Chicks, Ducks and Geese

It might be hard to imagine that flocks of chicks, ducks or geese can help a family get out of poverty, but these birds are among the most versatile and useful domestic animals. They are easy to raise and don't require much shelter. A baby chick or duckling grows quickly and can reach market weight in just a few months. Chicks can lay up to 200 eggs a year and ducks even 300! Their eggs and meat provide a reliable source of protein for children, and extra can be sold to pay for school, housing, and medicine. And with geese, their feather and down can also make warm clothing and blankets.

These birds are also great for a family's crops as they get rid of weeds, bugs and slugs efficiently, and nourish the soil with their droppings.

Give a flock of chicks, ducks or geese and help families along the Yangtze River rebuild their lives after disastrous floods.

In the summer of 1998, an unprecedented flood of the Yangtze River left millions of families in destitute. Millions of hectares of cropland were flooded, tens of thousands of homes destroyed, and many thousands of animals drowned or were swept away. Economic loss amounted to billions of yuan.

Sichuan, Anhui, Hubei, and Jiangzu were some of the hardest hit provinces. In 1999, Heifer China started the Yangtze Flood Disaster Rehabilitation Project to help rebuild the lives of families in these target provinces.

By the end of 2001, this project has helped 7,090 families in Anhui, Hubei, and Jiangxi with 994,000 animals. Ducks and geese are particularly practical there because of the many lakes and rivers in these areas.

Today, these direct recipients have already passed on the gift of 610,700 animals to 4,768 new families. Their lives have been rebuilt by ducks and geese - and many new recipients are already anticipating much better lives in the near future.

"Floods destroyed my house; but ducks built a new one for me. I can never forget this big blessing."said Zhao Bingshu, a Heifer recipient in Jiangxi.