During the Pandemic A New Chicken Business Proves Its Worth
The daughter of Marcos Rios and Suyapa Chavez of Caulotal holding a baby chick they are raising
At the beginning of 2020 a group of 6 women started a small project to raise broilers and laying hens. At that point there was no pandemic so the women had no idea of important this project would become later in the year. They did know that they had learned about raising chickens from their mothers and grandmothers.
Women have always considered raising chickens to be of triple importance. Young hens produce eggs for eating and for sale. Old hens and males are also for family consumption and for commercialization just like the eggs. Eggs and chickens also raise the nutrition level of family diet.
Mercedes Ríos and Filomena Vásquez say: "What we like most about this project is that the whole family gets involved, our husbands helped build the chicken coops and our children help us take care of them."
The women’s project has been especially important during the pandemia. During this emergency families have been ordered to stay at home. Even when they can travel on certain days most families do not want to leave their communities to shop in bigger towns where the virus is more prevalent.
The project serves the whole community of El Caulotal. Corvid rules still allow people who live in El Caulotal or nearby villages to to buy eggs and chicken, and chicken meat. This money circulates so the project serves the whole community of El Caulotal. These families are determined to continue the business of raising chickens.