Forums > Specific Focus > Home, Garden & Construction in Mexico

Elaine

Oct 22, 2001, 1:13 PM

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To Jim in Cancun

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Saw your post below about the home you are building. Nice. On the planks that are being cut, do they have to "season" them. Let them dry before using, that kind of thing? From your pictures, it looks pretty humid in your area, is it?Also, on your ducks, have you ever had any before? If not, I have and might be able to give you a couple of hints on how to protect them. Also, I found out that geese make good pets and watch dogs. They have been know to even keep coyotes away in my area of the world. I think they have more personality than ducks.

Jim in Cancun

Oct 22, 2001, 4:37 PM

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Elaine

Oct 22, 2001, 10:36 PM

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Boy, you're a better man than I! ;o) I don't like the high humidity! Had all that I wanted when I lived in Okinawa! It can be wicked on your clothes.What kind of predators are you having trouble with, regarding your ducks? We got where we would let ours run during the day but had to shut them up at night in a "coop". That worked the best, however, we had some really big owls that would pick them off. Our owls had wing spans of over 5 feet. The owls even would swoop down at dusk and grab a bird in front of us! We had to put the ducks and chickens up before it started getting dark. $80 for a pair of geese is very high, at least up here. I can get them for about $6 to $8 each in the spring. Were you talking to a farmer about the geese or a store? I don't know how it is in Mexico but up here there are hatcheries that are better to deal with than the store/farmer. Do you know that ducks and geese will eat your garden? Chickens will eat the bugs and leave your plants alone. Which is why I fenced in my garden area.If you are new to "farming" I recommend a book called "The Encyclopedia of Country Living" by Carla Emery. It is geared to living in the USA but I'm taking my copy when I go to Mexico. It has chapters on poultry, goats, cows, home dairying, rabbits, sheep, pigs, and gardening. It's about as down to earth a book as I've seen. I think you were probably wiser than you realize to pass on the ostriches. Not only do they need all the things you said, but you have to have a very good, HIGH fence to keep them in. Besides, the ostrich business is not as great as it use to be, at least up here. I also think they are better in a dry climate.Ever think about getting a few guineas? They are pretty nice. Will let you know if anything or anyone strange comes into the yard. As good or better than geese on protecting the area. I think they are a bit harder to get started than chickens but worth it. Another thing that we did that ended up better than expected is turkeys. We just got a few. Called them Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. They also had more personality than chickens and ducks. Became pets and we couldn't eat them! Liked to roost on the hood of my husband's pickup! I would warn you that turkeys are kind of dumb. You have to make sure the young chicks know where the food and water is. Helps to put something shiny in each container to attract their attention.Just watch out, when you get a few birds of any kind, they get kind of addictive. :o)

Jim in Cancun

Oct 23, 2001, 9:49 AM

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Elaine

Oct 23, 2001, 12:18 PM

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From the pictures you posted, I thought you were building in the middle of a jungle. :) I know lots of people like to live in a steamy jungle but it just would not be my cup of tea.As far as your predators, possums will get your chicks, eggs, and even larger birds. Best thing to combat them is a tight coop, a good dog, and a 22 rifle. I've never heard of bats being a problem to birds. I rather like them ever since I found out how many bugs they eat every night. They still look creepy though! You might be having some snake problems. Most good country dogs can make short work of most snakes. I have also heard that snakes do not like the feel of a rope. You might try circling your pen with a rope and see if it helps. Might just be an old wives tale? Of course, down in your area there might be predators that we don't know about. Is your foresty area thick enough for any branch of the "cat" family? We lost a lot of birds to both a cougar and a bobcat that makes about a 100 mile circle in our area. The only thing you can do with cats is to keep the birds in a coop unless you want to shoot the cats. I never could bring myself to shoot ours. They are few and far between in our area. It was kind of neat to see one ever once in a while.When I would get chicks, I always kept them in a box by the kitchen stove for a couple of weeks until they were eating good. Of course, I never got very many at a time and my husband has never been very fond of chicks in the kitchen unless I'm cooking them. He fixed up a very nice place in our barn after the first couple of batches of chicks. One warning, once you have eggs from free range chickens, you won't be happy with the other kind!About the deer in your area, if they are like ours, they will love your new corn. You can not build a fence high enough to keep them out. They can not judge distance too well and the best fence will have a part at the top that angles out a couple of feet. I've also heard that they do not like to step into vines because they feel like they are getting tangled up. I've never tried it but there are people around here that swear that if you plant vine like plants around your garden that it will keep the deer out. Things like cukes, and melons. Do keep us posted on your progress. I'm trying to get things set up so that my son and I can go to Mexico this next year. I plan on spending a year aroung the Lake Chapala area until I can get more Spanish and then want to move where there are not so many gringos. My husband is still going to be working for a year or two before he joins us. Thankfully he gets a lot of vacation time and between him coming down and us going up, we'll manage. Although he likes his job, I think he really doesn't want to have to deal with getting everything set up. He's not as patient as I am. But, he does have other endearing qualities. If I can just remember what they are. . . ;o) If you can not get a copy of the book I recommended, I would be glad to try to send you a copy if you like. It is a paper back, 8 1/2 x 11 x 3 inches. Lots of good infomation.

Jim in Cancun

Oct 23, 2001, 1:00 PM

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Elaine

Oct 23, 2001, 2:52 PM

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I knew that hand guns were illegal in Mexico. I thought that "hunting" type rifles and shotguns were allowed. Not that I intend to bring any, but for someone living in the country I would think they might be necessary for protection of livestock????Don't be too sure about the "cats". They are territorial and usually have a "circuit" that they make. The ones in our area show up just ever so often. I'll bet that when your doberman gets used to the area that he is a good snake dog. There must be something wrong with your ducks. I just can't understand them not liking "Huesos" game! ;o)

Jim in Cancun

Oct 23, 2001, 8:23 PM

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Just back from the ranchito and...

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Elaine

Oct 26, 2001, 9:18 PM

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Just back from the ranchito and...

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"J.= Maybe they'll get used to it or I'll have stuffed pillows and duck l'orange."LOL!! Or maybe "Fido" will have duck l'orange, feathers and all!!!