RamdomChances

Are you confusing it with Mai Makha ?

Makha

Most of my house is made from that, but I have'nt found much on it, it's very hard

Coffee Kroo next to Chang House, just down from The Moon Cafe is ownd by an English Guy, probaly about your age, there are a couple of expat teachers living in the area he could probaly introduce you to.

but I've only read about this and have no direct experience so I'm hoping that RandomChances of Maizefarmer come on and post about raising the unwanted calves from dairy herds.

Teletiger sumed it up nicely. We usually get rid of ours for about 500 Bhat a head just after they finnish on the colostrum. The first 3 months is the big problem with them as you have'nt got any mothers milk, a bag of powderd milk is just over 1000 bhat, you would probably spend 3000 bhat feeding in the first 3 months to get a "for sale value" of 3000 bhat !! After that is not too bad, they are still more suseptible to parasites and illness than Brahman and don't seem to to grow as quickly. Fine if you just want a mobile lawn mower to keep some ground clear, comercialy I'd go for the Brahman.

Thank guys. They say they have contacted the property agents and not found anything. I've writen to a few myself but yet to get replies. I posted this on the off chance that someone would have one to rent privatly.

They are'nt really that good with computers and a bit fussy so that probaly why they have'nt found anything !!

why do people put predator fish in the ponds, to cull out weaks ones or to make them move around a bit or what... i'm asking, no question key sorry.

Usually they don't I've put some in mine as I only feed at a very low rate and I feels theres to many small fry in there to support. Apart from that Pla CHon is one of my fav eating fish

My folks are out again in January, they were hoping to move into the apartment they are buying in Jomtien, but it's not finnished!! Anyway they want to rent an apartment in Jomtien Jan the 12 th for 1 month, up to 30,000 bhat ish preferably with a pool.

If anyones got anything for rent or know's a mate drop me a line, I'm going to be away for about a week but will get in touch when I get back, I'll be down in Pattaya on the 16th so could probably come and have a look then.

Cheers RC

we even tried making fishfeed to cut costs but because of the birdflu this was to risky

we also tried the maggots, but thai people dont like maggots and pigshit

I know where you went wrong..... the fish that are supposed to eat the maggots and shit not the people

I dabble in fish farming, but the more I look into it the less likely it seems to be able to be done profitabley on a large scale unless you have a cheap readly avalible food source i.e chicken farm.

Food convertion ratios of about 1:1.5 have been quoted which at around 20 bhat Kg for food maens that you have to feed 30 bhats worth of food to increace the weight by 1 kg (Yes I know you can get cheaper but I'm just being general) add to that the cost of the fingerlings, water, electricity, wastage and the margins tend to look very small.

This year I have'nt stocked my pond at all, but it's teaming with fish, mainly Pla Nin, last year I did about 5000 mixed Pla Duk/Pla Nin low stock rate/low feed rate probaly broke even.

I'vew spent 100 bhat on food for the fish this year, but as we have so many and they seem to be doing quite well we've been looking at alternatives, basicaly they now get, waste cow food make it into a powder is best, Chicken food (my BIL delivers the stuff and sweeps his lorry out after usually a couple of Kg a day), stale bread and anything we, the cow's or the dogs don't eat

My biggest expence with it is keeping it toped up with water although I do have my own bore so the cost is a lot lower than Gov water

I estimate there's about 10,000 in there this year if I can sell a pond full a year with minimul outlay I'll be happy and just see it as a bonus

Oh I've added about 50 Pla Chon just to keep the numbers in there managable, I'll eat them myself

teletiger,

It is difficult for me to know what you have been reading. I even googled "what has teletiger been reading" and the only thing it found was something about the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital having another strike.....so.....?

Chownah

I sometimes worry about Chownah's mental health....he's not joking...I checked

Our bales are 36 x 47cm and set at about a metre long. Weight will vary quite a bit depending on straw and moisture content (I haven't weighed them). The lighter the better.

Yea about the same here, say usually about 20kg ( roughly). It goes up to about 25 bhat rainy season price here but not that much of a problem as I have forage for the rainy season. I think the going rate for bailing here is only something like 3-5 bhat a bail !!

I used to buy bails of fresh grass, same size but up to 40kg...pain in the bum to handle

inks ideas etc... or sources resources in thai would be very nice....

Try this link for aron , all downloadable e-books in thai

http://www.dld.go.th/nutrition/Nutrition_K...information.htm

Have a look through our "links and resorces" section loads of good stuff there

i really hate it when i take the time to pm someone etc with tons of info and they dont respond; on second thought maybe they have no access to internet, still... sort of annoying.

Just post it, everyone can read it then and respond

The "going rate" to make bales is Bt15/bale and we are doing them for Bt13. The costs are string, diesel for the tractor, one operator plus a labourer and, of course, the machines.

Can you expand on that a bit Pun, is that what you actually sell the bails for or charge for bailing them ? It sounds expensive either way at the moment I can buy bails for 11 bhat a bail if I go and pick them up or 17 bhat delivered. Bailers are fairly common around here most people who have one contract them out.

As rcm said there's a couple there. If your in Ta Tako your only about 25 km up the road from me, I'm in Tak Fa.

I'm still wondering how the plan was supposed to work.

Chownah

It was supposed to run something like a "cow bank" They would give "poor" people cows and let them keep them for a while to fatten, they would then give them back at a later date and be paid for the difference in weight. Very few cows were ever given out, there were lot's of reports of massive coruption. At a local level it was rumored that you had to prove how "poor" you were by offering the biggest bribes to get the "free" cows

It's a type of forage sohgam, try "Khao fang wan" it does'nt seem to like warter logged soil much, will have limited growth throu the dry season.

I've moved this into the Visa section

RC

Actually no I was'nt thinking of the peel, we usually use to buy it in sort of pebble size, say no larger than an inch, still a fair ammount of dust though. I always thought they cut it up like that then dried it....could be sooo wrong though .

Thought the price had shot right up ? has it droped again ?

I don't quite get what you are trying to do TT. Don't they usually just "chip" it then dry it then feed as is, or are you trying for a powder. Mabye go to a local mill and ask them how much for them to do your's?

I'd love to find out what the "prepared seeds" are that will grow this time of year in areas "that are situated outside the irrigation system".

I have to agree with Chownah on this really all crops with the exception of some rice held back for consumption are cash crops. Even switching to livestock is not really an option as you cant grow anything to feed them this time of year.

I'd agree with Lop 3, Big C and Tesco now have perfectly acceptible steak, it tends to be a bit tougher then imported, a fillet here is about as tender as a sirloin back home. Don't buy anything lower quality than sirloin.

Thai beef from markets is like shoe leather.

Laab can be made from raw meat and blood "Laab Luad"

Nam Tok is usually made with BBQ meat.

I'd agreee with the people that said cook the steak and cut it up to serve, as for how to cook, tastes vary as they do in the west, my wife likes medium rare, brother-in-law- basicaly just warmed up and mother-in-law well done so we compromise and have it how I like it

I've split this from the borehole thread, you might get a bit more info.

^ Yea 24th this month...10 days time, a week friday

He has no cash to speak of except for enough to buy his daily cans of chang

Tell him to start buying the big bottles, they are cheaper than cans

..and the annual Xmas tradition of mucking out the cowsheds will take place on the 25th, for all those indulging in bucolic Yuletide festivities.

I thought you were banned ? Dom Perignon is a bit "Hi So" for me Sang Som will do

Hi guy's A few of the "central" guys are coming over here on the 24th so far Billd766, rcm and chris B. If anyone is intrested in meeting up for a few beers ect drop me a line. We'll probably do a BBQ and I'll do a big "Indian" curry, plus thai stuff.

I'm about 65 Km south east of Nakhon in a place called Tak Fa, you'r welcom to sleep over but depending on numbers it might just be a matress on the floor or a sofa

PM me if your intrested.

RC