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Author Topic: somewhere to keep chickens  (Read 15157 times)

mistryer

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Dordogne, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #30 on: April 24, 2012, 11:46:33 am »
OMG....can't believe the crap life can throw sometimes!! How awful for you both! At least you still have each other, and just please please keep that dream of chickens - it WILL happen. Come on guys - someone must know of a bit of land somewhere!!

chrismahon - let me know when you are over. Have you a house and land already?
a smile a day, keeps the doldrums at bay :-)x

FiB

  • Joined Sep 2011
  • Bala, North Wales
    • Facebook
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #31 on: April 24, 2012, 01:54:03 pm »
Hi Wales01man, sorry to hear of past bad luck - everything crossed that you get what you desire soon.  Have you tried landshare?  http://www.landshare.net/listings/9321/  nothing listed in your area at mo, but you can put a request up there too.  All the best to you and yours, Fi

wales01man

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #32 on: April 24, 2012, 02:35:25 pm »
Thanks for support have posted on landshare and replied to offers but no replies unlike the forums like this where i get lots of replies and lots of support its always nice to know there are people who care in this country so full of im all right jacks who only care for themselves my feelings are we need to all get together as one

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #33 on: April 24, 2012, 04:23:26 pm »
That's a terrible tale Wales01Man. Get those adverts in the local stores.

Mistryer -renting initially. Very small 'gite' with plenty of storage space for all our stuff (artic full), 55acres mainly woodland, temporary area for all our chickens. Then will spend time looking to buy. Small place to rennovate with large barn and outbuildings and enough good land with water supply.

OhLaLa

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #34 on: April 25, 2012, 10:39:56 am »
......everyone wants well made reasonably priced coops. Most people buy cheap and regret it 12 months later. But reasonably priced usually means too cheap for me as a well made coop with hand driven nails, pilot drilled screwed assembly, timber treated and carefully selected during assembly (no big knots or warped sections) and finished internally and externally to quality colours is too expensive for most. Perhaps I could do a self-paint budget range though ?


One thing you must keep in mind re selling anything in France - no-one has any money! Cheap is the order of the day, very few will buy more expensive/better quality as they just don't have the funds. Plus you will need to register as a business if you intend to work for yourself - this means complicated French paperwork and high taxes.

 :farmer:

mistryer

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Dordogne, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #35 on: April 25, 2012, 11:56:21 am »
Renting good, as will give you chance to look at the area and make sure you are happy there, before you buy.  Also, if you can, bring loads of materials from uk with you - coop construction materials are not cheap here!!

OhLaLa....agree no-one has much money to waste, everything has to be cost effective, but not easy as materials are not cheap here to start with. As for working here, it depends what you want to do.  If you are only anticipating a modest income, selling a few coops and hens etc, and maybe doing some odd jobs here and there, it's not that complicated to register, and it's good to be on the system. You can't not register if you need to earn an income.  It's more complicated for trades such as builders, carpenters, painters and decorators etc that are time served, as you have to provide documentation of time served, or serve appropriate time with professional person here. Costs and insurances are very high so needs a lot of thinking about.
a smile a day, keeps the doldrums at bay :-)x

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #36 on: April 25, 2012, 08:05:17 pm »
Sounds like I will be popping back over here quite often to get materials then Mistryer. Don't want to earn a living, just a few Euros here and there for luxuries like food and clothing! I'd like to register as a 'general semi-retired handyman'. Have my portfolio of varied work undertaken plus I am a qualified plumber (and Engineer). Hopefully that will be sufficient. Don't want too much hassle -sure there will be enough problems anyway. I'm trying to escape 'paid' work anyway. Think trading is the way to go. -'I'll build you a coop if you fix my van' type arrangement. Bit like Wales01man's plan, an exchange of skilled labour for use of a small piece of land.

mistryer

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Dordogne, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #37 on: April 25, 2012, 08:19:02 pm »
In that case, I'm sure you'll do ok here cm. We are registered to work here, but find swopsys are also very popular. It's a good arrangement if you are not in need of hard euros. See you soon!!
a smile a day, keeps the doldrums at bay :-)x

MAK

  • Joined Nov 2011
  • Middle ish of France
    • Cadeaux de La forge
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #38 on: April 25, 2012, 09:12:46 pm »
Chris - although I don't work I agree with Ohlala and Mistryer registering for trade work is complicated and thereafter  very competitive.it is very different in rural France - people live very close to the land. their homes are simple and their food rustic. There is not a lot of surplus money around here and people grow and breed their own or exchange for things - eg. wood for chickens.
From "location" on the map It looks like that Mistryer lives near us in the Limousin - The Dordogne near Sarlat  is so VERY expensive. From what you say above there are plenty of fermettes in La Creuse that tick your boxes and these are probably amongst the cheapest in France. That said La Cruise population has fallen more than other areas and they have more elderly than other departments. So getting work would be tough even though there ar 8000 brits in the Limousin. 
Swapping is definitely a great way to be part of the community and save ( make ) money.We give veg,fruit,meat,eggs to our neighbours and get wood,labour,sttraw, fruit CAKES etc in return. What goes around comes around. This can be worth a lot of money.
Just be a bit carefull Chris I am not sure that many will buy chicken sheds, rare breed eggs etc - rural life here is very different to that in the UK - the rich do not choose to live like a peasant here and a pig is a pig, chicken a chicken and a peasant a peasant - chickens and peoples homes are often cobbled together..
You are welcome to pop in on your way down to Sarlat.
BW martin
www.cadeauxdelaforge.fr
Gifts and crafts made by us.

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #39 on: April 26, 2012, 04:32:10 pm »
Thanks Martin. Chicken coops and chickens are a hobby. They are all reasonable dual purpose Utility breeds which will keep us in meat and eggs forever -and they are very pretty as well. If we sell some, great. if I build the odd coop, great. If we do the odd job, great. We have no ambition beyond that. It will be fantastic to sit on our own doorstep and have a drink and a smoke without worrying about being attacked by an insanely jealous neighbour! I'll bore you with that story when I see you. Then we have the excitement of discovering a whole new culture and language. We won't be living near Sarlat for long, its just a rental that takes chickens. Plan to move about an hour South or South East into Lot, our first choice. Puts us closer to friends in Albi as well. Less work available, if any, but that's not why we are going. Can't afford to buy anything with land over here and this is our only chance to live with animals in a run-down shack of our choosing. There is no work over here either, I earned £68 last month, better than the month before when I earned nothing!

Pootle

  • Joined Apr 2012
  • Surrey/Hampshire border
    • Pootle Pekins
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #40 on: April 26, 2012, 07:32:23 pm »
wales01man - I'm so sorry to hear of the strife you've had. I've also been looking for somewhere to keep some of my chooks and, like you, have found nowhere. I've never known a lack of grazing/land as bad as it seems to be at the moment. I really hope you find somewhere soon as it gets very demoralising after a while.
Breeder of pekins and sabelpoots
Pootle Pekins

wales01man

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #41 on: April 27, 2012, 04:53:53 pm »
THANKS ALL OF YOU
Still searching now my 4 year old granson is becoming obssesed with chickens as well as trains he likes the things i like even wants to eat want i want hope find something ready made help i think

wales01man

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #42 on: April 30, 2012, 10:16:35 pm »
Thanks to everyone who read or answered my post i would like some more help does anyone know of any other forums where i can put the post this forum has given the most response maybe by spreading the post around i might get a result

Thanks

chrismahon

  • Joined Dec 2011
  • Gascony, France
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #43 on: May 01, 2012, 11:26:00 am »
Do you have allotments near you? Some will allow poultry, some won't. Could post on www.poultrykeeperforum.com . You might get someone, but there are not that many members and they don't have lots of land generally. Any nearby County Estates? They always need work doing and around here have walled gardens doing nothing. Could drive around and ask people. Ad in a Country Post Office -if there are any left!

wales01man

  • Joined Sep 2010
Re: somewhere to keep chickens
« Reply #44 on: May 01, 2012, 08:49:09 pm »
 Chrismahon                                                                                                                                                 Have a post on thepoultryforum
Cannot see myself talking to lords of the manor round here
just about to start putting ads locally still listing where to place them
thanks for ideas every little helps  as they say

 

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