DONATE A FLOCK OF CHICKENS:

A Flock of 12 Baby Chicks: $25
These are one-day old chicks, shipped overnight to the family. Because baby chicks have no feathers, they can be shipped to Appalachia only during the Spring and Summer months - March through August. The areas we serve in India are always warm, and so our local chapter there can place baby chicks year-round.

A Flock of 25 Baby Chicks: $50
While the mini-flock described above will produce 12 eggs a day in the summer, in the winter months, chickens' production drop in half to only six eggs a day. So, a family of any size will need 25 chickens to ensure plenty for everyone in the family and maybe even a few left over to sell.

A Large Flock of Mature Hens, already laying eggs: $100
These are mature hens, already laying eggs. They are at least five months old, but not older than one year. There are approximately 12 hens and one rooster in a flock.  Chickens lay an egg a day in the summer and less in the winter, averaging out to an egg every other day year round.

A Mini Flock of Mature Hens, already laying eggs: $50
This is a flock of approximately six hens and one rooster that are all at least five months old and actively laying eggs.  There are approximately six hens in this flock.

Give a family a flock of chicks, each of which will produce 200 eggs a year! Baby hens start laying eggs as young as five months, giving the family regular nourishment and a steady stream of income from the sale of eggs. 

Why Eggs? Eggs, by the very fact that they are the matter from which a new life is created, are a powerhouse of all the nutrients needed for children to grow and adults to be sustained.   Eggs  are also extremely easy to cook and can be used in many ways: They can be boiled, scrambled, poached, made into an omelet, or they can be incorporated into breads, puddings, and other dishes to add flavor and substance. 

Should I give baby chicks or mature hens?
While baby chicks are inexpensive to buy and fun to raise and while they will eventually bear many protein packed eggs, they are not the best choice for the really poor families because of the six months of feed costs before reaching egg-bearing age. In time, they will more than make up for that outlay, many times over, but some families who can't even afford to buy food to eat in the present certainly cannot afford to buy feed for their baby chicks for six months. For that reason, when flocks of baby chicks are donated, they will be placed with families that have the ability to acquire the feed necessary.

Chickens' role in a sustainable farm operation:
Chickens scratch the ground for grubs, most of which are destructive to crops, and they eliminate small rodents, mainly mice.  Therefore, they are especially good for orchards: They eat the boring insects that kill fruit trees from the inside out, and they kill the mice that kill fruit trees by eating the bark.  They will mow grass that is no taller than two inches, and they are great for preparing planting beds through their grub control and fertilization.