Batangas Caravan

Extended trip around Batangas in April, culminating with the Lipa Seminar on April 28.

For the growers in the area, good opportunity for farm visits and questions answered.

We will also be in lookout for prospective dealers in the area for day old chicks. Contact us if interested.

Be Fit, Be Prepared

Doc Rey always talks about "What to prepare before the arrival of chicks"....

On top of the standards in poultry management, biosecurity included, you should also be prepared to go around the farm....that's the only way to go to observe. You can't just trust stories handed to you, can't rely on CCTV...you have to go out there :)

Dry or wet season, we need to be well equipped and clothed. Not all farms are flat, no tall grass, nor no insects and predators. I feel secure going around in boots, walking stick (not just to ward off danger...but to help me climb) gasp gasp.

Posted previously about my penchant for colorful boots. These rainy days make me enjoy them more even in the city. Today, when I visited Mabol and her aunt farmers, they were all so "aliw" at my black and white colored boots with dog prints.

I showed them the site where they may surf for their chosen design - just search for "plueys manila". In two hours, we were on our way to pick up our orders.

I fell in love with these colored rain drops....


New working shoes are in order. I have to be safe when doing farm visits. If you are prepared, work is done easier and faster.

Are We Tired?

Surprising how many people do visit our blog. Well, surprising shouldn't be the right term, as we get website statistics and surely we are able to gauge our visitors in terms of their location, what they read, what time of the day etc. You may not believe this, but these days we get over 550 pages read every day, by about 150 visitors daily. The statistics show average. So that is from day1, when there were no readers.

I get comments from people I just met, who upon realizing the product represented (well I am always in uniform), blurt out that "I read you a lot". They are from food industry, farming, hobbyists, entreprenuers and yes, from bored people also, whose source of entertainment is sufing :) Almost 30% of daily visits are from returning readers. Thank you :)

A lot of you comment that we are all around, all the time. How do we do it? It must get tiring!

Well, for some points:

1) The company we keep when doing the trips to farms, is always enjoyable. Its just like dinners and lunches, I don't do business stuff. So, rule #1, make sure it is a pleasurable group...the business aspects should just fall into place, and NOT the core of the company. IF it has to be....ok...we may travel in separate cars :)

2) Always look at it as pasyal. Long drives...time to enjoy the scenery. Have you really taken time to drive down old and coastal roads? Instead of doing all the fast express ways that offer you field fires as views?

3) Opportunity to eat and discover new things. I love going to the markets, or stopping by the roadside stall to buy sea salt or dried seaweeds. Asking vendors how to best enjoy it, how to prepare them.

4) Meet your growers upfront. Does a lot when real rapport is created. Let them know you. At the end, you get other insights and learn a lot....that takes away your aching muscles from the trip.

5) You may travel comfortably. I have mastered packing the things we need, and doing it lightly. On the plane, we take a big suitcase half full and stock the carry on with the projector and laptop inside. When we get to the location, I still have a small case with wheels to lug around my laptop and projector. Going home time, they fit back inside the check in luggage.

6) Lastly....the first step is, know that you WILL LOVE IT!

Hmmmm just thought about a travelogue. Why? I just got an email from a travel agency, if they can post an ad on our website hahahaaha.

What Does Your Feet Wear?

Long before there were the copycats of the ugly looking, colorful slip ons with holes, I had them in several colors. I still do get them. Very comfortable. That's what my feet wears, day in day out.

But come farm visits and rain....I love rubber boots. You simply forget to take care. No need to be scared of snakes, broken glass, rusty nails....and you walk through water :)



I want them too in several colors.

How to brood your Solraya's Sunshine Chicks

BROODING THE BIRDS: By practice, use one (1) watt per bird for heating bulbs. It is better to use several bulbs in smaller wattages, rather than using a100watt bulb when you brood 100 chicks. Temperature should be 70 to 75oF with the temperature at chicks’ level to be 95oF during the first week. The area assigned to these chicks should have some flexibility such that they can move through a range of temperatures (95 to 75oF). Monitor the birds for signs of stress; for instance, if the chicks are scattered around the area and chirping loudly, chances are they are hot; conversely, if you notice the chicks all huddled together in one area, they are likely cold . They should be comfortably scattered, moving around. That is your basis that temperature is right. The temperatures given are just guides. USE YOUR EYES to monitor them. At the end of Week 1, begin dropping the temperature by 5oF per week until you reach 70oF, and then try to maintain that temperature.

One common mistake: When the breeze is cold or the wind is strong, most people have this misconception about wrapping the brooders with curtains or laminated sacks. That builds up ammonia fast inside and no fresh air is circulated. Remember that fresh air comes from below and hot air escapes at the top. If you will drape a curtain around the brooder, leave space below for air entry and keep the top (roof) open. If the Sunshines are cold, add more bulbs to keep them warm. Scatter bulbs to even heat around. 1watt per bird is just a guide, you may use more as needed.

Best gauge: How we feel is also how they feel. If you walked into their brooding room feeling warm and gasping for air....so do they!

WATER AND FEEDS: The most neglected and overlooked nutrient is water. What appears to be a bowl of “clean water;” may contain millions of bacteria. The bacteria will stress the digestive system of the bird, such that it will not grow at the rate believed to be their potential. The waterers and feeders should be cleaned routinely (weekly or sooner) with a product like chlorine to reduce the incidence of microbial formation. Fresh water needs to be supplied everyday to insure healthy birds. During the periods of extreme heat, there is an increased risk of microbial growth.
We suggest using probiotics/vitamins in their drinking water, and adlibitum feeding of chick booster for the 1st 21days, prior to ranging. Make sure feeding trays are NEVER EMPTY. Medicate only when necessary.

VACCINATIONS: Day 7 - B1 B1; Day 14 - B1 La Sota

Here are samples of styles of brooding. Let's work on what is available and easy for your requirements. What is important is that the system is one that works for you, so feeding and cleaning is not a task but an enjoyable way to bond w/ your Sunshines.


Remember, aside from Doc Rey, we have veterinarians to assist, we are very accessible by cellphones and landline calls that are forwarded to us (NO COST TO YOU), email, YM etc... Let us keep in touch always so we can monitor. We do farm visits for FREE. What is important is we are able to grow the Sunshines properly. Happy customers, means success to all of us.