Sunshine is Here

People had been asking why did we stop the Sunshine Chicken.

It tickles us to think that the name Sunshine Chicken became synonymous to free range colored chickens.  Reality is Sunshine Chicken is our branding, and whatever we produce in our farm is Sunshine Chicken.  When we chose that name, we thought about natural way of raising chickens, so our dressed chickens will always be named Sunshine.  

In our advocacy on pushing natural farming in the Philippines, we are in search of ways of giving cheaper and accessible food for all.  A problem with importation we had before due to bird flu in France, led us to try pasturing the white chickens that always been connoted with commercial raising with chemicals.

We got very good results...plus the great find that by pasturing white chickens that are cheap and easy to find, we are giving cheaper source for all interested to farm them.  Clean, cheap and accessible. The big bonus is that the white chickens have Grand Parent Stocks (GPS) in the Philippines.  The GPS produce the Parent Stocks (PS) who in turn produce the day old chicks we use as broilers.  That secures the supply in the food chain :)  Now, that means, your source of pastured chicks are NOT dependent on one or two suppliers that raise the prices.

How we farmers decide to raise them is what is important.  The health benefits and taste has nothing to do with the color of the feathers of the birds.  Now, our consumers are very aware of the benefits of naturally raised chickens. 

To recap:

1) We are not selling the dayold chicks, as it is cheaper and easy to get in your area.  The bigger poultry supply stores sell retail.  If you need volume, contact the distributor in the area, you may find out from the poultry division of the companies who the persons to contact in your area.

2) We have not stopped teaching people HOW TO pasture chickens.  This is our advocacy.  In a larger picture, we are teaching natural farming, with our expertise in pasturing chickens :)

3) Sunshine Chicken is not gone.  This is our brand and thank you that we are associated and synonymous to free range chicken.  

4) We continue to give you a good alternative for clean food, with a very fair price.  You are cutting out the middlemen by dealing with your farmers directly.

We are planning bigger things for our journey in natural farming.  One of which is educating you to grow your own food.

Please please please...let us all support our natural farmers.  Grow your own food, or buy from farmers in your area practicing safe natural farming.  You have to know to trust your suppliers :)

Azolla

First we had a small microwaveable container with some Azolla, compliments of Edel.

We were so excited as we saw it multiply in a plastic pond.  Next we transferred to a small netted area in one of the ponds.  Oh boy, do they love the sun, the space and the indigenous microorganisms lurking around them.  You can't stop them from coughing themselves around...maybe by the second!

Azolla, as alternative feeds

We harvest a lot of Azolla to feed the three (3) batches of Sunshine Chicken we now have in the farm.  They are fed pails and pails of it daily....the pond just gets thicker with Azolla :)  You feel you have to harvest more to give more space to them to multiply.

All ages love Azolla, this batch was tested from almost day1 and the chicks were really excited every time it is offered to them

This batch is next in line for harvest.  While most opt to play outside, some prefer to wait for their meals in pen.

Very good as alternative feeds.  Now that we are so into natural farming, we threw some Azolla in our Pangasius and Tilapia ponds.  If only you can see the video, the ponds are in constant movement.  The fishes just love eating Azolla.  Now, can you understand why food on our tables taste good? :)

Now we need trolleys to transport the pails of Azolla to the different pens.  Cut down feeds, cut down manual labor...welcome problems to natural farming :)

We saw some floating in the water way on the road.  We had to get them even if we had a lot already.  Why?  We can't allow the farmer next to them spray it with herbicide!  It was a gift to us, so let us natural farmers take care of it.

Go With The Flow

Just came back from Lucena to attend the 7th National Organic Agricultural Congress (NOAC).  Very successful and it was a great opportunity for the meeting of minds of organic and natural farmers. 

Many have opened their minds to pasturing white chickens.  There are problems with the over supply of white chicks now in the Philippines...so let's use that to our advantage!  Let's pasture and free range the whites.  It is cheaper and easy to find.  Big help to us smaller farmers.

Key words were echoed and served as discernment :)  

Brings us to going with the flow.  Recent Typhoon Juan had almost all our trees in the farm down.  It will take a lot of energy and time to prop them up again, with the risk of stressing their roots. We decided to let them be and let them lie as they are now.  Easier to to harvest and we won't be jumpy whenever a storm warning is up again.

Listen  and observe, to guide you to do what is right.

Color Blinded Or Harsh White Light?

When Mr Zac Sarian wrote a blind item about 2weeks ago in his Agripage column in Manila Bulletin, that brought a lot of interest on the Who and the Where the free ranging of the white broilers.

When I started blogging about our tests/experiments and now showed photos of the whites free ranging, we got so many calls and texts.  Some were asking, some were curious, but several calls and texts were to say that they have been doing it too!!!

The write ups and the blog made them to come out forward and speak up :)  We all were discussing that why wasn't it done before and spread?

Maybe the marketing of the veterinary companies wanted us blinded to the fact that the white broilers used by the industrial poultry industry, has to be reared using all those veterinary products.  Maybe the companies producing the colored chickens had hypnotized everyone to the fact that it was only the ones they produced that are able to free range.

Maybe the above paragraph is my imagination.  Maybe it was all of US who simply presumed, because we grew up with the white chickens raised caged and bombarded with chemicals.

We thought the better option was raising colored.  Now we have a better choice.  Raising the cheap and readily available white chicks, free ranged and natural farming methods.

Remember, the taste is in the age of the chicken.  Harvest at a later date than the industrials at 30days.  The safe and healthy chickens are in what we fed them and how we reared them.  

Combine both and now you get a good Sunshine!

Holding Well

After several trial batches and taste tastes, the whites stood up well to the colored cousins.

The taste was really in a slow developing chicken. Harvest at a much later date and encourage slow growth and free ranging abilities, you get great tasting chicken. As for the health benefits? It is in how you raise and feed the chickens. No antibiotics, no hormones - translates to healthy chicken on our plates :)

From day1, they are given probiotics, fermented plant juices and fresh herbs. See the red siling labuyo?

When left out on their own, they enjoy the same things that their colored cousins do. Look at her run with glee to her treasure find of fallen Aratiles fruits. I will love them too for myself!

They also love playing around.

And rest. Notice that unlike when their white sisters are raised in captivity, they always seem sleepy? But when let out and free ranged, they are always alert. Even when resting, they prefer to sit by in their terrace.

The white chicks are far cheaper and easily accessible to all. There will be a favorite poultry supply store in the market, selling these. Just like the Sunshine Chicks, look for their properly printed chick boxes so you know you are getting premium grades of chicks.

Just for the record. We have type casted them for the caged and industrial chickens only. They may be free ranged :)

Luxury Of Experimenting

Since start of 2010, I had been restless and knew I had to do something new or different. Marketing Sunshine, gone into healthy sausages, got the levels of the dressed chickens business to a comfortable level....what is next?

Have to go back to what was said about this 2010 in terms of Astrology, but I knew it drove me to make changes and movements. For one, I had learned to love the dressed chicken side. It wasn't part of the original enterprise, but it was part and parcel of marketing, to elevate consumers' awareness.

Been so quiet because I detached myself somewhat, to be able to see myself and where to go. I want to plant Camote! But I love my chickens too. Think of how you can do better to mankind. Think of how growing their own food will be more accessible and cheaper.

I had the luxury of time and effort. Can you guess what I did?

Look at where experiments may take you. This will help a lot of backyard farmers and people who will want to grow their own food. White broilers are readily available and cheaper.

It is in the raising!

Easy Way Out

Make it accessible and simple. It will benefit your caretaker and your Sunshines :) Your caretaker will not miss doing it if it is simple to do. The Sunshines will want to step out earlier and more often when they don't have to go through a maze to find that door.

It is very important that they have easy access to the range outside. That is where they go hunting for their food. That is where they get their exercise and develop their lean bodies.

Pick a design that will work for you. Depending on the materials used for your housing, there may be easier ways to do it.

Grass Height

People ask if they should just let their grass grow?

Sunshines love soft grass. If you have an unused area and the grass is tall, cut them down to about one (1) inch. Let it rest first before you let out a batch to range in the newly cut area. Why wait? Because the Sunshines will attack the sprouts as soon as they come out and the grass won't have the opportunity to thicken.

For this photo, why didn't we cut? This is not a ranging area, it is where the ready to slaughter wait to be picked up. No shade in our farm's entrance, so the tall grass acts as umbrellas :)

No Preservatives, No Chemicals - Free Ranged Sunshine Chicken Sausages

We had been testing several groups' taste buds....it really varies! Much like a Villar, Gibo, Erap and Noynoy stuff.

What I and my friends wanted, was what the APDC group didn't like. Taste has really something to do with food you grew up with. The common Filipino taste buds don't like herbs blah blah....we met all. We came up with four (4) variants: garlicky (patterned after the Vigan Longanisa), sweetish (skinless), spicey and the herbed.

Now we have produced and will introduce it during IFEX Philippines 2010.

For the past two weeks we had been asking our customers to taste test and some of our dealers/wholesalers. When they found out that our freezers had it already, they started ordering! We hope to leave some for the IFEX in May 6-8.

These sausages are at PHP500/kg and will be included in our home delivery route. You may order it in assorted variants :)

Make Way

Went to the farm after office. I was just left in the car, as Doc Rey was viewing the concrete posts buried on the new area we were developing.

Still caught the last rays of the Sun, excitedly took out my camera to practice. It was after I was downloading to my "practice" album, that limited spaces and drought may have been captured subjects in some photos I took. Looking through the lens, the aim then was to get comfortable with my camera. The pictures taken, showed me a different focus :)

In this dry season, when you can't plant rice due to the fact that your water is dependent on irrigation that they cut off...you should have planned or at the very worst, be planning what to do. Problems are no reason to stop moving and working :)

We are based in Isabela, where I will say 90% of farming is Rice and Corn. So I will talk from my vantage point.

You know the passages in rice paddies? Pilapil...am not sure how they are called in English. It doesn't have to be just that...a passage or border. Put it into good use. Widen it and you can use it to plant vegetables, fruit trees...and yes, even use for ranging of Sunshines.

Want to raise Sunshine but no space?

If you have a fishpond, you may set part or the whole house on top of the pond, on stilts. The Sunshine's waste will go to the pond and the fishes may feed on them.

Okey, no fishpond...then just build the housing on the widened pilapil. Let them range there too. Of course, don't forget to plant fast shading trees. We did plant a lot of Sugarcane, Bamboo, Aratiles, Papaya etc.

Kabuhayang Swak na Swak Goes Sunshine Chicken

I still have to get my copy from the producers of Kabuhayang Swak na Swak, so thank you to Enri who was able to record this from TFC and uploaded it to youtube.

Because of editing, there are misleading points, as the thoughts were cut and joined at logical sequences but distorted some facts. But, overall, it was good. Shown for the Easter Sunday episode, April 4.

Or this:


Anyway, you are here at our website...get the correct info here as you read through, for free range chicken in the Philippines.

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.

New Set Of Breeders

Our production of colored free range Sunshine F1 Chicks are up and there will be no more long waiting time for booking orders. The Certified Breeders from SASSO of France arrived in September 2009, day before Ondoy.

Also, logistics have been more cooperative and our network for Northern Luzon is getting back on the road. The South Luzon will follow shortly.

Thank you for the trust and support, that the colored free range industry in the Philippines, has shown. The Government and private sector made us go farther each year.

Get The Heat Off In The Park

Started early and got to Tagaytay for breakfast. I love being there for Bag of Beans. I prefer the original site, and thankful that is is just a short detour from the route to Natividad Farms. Now full tummies...we have the energy to run after the chicks to be set to range.

The doctor talks to nervous caretakers. But they get relieved after the pep talk from Doc Rey and their eyes give them the confidence as they see how happy their Sunshines are at their debut, finding their own benches.

In these intense heat filled days, timing that they get to be free ranged today. They are 21days and at the right age to be set free. Am sure they loved their new house when they got transferred from their brooder house. Their caretakers were vigilant first time nurses and it can get strict and rigid, by the book there...

Look how they take a peek first.


"Walking and getting fresh air...let's do this daily"


They call out behind them, "Hey bros, it is much better and cooler out here. Come on down!"

We take a quarter turn to view them...and saw the next ranging area being prepared for their soon to arrive cousins.

Nice frame from here, but we had to rush to give the caretakers brooding lessons. After their 21day experience with natural farming protocol, it was now easier to teach them proper poultry management for free range chickens. Now the caretakers' eyes and ears open and comprehend why some things have to remain in management. Experience steps up to knowledge.

Were we in a hurry to do the seminar? Hahahhha...honest??? We wanted to get back to shed soon, as there is where lunch is served.

I did say the Sunshines enjoyed their walk in the park? Ed will want to take a hike with them.

Graduation Day

As I am fixing schedules, planning for some graduations and calendared our harvest for next week...it called to mind that all those who loaded same day as us, about January8...should also be looking at harvesting next week or this weekend!

Perfect batch for the Graduation parties :) For the first time growers...you also sort of graduated in your experience in raising free range chickens.

For the long Holy Week break...you may welcome Easter Sunday with a feast.

It is all in the timing.

Make It Easy

We had planned way ahead and really think of ways to make life easier for all.

This post on clean water had drawn several queries in the last few days.

Timely that we got for ourselves, and we have some to spare for those who want to order too. Very easy to install. You make a hole through the PVC pipe and pry the connector in :)

Not a good shot....but it is simple and workable.

Foe or Friend

Snails are considered pests to rice farmers. They are collected and left on the road to be crushed by passing vehicles.

They will be good protein for your rangers! You can gather them and blanch them in boiling water in a drum, then step on them to crush the shells. Those shells will be good for your layers if you kept some. If your neighbors have their snails crushed on the streets, you may ask for it after they gather...or, blanch them after crushed.

I just think that it is easier to handle them whole when dunking them in boiling water :)

Drying Up

The news on the radio and TV, well at least the news we get over regional channels, are scary and alarming. The water levels shown at Magat Dam yesterday was almost no where. You can see rocks on the sides already, when before what you see is just a huge basin of water. They say water to the lands for irrigation will be shut off March 20.

The line of priority is water supply for the pipelines, electricity and lastly, water to irrigate farmlands.

As we were discussing the plight of the farmers around us, over breakfast at the farm, it looks bleak. 99% around us are ricefields. A few have fish ponds. Both will be highly affected. We have a crew in the farm, fencing for us. They are assured of work for the coming days from us, but what about the others?

At the start of the news of the El Nino, which was months ago (so let's not pretend that we got caught on the heels), we had slowly installed deep wells, water pumps and drip hoses for the plants and of course our free ranging chickens.

Looking around the fields...you think "what will they do" in this trying times?

1) Plant vegetables to feed themselves and to sell to neighbors. Vegetables are easier to water as they are in plots or containers. You can fetch water to quench the thirst :)

2) Forced to good! Why did I say that? You are forced to dry up your fishponds and ricefields for several months. That will be your most natural way of disinfecting and time to rejuvenate the area.

Time to think out of your plots!

Don't Let The Heat Stop You

We are experiencing so hot weather! Our farm in Isabela is not getting a different wind from the neighbors'.

What makes our chickens still range around in this heat?

1) There is water, fresh water at that, all the time. We have installed more of those nipple drinkers (refer to a past post on this) that are attached to the PVC pipes.

2) Make sure that the ranging areas you are presently using have the shaded areas that they will need. You need them too as caretakers :) Our favorite areas now are the ones with a lot of Bamboo trees, Aratiles trees (the chickens love the falling fruits). Those make nice shades, and fast growers. They grow with the Sunshines.

You don't feel hungry when you have to eat under the intense heat of the Sun :(

3) Wet their grains to make it more appetizing for them in this high temperatures.

Don't be scared about the news of the Heat Strokes. Don't let problems make you watch and sit. There are ways to go about it. Remember, your chickens have a choice of where to stay.Thank you to free ranging chickens and natural farming.

And please don't forget your caretaker!!! We installed additional pumping wells and long hoses, so he won't have to walk far to fetch water. If it is convenient to do, then he will do it. Always try wearing caretaker's shoes.

If you ask about our Parent Stocks, the breeders...they are fine. Those are enjoying regulated temperatures.

What Comes To Mind First?

Cute?

Playing Hide and Seek?

Looking for insects to eat?

Trying to get away from the heat of the Sun?

Ruffled feathers: Sign of unhealthy chickens. They are not grooming themselves and just sit and be sad.

Much just like humans, you don't feel like fixing up when you are sad and sick. You will like to curl up in your jammies and stay away from the hustle and bustle of life.

We found this chick far from the group. And looks like he had been sick for quite sometime as his groupmates are all big and rowdy! That batch had been moved to the holding area for the harvestable batch and when the vacated ranging area was being tidied up to be able to rest...they found him :( He may have survived even if he wasn't part of the eating group, because he was able to subsist on grass, worms and insects.

Watch out for chicks or even ranging chickens that are sad and have ruffled feathers. They will need to be segregated and will need TLC.