete and Samar are the ones making headlines because they were decimated. Cebu got it next. The poultry industry lost about 20% of its laying hens. The devastation on the North of our island and Panay to our west is also pretty horrific. A huge percentage of the country's sugar cane industry was wiped out and rice plantations ruined. Apart from the human loss, the economic damage is staggering and will impact many low income people as they wont have work.

I have been pm'd regarding the way to send a donation in a way that it will get to the needy:

the philippine red cross is my choice. they accept paypal and credit cards. 1000 pesos is $23.74

http://ushare.redcross.org.ph/

the following are some other suggestions

https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/ShelterBoxUSAInc/PhilippinesTyphoon.html

http://www.give2habitat.org/philippines/ReBuildPhilippines

http://donate.unicef.ph/campaign/24/typhoon-yolanda-emergency-appeal

 

[ozexpat]

And the next typhoon is on its way....

Zoraida, the 26th named storm of the year


MANILA – A new tropical cyclone continues to approach parts of Visayas and Mindanao, threatening areas still reeling from the devastation brought by super typhoon "Yolanda," state weather bureau PAGASA said.
PAGASA said as of 10 a.m., the tropical depression, locally named "Zoraida," was spotted 830 kilometers southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao Del Sur.
Due to the new weather disturbance, Siquijor, Southern Cebu, Bohol, Negros Oriental, Southern Negros Occidental, Dinagat Island, Siargao Island, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Samal Island, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental, and Camiguin Island have been placed under public storm warning signal number 1.
Areas under signal no. 1 should experience 30 to 60 kph winds may be expected in at least 36 hours.
Forecast to move west northwest at 30 kph, Zoraida is expected to be 160 kms east southeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur by Tuesday morning; 130 kms west of Iloilo City by Wednesday morning; and outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Thursday morning.
PAGASA said an estimated rainfall amount of 5 - 15 millimeters per hour (moderate - heavy) will be felt within the tropical depression's 300-km diameter.

This one should be just a kitten

 

[LFchixranch]

I have to say, losing communication with Bernie and Analou was stressful. I knew that they should have been OK as the storm had passed but I did not find that overly reassuring. I cant imaging having family in the areas that were hit hard and are still without communication.

The coops held up and are drying out. Yesterday was one of those days where the sun shines brightly through air that is perfectly clear. We had just over 80 locally hatched eggs in the incubator but now have been without power for 36 hours. I was hoping to use those chicks to teach bernie some vaccination techniques. If we get power back on today, there may be time to hatch a small batch before I have to return from my pending trip.

The goats are doing fine. I am in contact with a German guy on the other side of the island that owns 250 dairy goats. He invited me to tour his cheese making process while we are over there selling our copra. I now have two options on the island for sourcing dairy goat stock.

Pigletts 1, 2 & 3 have settled in. We are spending this week transitioning them from the store bought premix feed to the cocobeach blend. They were wormed yesterday. I will be laying out their new quarters when I get there. We will be buying 3 more each 8 weeks till we have 12. That should give us three farrowing sows at a time and hopefully 30+ pigletts. We will probably sell 20 as weaners and finish the others to assess the differential in work load, logistics and profitability. Having 90-120 pigs at varying stages of growth may be too much. If we decide to take the farrow to finish path, I will need an outlay of 4-7 thousand dollars for a 5 ton truck. Bernie has never driven a car so there is another logistical issue,

As there is no real industry on our island that use them, IBC 250 gallon containers run close to 250 dollars a piece and are one cubic meter. Ideally I would use four Thats too pricey.

I could build a concrete pond 4 cubic meters in volume with a 6 sq meter elevated grow bed would use 2 cubic meters of concrete

quant desc $ Tot $
20 cement 7 280
36 rebar 1.5 54
2 sand/gravel 5 10
12 days labor 7 84
424

By the time I add the pump and plumbing, a 1000 gallon fish tank with a 60 sq ft hydroponic garden will set us back $600. A reasonable price for next year's project. My tomatoes will have to wait.

If everything implements successfully and all our young fruit trees develop, We will have a pretty small grocery bill.

If only domesticated bees would survive the salt and wet seasons.......

this isn't aquaponics, although I'm sure you could tie it into the works, but a friend down in Florida does it and works pretty well. It is gardening in buckets and other containers which require less dirt and water. https://www.facebook.com/groups/144745362329424/ There is also a YouTube video on it,

. Edited to add there is also one on using grow bags like the cloth shopping bags or bags made from landscaping cloth, ( there might be a phil industry there making them)