TJ Is Sweeping Sales

OPTA Cooperative had been getting their dressed chickens from TJ for sometime now. The ones running the store said their customers have been giving very good feedback since they had been ordering Sunshines from him.

Politics have a way of murking things and we thought TJ will lose that segment. We decided to smile, smiled and moved on :) Lo and behold....orders from that quarters even soared!!! Then today during ingress at IFEX, I ran across the booth of OPTA Cooperative and asked about their Sunshine chicken sales.

She just started with a smile and I know where it would lead to.... TJ's Sunshines are the head sellers! May go unmarked or branded differently...just make sure you ask for the Sunshines from TJ.

Don't get confused with rice sweepings and sweeping rise in sales. TJ isn't, as he has both.

Brooding In Warm Weather Ala TJ

TJ knew how uncomfortable staying indoors are these days, for the caretaker and his Sunshine chicks. He decided to brood outdoors, in the very same ranging pen. He set up the infrared brooding bulbs, just a few and have planned fallback positions of the Sunshines needed more heat. The photo shows the bulbs are positioned too high and he had been advised.

He set up the metal sheet around the brooding space. What does the metal sheet do? Partition? Wall? More importantly, it secures the chicks from predators like rats, as they can't climb the slippery surface.

SASSO Visits Breeder Farm and Farmer TJ

Holiday today. Perfect time to weave in and out of commercial districts and drive out to visit our Sunshine's breeder farm. Louis Perrault of SASSO is shown.

Next stop was to drop by Farmer TJ in Krukukuk Farm. The chicks shown were from his March14 batch, and the bigger ones were hatched Feb15. If you check back on the pictures from Zac Sarian's interview with TJ, those were the chicks then. He's been able to harvest about 100 from that batch already as it reached 2kilos in 55days.

Agri Kapihan Mar2008

Agri Kapihans at DWWW774 are scheduled every 4th Sunday of the month. This month was moved to the last Sunday because last week fell on Easter Sunday.

We look forward to these events as its bonding time for the radio progam's hosts, listeners and friends.

Today's special guest was a speaker from BFAR Tanay who presented about Pangasius. People were interested as some stood up to approach his as soon as it was obvious he was preparing to leave :)

Touching was when a photocopy of Zac Sarian's article about a Sunshine grower was reproduced and given to the all the guests there. Mr. Rico wanted to make sure everyone read what TJ had done and he shared that article by distributing it.

Agriculture Magazine, April 2008

We are happy to be on the cover of the latest issue of Agriculture Magazine.

Two of the growers (Maawi Farms and Krukukuk Farm) visited are featured with us in the April 2008 issue.

He Found A Niche Market For Chicken Sans Antibiotics

Have you read Panorama of March 23, yesterday? Normally Manila Bulletin posts in their online issue. I guess due to the Holidays, their online site isn't updated.

Remember when Zac Sarian visited Farmer TJ's Krukukuk Farm?

This was the result of that meeting.

Watch out for Agriculture Magazine's April issue, to come within the week :)

Zac Sarian Meets Farmer TJ

Zac Sarian, Editor for Agriculture section of Manila Bulletin, wanted to meet a cross section of Sunshine growers.

First stop of a series of farm visits: Farmer TJ of Krukukuk Farm, Baliuag Bulacan. They now load 700 heads every 3weeks. Going up to 1000 level after TJ is able to plan his ranging and palay production schedules.

Tj was sick, but shaked off feeling under the weather after Zac engaged him in Sunshine talk. Basing from the number of pics taken, they spent a great deal talking...lead to rare fruit trees, making CRH, vermicomposting, niche they had developed, his plans to expand etc etc etc

After we left the walang katapusan kwentuhan....we had to grab Razon's halo halo near by :)

Lechon Manok At Rare Fruit Nursery

See more of the Sunshines enjoyed

Mam Sandy,

Here are some few pictures of our family get together party
in Angeles City today.  My mom ordered 7 dressed chicken
from Krukukuk Farms (TJ) last week to make lechon manok from
sunshine grown chickens today.

My caretaker prepared bamboo stick to grill the chickens
and marinated the sunshine chicken with Knorr seasoning
and many more.  And we ordered special sarsa for the lechon
manok from one of the best lechon baboy retailers here in
Pampanga.

All I can say is that the chikens are superb in quality in
every way. Taste, size, texture, and most importantly
grown naturally.  And with special sarsa, we could serve it
already in a high end restaurant even in Manila.  By the way,
Iam the one who tasted it first! haha

Reactions from the party about the Sunshine lechon manok:

1.  The size of the chickens never reverted even though it
was already grilled. The size stayed the same.

2.  Taste was natural because it was grown naturally!
Lasang native with bigger size.

3.  They look exotic because they are bigger than
lechon manok served and sold in the highway.

4. Taste good even without any condiments or sauce used.

5. MASARAP! I texted TJ to say they are great tasting. 
I told him they are good because of the grower itself has
a good growing management.

Mam Sandy, please indicate I got the dressed chickens
from TJ's farm. :)

Regards,

Verman Reyes - Rare Fruit Nursery

Farmer TJ's Chicken of Krukukuk Farm

This is how we were greeted by Farmer TJ and his Sunshines


After a while, they left us to roam outside :)

We made a visit to TJ in Bulacan yesterday morning. This was supposed to be scheduled early December but all our timetables went wayward when the 12th month of the year showed in the calendar.

He has rested his other housings, ranging areas and have planned to make pocket grows in several ranging areas around the vicinity. That way, he will be able to practice range rotations, biosecurity, and still monitor as he will go around his farm around.

Instead of making one time grows, Krukukuk Farm has decided to do small but frequent loadings.

May be more work intensive...but will have fresh and constant supplies. Easier to predict and keep up with supply and demand.

This was funny...I took TJ and Doc Rey's pictures in three (3) different angles. Previewing it, thinking that I was taking against the light...I moved around...we all laughed when I realized its not the light! They were both dark :)

Rare Fruits Nursery

The seminar in 18 November held in Angeles City, Pampanga, was hosted by Rare Fruits Nursery, Solraya's Sunshine Day Old Chicks dealer for the area.

We have met Verns Reyes (agri_center of the PCARRD forums), the owner of Rare Fruits Nursery, on several occasions. We had agreed on a dealership for the area, to be kicked off with a seminar.

Turning to Fil-Am Friendship Hway from MacArthur Hway, seemed like the site was out of the way. But, as soon as we saw the place....we knew "this was it"...it had the air of Verns - refreshing, straight to the point, innovative, focused.

TJ and Verns has some alliances due to rare fruits, so TJ can't refuse him when asked to come for the seminar.

Not only did TJ do the seminar..he seasoned some chicken pieces with salt and pepper and did "inihaw na sunshine" for the guests. It disappeared FAST. We didn't get to taste it. From the looks of the guests, it was good.

We have good response in that area, basing from inquiries Rare Fruits Nursery is getting for the Sunshines.

Seminars will be scheduled there periodically.

Enjoy the slide and the videos.








Rare Fruits Nursery: Fil-Am Hway, Circumferential Rd, Angeles City, Pampanga. Infront of VC David Car Center

TJ's New Range

TJ emailed me this photos showing his new ranging area.

Basing from his pictures from day1 of his load of 23 Sunshines...he has steadily improved his community of rangers.

1st Test Had To Be The Mom Of Bingbong

The 1st days of my PCARRD forum life, saw my interactions with Bingbong (who I thought was male!) and Tj.

Tj and I would always talked about how women, moreso, older women...simply just KNOW by looks, feel and touch.

Bingbong spoke about her mom wouldn't have it any otherway but native chicken. Once, mom and Bing saw how Tj was dressing his Sunshines for delivery. He had none to spare, so the taste test wasn't meant to be yet.

Couple of days ago, I spoke w/ Bing while she was visiting Tj.

Today, I get this text from her, verbatim (I guess she got some Sunshines then):

Had my 1st taste of sunshine chickns last wkend, it was a big hit s boys, hubby & my dad & the ever choosy mom namin. Regular tinola & sinampalukan lng & they craving for more. Jst want to let you know that it passed the pihikan test. Bing

Am sure Farmer TJ is so pleased and rewared for his efforts at giving his customers good tasting and healthy chickens :)

July21 Dressed

Tj's dressed Sunshines look good. Average dressed weight delivered to his end users was at 1.4k

He will be joining us during the Agrilink seminars scheduled for Oct 5 & 6; Farmer TJ's Chickens will be available then.

Masarap nga talaga

TJ had been getting texts that the chickens he delivered last Sunday were really good.

Jop, the other half of Krukukuk Farm was also texting me how to cook it "inihaw".

Last Sunday, I bought four dressed chickens from Krukukuk Farm. Two of which I gave my mom and the other two we had for dinner, cooked two ways :)

The first: Tinola. I had simply boiled in low fire with three stalks of tanglad (lemongrass) that we had pots of in the driveway, some ginger and salt to season. Just before we turned off the heat, we added a bunch of sili leaves. Sarap, the meat was firm but tender, you know no liquid seasonings, just real chicken taste.

The second was an experiment: Never did inihaw before, but since we had sure Tinola already, experimenting was allowable. We rubbed it with rock salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set it on hot coals (not fire). Juiciest inihaw chicken I had ever tasted. And the taste...simple and good.

I wanted to take pictures....but I opted not to spoil my momentum in eating for that first try :)