Poultry in Portugal

Hello all, first let me introduce myself. My Name is Stephen and I have just joined the forum

I am English but live in the Algarve, Portugal. I have kept chickens for years but have now diversified and plan to expand. My problem at the moment is getting information, although I speak Portuguese my level of reading and writing in Portuguese is very low.

I wondered if anyone would be able to point me in the right direction with regard to the rules , regulations and any support available to assist me in the next stage of developing my poultry farm
??

At this moment I have 4,000 square metres of agricultural land of which I have 1,000 sq mtrs set up for my flocks of Ducks, Guinea Fowl, Chickens and Quails, all of which are in their own areas with their own housing etc

I await any response with much hope

Stephen JP

I must say I am some what disappointed!!! 28 views so far and no comments at all, not even a hello back!!! In 6 hours it would be nice to have had one hello at least.... :

I don't know how many members here live in Portugal and could assist you in your inquiries, but I'll offer a "hello" and a "good looking structures and incubator!". Other than that, I got nothin'. We are celebrating Resurrection Day here in the US so the traffic on the forum that could possibly give a good response might be with their families at the present time.

I know chickens...but I don't know Portugal!

Hi Stephen, welcome to permies!
People are sometimes a bit shy about saying hello when a post is about something they're unfamiliar with.
the intro forum is a good place for a general introduction, and I think we can probably russtle up a Portuguese chicken-keeper or two

Thanks Leila, sorry if I came across badly but was beginning to think I was being ignored as a newby to the site

It was a post from a Portuguese member that got me interested in this forum to start with, hence my confidence to start with

I will check in again tomorrow

Thanks Jay, I am happy to have your hello
It does give a sense of being a part of things rather than just someone outside looking in

Thank you
Stephen

You're welcome! Sorry I couldn't be of more help in your situation.

Hi Stephen - sorry, I've been out of action for a few days and have only just caught up with this post.

Getting accurate information in Portugal is an art that I've never mastered. It seems to be down to who you know and how skilled you are at navigating the labyrinthine 'system'. Pretty well everyone I know has given up trying to chase any financial support for projects, and I've never even attempted it. I'm sure you're also aware that Portugal is in a bit of a financial crisis at the moment, with people marching on the streets of Lisbon singing songs of revolution. Probably not the best time to be hoping for hand-outs...

As for the rules, they seem to be enforced only when they feel like it, and different parts of Portugal have *very* different ideas on how much they should be followed. I think the north is a lot more easy-going than the south.

There is a forum for expats, I think it's expatsportugal.com, which might have a few more members who know about legal stuff. It might be worth checking there, but for some reason I couldn't access the site this morning. I think you really need to find yourself a friendly local who can ask questions discreetly and help you get to know any relevant officials, and what you should and shouldn't be asking them. The whole mindset is different here and it takes a while to get the feel of how things work.

Good luck, and enjoy the adventure!

I've only been in Portugal for about a year and a half, I'd say that Burra is giving a sound assessment. Risking telling you something you probably already know, I'd say that generally, any Portuguese with a university degree would likely speak decent English, have some insight as to the system and be willing to help out with some translations. Especially when you consider how prominent eggs are in their cuisine

I am portuguese OP, but i do not currently live in portugal as i emigrated in 96. But i could translate anything for you if you require. just send me a pm with the info that you need translated.

I'm from Estremadura (center), and both my grannies raised small scale poultry, one in a farm, the other in her backyard in the city. I never remember them being concerned about any rules or laws in that regard, but then you are doing it on a different scale.

Thank you all for your input Today I had a meeting with the centre de emprego and they where of no help what so ever!!! So I will keep looking but not expecting help ....

hello, i am a new member, live in central Portugal and raise pure breed chickens. I have Maran noir cuvree chicks hatching out at the moment under a broody hen, not the best time of year i know but at least i know the young rooster is fertile so can sell hatching eggs next year.
I am unable to purchase non gen.modified chickfeed around here and would be interested to know what other members feed theirs in a similar situation.
thanks, fernandinha

Ola Fernandinha! I'm raising non-exotic local breeds on a fairly small scale, at the moment (19 birds), but will want to up production once settled on new property in the new year (I hope!). Myself and other local, more alternative types, have looked into this question, too, and come up empty. My current strategy is to let them free range as much as possible, give them kitchen scraps (cut small, shredded or with some things, like potato peels, even cooked) and some things out of the vegetable garden. Our kindly, retired neighbours often give us their extra cabbage leaves that have been attacked by bugs, for our chickens to peck at. All this vastly reduces the store-bought grain they eat from the feeder. A friend in Benfeita has had some success with Fukuoka-style grain growing and has also fed the chickens home grown
amaranth, although he found that many new plants grew from the amaranth seeds in the chickens' droppings, in places he didn't particularly want them. I was recently impressed by a video that was going around from Geoff Lawton's site, about a farm doing fairly large-scale compost from restaurant waste, combined with their own, and raising chickens from that. Not only do they eat the parts of the waste food that appeals to them, but also the abundance of worms, larvae and bugs that the compost supports. Their own droppings add to the mix and the generated heat keeps the system going through the winter months. I believe they sell the finished, high-grade compost. I find the chickens' general health and the quality of the eggs is improved when they are eating little to none of the store-bought grain. Hope that helps

hello, thanks J Black for the very interesting and informative feedback.
I usually let hen and chicks freerange when they are around ten days old.
my concern was having to keep them confined while they are so young, should the rains come.
Thrilled to find all eight eggs hatched last night, I could not candle the eggs using my torch as the shells are a very dark brown...
Tomorrow will have a look at their wing feathers to try sex them.
Heres hoping the sun keeps shining.

I see, well, for such a short time, I'm sure you can mix them up something at home. The backyard chickens site is quite good for that sort of thing, too. Good luck with yr new arrivals

stephen, hello.
i was wondering how you got on finding information.
the organic Agrobio.pt was offering financial help for flocks of 50 chickens.
I would not worry about regulations, let any official bodies contact you, easiest way to discover whats expected of you!
Very impressed with what you have built. Any particular breeds of chickens and ducks?
I bred khaki campbell ducks a few years back, eggs posted from England, lovely breed. Lately I had a few Indian
Runner ducks, quite charming.
I am looking for a dark egg laying strain of Barnevelders, only have two hens left, anyone?
Thanks Fernandinha

Hi Stephen.

I know this is a really old thread. How many birds roughly are we talking about you keeping ?

Whats the plan, just produce for your family, or sell on eggs/meat ?

Hi Stephen
We are Vale da Lama in the Algarve near Lagos, and have a very small poultry operation at the moment. We plan to expand into both egg laying and meat production in the near future. Maybe we can be of use to each other. Please feel free to get in touch.  Valedalama.net is the site that will give you some idea of what we do.
Lesley

Do you have Hens for sale as I have extended my chicken coup and have a lot more room to home some more chickens

hi all .please does anyone know where i can buy guinea fowl chicks in portugal ?

Looking forward to moving to Portugal from the United States. We are looking at land to buy near & around Castelo Branco. We have always raised Khaki Champbell ducks. They lay a large egg everyday & rain & snow does not stop them from laying.
Looking forward to a new life in Portugal.

Dear Stephen,

Iam Samuel Rathna Kumar 48 from India, i have a same plans like you to start organic poultry including vegetation..... I can help you in support and you can guide me as well... Feel free to WhatsApp or Call +918008692456

Hi everyone
Let me introduce my self
My name is Mourad I come early this month October to Portugal I'm based in north of Portugal
And I was doing some research about the boiler chicken farmer and the research I do guide me to here
The idea is .I want to start poultry business as Farmer  and of course I need some advise and help explain how and from where I can start .I have large land bought last year here and looks for me the poultry 🍗 is the best project  I can start here . That if I have all the full idea about of course
Thank you all

I plan to do same in Portugal, hopefully I ll get the D7 sometime soon. i have no experience in thT field but it has been a dream thing ti do. message me if you need some help in future.

Hi I’m in Tavira and came accross your post- so hello ! We have organic vineyard and want to get some Indian runner ducks to help manage the snails ! Anyone got any ideas !?thanks Jim