Anyone here from France, help with sourcing stuff

Hi Andee,  there should be a "Cooperative agricole" or an "Agrial" near you: try googling.  Both are very good for all agriculural supplies.

Wher abouts are you:  near Lisieux ?

Tode,
I am a lot closer to Caen than Lisieux, on the western fringe of the Pays d'Auge. In which part of the NW are you.

googling Agrial leads me straight to Point Vert who I thought were just another garden centre, an expensive one at that, we have one quite close so I'll take a peek & see if what they have.


Thanks

Andy

We're near Alençon, so a bit further South than you.  Just in the dept of Sarthe.

I've always found the best prices at our lmocal Cooperative: there should be one somewhere near you.

We've always used straw for our birds: cheap, natural and makes cleaning easy. And of course it goes on the compost when dirty.

What exactly is Hemcore?

I'd be a bit wary of sawdust, since virtually all wood is treated chemically now.

Sorry      "lmocal"  was in fact  "LOCAL".      Re- 

My local mill is listed under "minoteries" or "meuneries" et "alimentation animale (fabrication, gros)" dans la "pages jaune"

Hi, I'm another French resident just joined this forum recently, between Alencon and Mortagne-au-Perche.  I have also had problems with sourcing stuff.  I try to get good quality food for my chooks (organic just isn't available, so I may import some).  I haven't had any luck with buying food online either, so I will just get a friend to bring it over for me.  There is an English run company in Geneva who are trying to import some organic chook food but they have encountered a lot of problems so far, so this is not yet available (she also does English pet food too).  The best stuff I have got so far was from Point Vert in Alencon.  My local Agrial only sold shoddy stuff although I am told they do bags of crushed oyster shell, so I am off to look for that soon (coquilles de huitres concasse).

We have a very good relationship with our farmer neighbour and when my chooks arrived he brought up a one ton bale of staw for the bedding.  Hilariously I was told this would last me 2-3 years.  As I change the bedding almost daily, that ain't going to happen.  I can't wait to see his face when I pop up in about a year or so and tell him I want another one!!!!!

Anyway nice to see some fellow French resident chook people.

Like others have suggested, I use the local co-op for my lage purchases of corn or chicken pellets.  Our local Super U also does smallish bags of poultry food failing that we have a Jardin Vert (part of Brico Marché I believe), or indeed Brico Marché itself that sells large sacs of poultry food, Maiïs concassé etc.

Totally agree with Ducatillon Coop comments - our has totally fallen apart after just 18 months/2 years.  The Gaffer now building one using floorboarding from Le Roy Merlin's cheap section.

On the plus side for around here (Dordogne 24) it is extremely rural so that helps as all the locals have their own chooks/geese/ducks etc.

Eli xx