20,000 Chickens?!

Yep, that’s how many chickens one of our neighbors raises. He raises and ships them all over the DR… even as far as 5 hours away. (That’s far for the DR!) Chicken and pig raising is the primary income for many people in this area. And we were lucky enough to visit a farm that had both! Did you know pigs can reach 4 feet tall or more?! These animals are huge! And it’s quite an experience to encounter one being walked down the road! At the farm, each pig is in its own cage – just big enough for it and the trough. It’s really not something I’d want to work with… a feeling doubly reinforced when one sneezed on my foot! Ewww!
The chickens are also raised from birth – usually in 60 day cycles: hatching to growth of about 4 pounds for sale. Chicken is the primary meat in the DR, and these chickens are transported all over the DR for consumption. Can you imagine cleaning up after 1,000 chickens once they are sold? What about 20,000?!?