Day 3

Today in Belize, we had the chance to visit a chicken farm run by a remarkably kind lady. Her farm, home to 10,000 chickens, is an impressive operation. It’s interesting to hear the entire process how she personally raises her birds from the chicks to their market ready stage at 40 days old. The well maintained barn and chickens illustrate the dedication and hard work put into ensuring these birds are healthy and productive. The owner’s passion for her work was noticeable in the way she spoke about the farm, and it was quite an experience to visit such a large scale poultry operation In Belize.

Later, we visited a dairy farm managed by a father and his three sons, which has the largest number of milk cows in the area. This family ran farm is a mix of teamwork and tradition, with each member playing a vital role in the day to day operations. The sight of so many cows, all producing milk that supports the local dairy co-op and community, was truly a great sight to see. We all learned a little from how the family operates and manages their cows, and how the baby calves are spread across the front lawn tied up to a post in the ground allowing them to graze and to avoid all the bacteria. The family’s dedication to maintaining high standards of care for their animals and their pride in their family farm.

Stephen Brisco

 

While we were across the river at the Spanish lookout we visited Glenn Dueck at the Halfcreek D Ranch who has been raising purebred Brahman for about seven years, nurturing a herd of 180 head. These cattle, renowned for their resilience, have developed thick skin to ward off parasites and a distinctive hump on the back of their necks that stores fat and energy, allowing them to thrive in hot weather. Glen also stated how anything cross bred over 3/4 onto an English breed wouldn’t last in these tropical conditions. The farm's Brahmans, both bulls and heifers, have even achieved grand champion status at local cattle shows. Grazing primarily on grass, these cow-calf pairs are well adapted to their environment. However, they do face threats from local predators such as coyotes, jaguars, snakes, and certain bird species. 

-Emily Irvine

  

After grabbing ice cream, we visited the Tilapia Hatchery. The building and area were built by the Taiwan government and they taught people how to do everything before leaving about 5-6 years ago. They breed both red and gray colored tilapias, and are collected every 14 days. They move the breeder fish first, before collecting all the small fry within. They can collect 15,000 to 25,000 small frys every collection.

After the tilapia hatchery, we drove back towards the San Ignacio hotel to go view the iguanas. We passed by a restaurant called Bellyfull Carnitas that said "these tacos are bussin'." At the hotel we got a tour of the green iguana conservation space, where they rehabilitate them and release back out, only keeping a small handful that aren't able to be released. we got to hold some 5 month old iguanas, one on our hand and one on our head. Afterwards we also got to hold one of the adult iguanas, either the male or the female (who was named Chunky). 

They created this conservation project because the green iguana was being constantly hunted and eaten because it tasted similar to chicken, and there were no laws restricting the hunting. Climate change has also been affecting the eggs of the green iguana, with the high heat and humidity drying out almost all of the eggs. Any eggs that are still alive are male, due to temperature affecting the gender (with females requiring less than 80F (26C). We had dinner at the San Ignacio hotel while it rained outside, then drove back up to our hotel room to relax for the rest of the night.
- Erin Schenk