SWATT continues to give students and the community the opportunity to learn self-reliance by providing more services, said its employees. One of its projects, the Chicken Farm, around Oct. 17 hatched 22 chicks and is progressing toward the organization’s goal to have 300 chickens laying eggs for the campus Farmer’s Market. A SWATT employee said caring for the chickens has helped her nurture her love for animals.
Munkhzul Galbadrakh, a junior from Mongolia majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said she has been an employee of SWATT for more than a year. She is in charge of animals, such as chickens, turkeys, quails and rabbits. She said despite the chickens laying fewer eggs possibly because of weather changes, SWATT’s chickens lay 12 to 25 eggs every day.
“We collect the eggs and put them in the fridge every day. A month ago, we chose 40 eggs and put them in the incubator. So far 22 have hatched, and we are waiting for the others to hatch.”
According to Galbadrakh, four months ago they hatched 12 chicks, which are now teenagers, and those teenage chickens have already started laying eggs, but their eggs are a little bit smaller than the adult chickens’ eggs.
In a few days, they were going to transfer the hatchlings to the Chicken Farm. They will introduce the hatchlings to a broody hen, and she will raise them as her own. After a month, they are planning to incubate another 40 eggs, they said.
The goal of the Chicken Farm
SWATT Manager Leslie Harper, a freshman from Canada majoring in supply chain management, said initially creating a chicken farm at SWATT was an idea of Devin Hampton, an alumnus of BYU–Hawaii, who now works at Amazon’s headquarters.
“Hampton’s vision was to have 300 laying hens. Then we will be able to provide a half dozen eggs for every student on every Farmer’s Market,” said Harper. “Now we have over 60 chickens and are still working towards that goal.”
Hampton trained Galbadrakh in the basics of how to raise chickens. Harper said, “When Galbadrakh leaves, she will pass her knowledge to someone else too.”
Harper also shared, “Chicken farming is very easy to start. Someone who knows how to raise chickens can get a dozen eggs and incubate them for 21 days. After five months, those chicks will start to lay eggs.”
Galbadrakh explained, “I grew up in Mongolia, where we do not have many chickens. Growing up, I have never had the experience of raising chickens and caring for them. Even though I like to eat eggs, I never knew the process of how those eggs come to my plate.
“I really like my job because I love animals. It is fun, and I never get bored. I learned so much from this work, especially about raising chickens."
What other resources do they offer?
According to Harper, SWATT offers other resources, including Give and Take, free laundry detergent, a bee farm, bike and mechanic repair shop, a barbershop and the TVA Learning Garden, which includes hydroponic and aquaponics.
The TVA Learning Garden grows different fruits and vegetables, such as avocado, bananas, beans, carrots, onions and more. If students do 30 minutes of service, they can get free produce. “I cannot tell what fruits and vegetables will be there at the time, but if you come and serve, you will get some fresh produce,” Harper said.
The TVA Learning Garden has hydroponics, which is planting vegetables in water, and aquaponic, which is when the fish waste goes to plants to provide nutrients. They also have a windmill that pumps air for the hydroponic systems.
At the bee farm if they do service, students can learn how to bee keep and take honey. They also have a bike repair shop where people can learn to fix bikes or receive bike repair services. If students do three hours of service, they can get a free bike.
For students who want to learn how to do more mechanical service on their cars, there is an area where you can learn to change your car’s oil, brakes, etc. Recently, SWATT added a barbershop as well, where you can learn to cut hair or get a free haircut.
They are working on many new projects, including biodiesel and reef restoration. Harper said, “We are working on a new project to produce diesel fuel out of coconuts. If this project succeeds, it will help island nations to produce their own fuel and become independent of their oil demand.”
What do students think about SWATT?
Munkhtaivan Javzandulam, a sophomore from Mongolia majoring in human resources, said, “I am a loyal customer of SWATT. Every time I go to Give and Take, I find what I need, such as textbooks for my classes, school supplies, clothes, etc. Sometimes I do service at the learning garden and the farm and get fresh eggs, bananas, etc. This summer I did service and got a free bike.”
“SWATT provides awesome resources for students. It definitely eases our lives and enhances our schooling experience. SWATT employees are always positive and are willing to help. I am very grateful for their wonderful service.”
Justin Ioane, a senior from Samoa double majoring in accounting and marketing, said, “SWATT saves a lot of money for my family. I get free haircuts. My wife gets a lot of free toys for my son from Give and Take because he gets bored with his toys very fast. So we bring back the old ones and get new ones. I want to work at SWATT before I graduate because all those skills they teach are practical and can be very useful in the future.”
Uurtsaikh Nyamdeleg, a freshman from Mongolia majoring in hospitality and tourism management, said, “When we came first here, our house was just empty. My husband and I went to Give and Take several times and found almost everything we needed. It saved us so much money. Since our home is right across the Give and Take, when I need something, I go there and usually find it.”