Editor:
Before coming to Williams Lake in 1958, my father and I already had started a chicken ranch in 1945 in Chilliwack B.C. with 500 chickens, two-and-a-half acres of strawberries and two-and-a-half acres of raspberries.
The flood of 1948 drowned out all the berries.
We now concentrated on chickens for egg production. We also raised fertile eggs for the Rump and Sandal Hatchery for baby chicks to be sold all over the province.
By this time we had 7,000 chickens.
One rooster for 50 hens. We also were the sole supplier of eggs for every Overwaitea store in the province.
Plus, we supplied eggs from Vancouver to the Territories and we were an egg wholesaler: Peter O. Epp & Sons. By this time we had 15,000 chicks and the total egg production was for household use.
Chickens are flea carriers, also carry red mites and create a lot of dust and feathers when in a dry environment. Chickens also carry the bird flu.
The bees are already in town. You cannot stop them. If there are flowers you have bees. They will fly for many miles to obtain nectar and pollen.
Without bees there would be no fruit or berries or crops like clover and alfalfa
Peter Epp Sr.
Williams Lake