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Hello from Bastimentos Panama !

muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I ate some in St. Pete,Fl. last year and it was good. Read a story on how they skin them and butcher them. Lot of meat in a big one.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Chickens are in the new home :clap:. Genaro is like a happy mother hen . We picked up 100 on this trip and he hand picked everyone . All the chicks made the trip to the island a little hot and tired , but some sugar water perked them right up . NO losses !!! Here's a picture of their new home . The back section is for the breeding hens .The main coop is about 8'x16' .It is all made from pressure treated pine .We will pick up another 100 next week .The shelf is where the 55 gallon water barrel will sit to feed the automatic water system . 4" PVC is standard gutter material down here .Still need to put on the corner trim , but you get the idea .

Going to take Saturday off and go fishing for snapper and yellow tails . Hopefully with any luck we will have Coconut smoked fish for dinner saturday night !!!
 

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muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Al, That dog will have a distinct arome to him if he hangs out under the pens. Might want to quit petting him or learn to wash your hands after you do! Coops look good and should be healthy for the birds up in the air like that.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Al, That dog will have a distinct arome to him if he hangs out under the pens. Might want to quit petting him or learn to wash your hands after you do! Coops look good and should be healthy for the birds up in the air like that.

She already has quite a smell !:yum: As far as the coops , I let the guys decide how they needed to be built. The men think I lost my mind , when I ordered in a $1000 dollars in wood for the coops .
Genaro keeps telling me we will have the happiest chickens in Panama .

On another note , today was quite a eye opener . As we traveled inland over the mountains to Changinola to get the chickens , we passed a local Indian women washing her familys laundry . She was doing it in the drainage ditch on the side of the road . She had a very neatly stacked pile of clean wet cloths ready to put on a cloths line to dry as we came back by 2 hours later . Nothing is wasted here in Panama . Even the shoes I threw out yesterday had the laces removed before they were discarded into the trash .The men even asked me twice if it was ok to take the laces .

A month or two down here could teach us all how well we have it in the states .
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Well.... Its Sunday here . A day to give Thanks to the Good Lord .Spent the day wandering the property and looking at the plants and all the wonders of this great world . I got Elton John playing softly in the background ,another beautiful sunset is forming in the west , and a cool breeze is blowin . Wish you all were here to share it with the wife and I .

Guess this is the best I can do for ya tonight :

You all be Blessed :smile:
 

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muleman

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
Glad you are taking some time to relax with the wife. Life is too short to rush all the time.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Love the sunset pics Al. :thumb:
Nice coops you got there to. Very nice. 200 chicks! :eek: You don't do nothing small do you? :yum: How long will it be before they are producing and what in the world will you do with all those eggs?
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Love the sunset pics Al. :thumb:
Nice coops you got there to. Very nice. 200 chicks! :eek: You don't do nothing small do you? :yum: How long will it be before they are producing and what in the world will you do with all those eggs?

Doc,
As long as we can get them to lay eggs and the chicks grow we have sold all of them already . All the locals an restaurants are already placing orders for meat chickens and eggs ! I think we will eventually be at 500 chickens . All the chicken manure was sold long ago ! We have 2 stores that will buy all we can produce .
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Doc,
As long as we can get them to lay eggs and the chicks grow we have sold all of them already . All the locals an restaurants are already placing orders for meat chickens and eggs ! I think we will eventually be at 500 chickens . All the chicken manure was sold long ago ! We have 2 stores that will buy all we can produce .
Impressive, but won't that take up a lot of your time? I thought you called this place your retirement retreat. :yum:

Seriously, I can't blame you. I'm the same way. I'd have to be busy at something. But 500 Chickens! :eek: Not sure I could handle that. :yum:
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
Impressive, but won't that take up a lot of your time? I thought you called this place your retirement retreat. :yum:

Seriously, I can't blame you. I'm the same way. I'd have to be busy at something. But 500 Chickens! :eek: Not sure I could handle that. :yum:

Something tell me that Al is the brains of the operation. I know he gets his hands dirty but ole Al is a business man and knows how to get stuff done. Sounds like he has lots of help with the tedious parts of chicken farming.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
Something tell me that Al is the brains of the operation. I know he gets his hands dirty but ole Al is a business man and knows how to get stuff done. Sounds like he has lots of help with the tedious parts of chicken farming.

Yeah, I bet you are right on PB. By tedious did you mean taking care of all the chicken chit. :eek: :yum:

What's the purpose of all the PVC pipe on the roof? Are those improvised gutters?

That's what i was guessing also. Not the prettiest but sure look like they would work for gutters ...and since there is no edge for the chicks to set on the chicks should not poop in the gutters.
 

loboloco

Well-known member
In the US, a layer operation would have around 80,000 birds. Meat around 200,000. What Big al has is enough to keep him busy, and bring some needed income in for the area. Not really a big operation though.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
In the US, a layer operation would have around 80,000 birds. Meat around 200,000. What Big al has is enough to keep him busy, and bring some needed income in for the area. Not really a big operation though.

Exactly ! Its to help out Genaro get a business started . Its his baby from now on . I just put the pieces together to get him started .
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
On another note I started paying 5 cents for each dead Land crab the boys kill . Moy got 20 tonight . The little boogers are hell on my grass . I purchased a pellet gun so that is the new sport each evening off the deck . Pellet gun, Rum & Coke, and a cuban cigar ..... life is good
 

loboloco

Well-known member
Good for you and I wish him luck. Make sure ya'll get some terramycin in case they start getting sick. uncontrolled diseases can wipe everyone of them out in no time in that kind of set up
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
What's the purpose of all the PVC pipe on the roof? Are those improvised gutters?

The 2" is the boat ladder I maded so the wife can get in and out of the boat when we go diving .I just set it up there when we are not needing it .

The 4" Pvc is indeed the rain water gutter system that will dump into a 55 gallon barrel for fresh water for the chicks . I rigged up a toilet valve so it will automatically feed water to the birds as needed .
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Good for you and I wish him luck. Make sure ya'll get some terramycin in case they start getting sick. uncontrolled diseases can wipe everyone of them out in no time in that kind of set up


Sounds like you know about chickens??? We have all the medience here just in case . I had it brought in from the mainland.
I am ready to order another 200 birds but Genaro wants to wait a little longer to insure all is working correctly.
Its amazing how much they have grown in the last 5 days .

We have loss exactly 2 chicks so we are doing very well so far .
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
How far are these coops from your house? Out of ear shot I presume. Any predators down there that will prey on the chicks? Does someone have to sleep in the vicinity to protect them?
Are you going to butcher them there also?
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
How far are these coops from your house? About 50 feet from the caretakers home. Out of ear shot I presume. Any predators down there that will prey on the chicks? Yes, We have Boas but they stay away from the house usually . The dogs and geese are also great protectors too .Does someone have to sleep in the vicinity to protect them?Juan is 50 feet away .
Are you going to butcher them there also?They will be sold butcher or live , however the buyer wants them . Fresh each day .

My replys in red.
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
The 4" Pvc is indeed the rain water gutter system that will dump into a 55 gallon barrel for fresh water for the chicks . I rigged up a toilet valve so it will automatically feed water to the birds as needed .

Clever boy! :thumb:
 

loboloco

Well-known member
Sounds like you know about chickens??? We have all the medience here just in case . I had it brought in from the mainland.
I am ready to order another 200 birds but Genaro wants to wait a little longer to insure all is working correctly.
Its amazing how much they have grown in the last 5 days .

We have loss exactly 2 chicks so we are doing very well so far .
Grew up on a layer operation and had yard birds for years. Know just a little bit.
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Spent the day setting the new concrete T post for the new swim platform .Tomorrow I will cap them all with concrete to level the tops . Its a simple way to put in a dock system and it works very well . I will try to grab some pictures tomorrow .The local rock and sand dealer was out of sand so I substituted mortar mix and richin up the mix with cement and added rock . I figure thats good for 2500 PSI or so .Should have it completed by Friday . Now the wife wants a set of stairs going into the water so the older folks can exit the boat or go swimming easier . busy,busy,busy

The artist showed back up today and is happily painting on the walls in the house . The wife is happy so that means I am happy .

Well my one worker learns well . I plastered a wall yesterday and today he is doing the other side . The good news is his side is perfect , the bad news is he can now redo my side as he made me look bad ! LOL

I may have to go to the bank and get a loan . Moy is killing every crab on the place with a sling shot . At a nickle a piece ,he may soon own the place . I have never seen a kid so fast with a sling shot in my life .

All the new plants are growing like crazy . I expect to see lots of produce in the coming months .

At 5 PM the bar is open and I am buying the first round ????? Come on down !!!
 

BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
This is "Charlie" . Our resident rooster . The chicks really dig him . :yum:

Also I have included a picture of our local "Boating Towing" and repair business .

I also leave you with a picture of one of the plants on the front walking path . No, I have no idea what it is called ,but it has a serious root system .:unsure:
 

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BigAl

Gone But Not Forgotten
SUPER Site Supporter
Bikes are a way of life down here . They are everywhere on the mainland and big island . You either have a car , a bike or you walk . We walk .

I have to hand it to these folks for coming up with new inventions for there bikes . The other day one went by towing a wheel burrow backwards. Handles tied to a 2 x4 tied to the rear tire support .

This is the only place I ever saw a automobile steering wheel in place of the handle bars . It looked pretty neat .
 
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