New from Africa

[Naimaleonard]

Hi,
From Somalia to be more specific. We have only been here for about a year and have acquired local chickens to add to our yard. Things are definitely more challenging when it comes to caring for chickens where I currently reside....no vetinary care, etc....but at the same time, there are no chemicals or toxins involved that the chickens get exposed to. Actually, I really don't know much about chickens and most everything we read online does not apply to us, such as; commercial chicken feed, products one can buy from a local store, making chicken coups, medicine, breeds etc... so thought I really need to get in touch with chicken experts to understand the breeds we are dealing with and understanding chickens better. For now, we provide them with a feed that is a mix of sorghum, crushed corn, wheat kernels and oats. Majority of the locals feed sorghum and the local chickens do fine, whereas the Ethiopian or Kenyan chickens would not survive on it. Though I do have the local chicken breed, they are all different in colour. Yeah, alot to learn.
Anyway, about ourselves. We are a family coming from Canada and venturing on a journey learning about various new places. Our children are having a trip of a lifetime. While we do plan on traveling to other areas, we hope to make this simple way of living our home. I am originally a homeschooling mom and always dreamed of having my own homestead.

Thanks, Naima

 

[Pork Pie]

Hi Naima and welcome to BYC. You'll find that the in the majority of homesteads all over the continent (including both Ethiopia and Kenya - where I live) birds would be lucky to get the kind of feed you offer. Most may get some leftover maize and then be left to their own devices for the rest of their nutrition and water. Landrace chickens evolve to be able to cope with such conditions and they are most certainly the easiest to keep. Since I assume you pass through Nairobi on your travels, there are veterinary stores in the centre of town so you could stock up on some basics, should you wish.

This is a useful link of BYC guides to take a look at announcements-feedback-issues-guides.3 I’d suggest including your location using the guide in that link. If you are missing home and wish to chat with fellow Canadians - here's your country thread - http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/144/canadians-check-in-here

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[Big Red Roosters]

I was a homeschool child. Best way to educate kids these days, good for you. Sounds like you're on quite the adventure!

 

[N F C]

Hi Naima, it's nice to have you here with us!

 

[drumstick diva]

Hope you will enjoy Backyard Chickens as much as we do.

 

[Shadrach]

Hello Nainaleonard.
Welcome to BYC.
It's going to help with advice if you fill in your profile giving your location or you'll get lots of suggestions that just don't apply outside the US.
It would be great to see some pictures of the chickens you have.
You're going to have problems trying to explain Landrace chickens and how they are kept on BYC.

 

[webbysmeme]

Glad to here from you. Give more information on where you want to live. Tell us you present location. You need to add an avatar( picture ) of yourself or something! Good luck in your travels! God Bless you and your family.

 

[Naser]

Welcome
I have access to vet and chemicals, I don't use them, as it is very expensive to take a hen to a vet, most likely they will say to put a sleep something I can do myself, I don't use medications either "I did for 2 or 3 years but they didn't make any difference"
For optimal egg production you need 3 things: young hens, protein and calcium.
Go to the seaside and collect oyster shells and crush them, other members can give you more about other sources of calcium, protein: maybe you can get cheap from leftover from people who sell fish, just cook it.
Try to get white leghorn, hens and roosters, then you will be able to hatch your own with an incubator or under any local breed available
Your biggest problem will be the predators.
Good luck

 

[Melky]

You can crush the chickens own egg shells and refeed for oyster shell once laying if do not have free choice oyster shell but this is not needed till the chicken is about 15 weeks or more or laying. Do you have chick grit available to feed to babies at 3-4 weeks then poultry grit when at 8 weeks or greater? Grit assists digestion and oyster shell or egg shells add calcium for strong shells once the appropriate age. Have fun!

 

[Naimaleonard]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome. I've updated my profile picture...our previous male who would always wait to greet me at the side door (love how it's almost always Sunny and bright here). I had to rehome him (we still see him at times) because he just wasn't successful in fertilizing the eggs and fought any other rooster we brought in. He was a sweetheart and even let my almost 2 year old touch him with no complaints. We are currently in Somaliland. We hope to see Egypt, Nairobi, Dubai and Morocco. I also plan on hopefully visiting Indonesia, Malaysia and China, but more for business reasons. Tickets are incredibly cheap from here and distance is such an opportunity that we can't pass on. My children are going to the local school for language purposes at the moment. Plus their math level is above Canada's. No better way to learn a language and/or culture than to submerge yourself into the local living. Anyway, I will post pictures of each chicken...keep an eye out for it in the identifying breed board. I am not sure if some of you can tell me if the Somali chickens are their own breed or if there is a mixture that exists here that originate from elsewhere.
Thanks porkpie for the information. I most definitely will look into some basic medicine that I should have on hand and pick some up when we're visiting Nairobi. At the moment we're using acv in their water for their immune system and bathing them weekly. We give them kitchen scraps and I give them daily cooked meat with cooked rice every second day. So far no deaths or medical issues but we keep losing chicks...and sadly learning as we go which means trying to find what works while maybe losing more in the process.
Thanks Nasser. We do feed them meat scraps for protein plus the abundant insects and lizards they catch in the yard. As for calcium we don't have access to the seaside where we currently reside... I'll research and ask about other calcium sources. Thanks so much.