Well, almost complete. I still have to add more supporting wood to make it withstand future typhoons. We get that a lot yearly where I’m from. I spent around 800 pesos for the bamboo, which is a bit pricey since I could have just gotten it for free had I been more patient.
Time now to construct the nesting boxes inside.
Happy farming!
Chickens, being one of the cheapest source of protein (not to mention the eggs), have always been part of Filipino diet whether in the sprawling cities or far away
provinces. No surprise that it’s not unusual to see a household with a few chickens.
One day, I suddenly thought “why can’t I have some as well?” We have a small vacant lot with walls and gates already and my Aquaponics setup doesn’t really take much space.
Last week, I started drafting a plan for my project: a mini barn! My goal is simple, 1. Help cut down food cost by producing meat and eggs. 2. Learn the basics of organic chicken farming for larger ventures in the future. 3. To sell excess meat and eggs. Now, this, I’m totally sure if there would be something to call excess. But I’m going to try.
First thing I need would be a house for the chicken. To get me started, I bought 2 hens and a rooster just to motivate myself to pursue this project. With the help of my stepdad, I was able to begin setting up a simple chicken house. Most of the materials were just salvaged from a nearby construction site. The plastic roof are just recycled from my previous greenhouse that was destroyed by a typhoon several months ago.
I chose to go for native, free-range type of chickens since they peck for some of their food like plants and insects, and they’re much more resistant to diseases. I also like the idea of seeing chickens walking around, instead of white chickens confined in cages, being fed with antibiotics and all sorts of drugs.
If the info I got from the net is accurate, a hen would lay at least 40 eggs in a year under the natural method. Meaning, you let the hen do their thing with less intervention from humans. So if there are 20 hens and 4 roosters, I am to expect 800 eggs in a year or 66.67 eggs in a month. And I don’t think we’ll be eating that much eggs. Not bad for a chicken house made up of recycled materials. I know this will be a new journey for me, but I am going to welcome learning and new experiences.
Happy farming!
Aqualeafygreen 