Range Rotation

Often we are asked How do we know if the range has rested and is ready for use?

You will know when it is healthy and able to give your Sunshines good living grasses.

Your senses and vibes will dictate and follow it. Use your eyes, touch, smell...it will tell you that everything is OK.

The netted area should be teeming with vibrant living grasses, herbs etc. Fresh smelling air, no foul odor from the ground. If you aren't convinced by the sight and smell...touch the leaves :)

This area was previously used, rested and is now being eyed to be the host for the next batch of rangers.


If you are wondering what that bamboo frame is for? That is the skelton frame for the roofing of the range's housing. Sometimes thatched, most times tarpaulin is used.

Colored Range Broilers

Those are perfect descriptions to what Sunshines are.

1) The Sunshine Chickens are colored Brown Red, Black, Grey and we also have the Egyptian looking Brown striped chicks. The Naked Neck is a strain we have, predominantly for growers who have seen the stability and hardiness.

2) They are meant to be free ranged on open areas, thus termed "Range".

3) Broilers yes. They are raised for primarily for meat purposes.

In short, broilers are meant to be eaten. We are used to seeing white industrial chickens, but there are colored ones. The colored range broilers are raised the way chickens are really meant to be. Free ranging on open fields, fresh air, foraging and a lot of sunshine!

Aesthetically, lovely to look at....running on the range as they fill up your eyes with our different colors.

Taste buds wise....let your tongue do the talking. Am sure that as you eat, you will let your fingers do the talking...doing the THUMBS UP!

As Native

Some growers have found a niche in selling to the local market. "HOORAY" for them!

It may sound surprising to the marketing man how a perceived expensive and high end commodity now has penetrated the local market...as in the markets in the locality of the grower.

Years of work and patience for consumer awareness to eating tasteful and healthy....and more so, bringing back to your area the income by giving work to the farmhelp (if not self employment), to the ladies instead of giving the dressing machine a spin and business to yourselves :) Educating the housewife about deciding on what is rightful spending....getting value for your money!

Think about health benefits, work for the locals, TASTE oh yes the taste....and as a cook, notice that our Sunshines don't shrink when cooked because no chemicals to make them bloat. That in itself is a lot of savings that translates to maybe equal almost in pricing to the industrial chickens.

They say that they have a quick turnaround amongst the local market because it is PARANG NATIVE. I quickly caution them, to tell the truth and be proud about their product being LASANG NATIVE.

Lasang Native

I had been getting email and calls..."Is your Sunshines native chickens"?

That is the reason we used the tagline "LASANG NATIVE"...

Although the Sunshines taste like our native chickens, manok tagalog, bisaya manok, or whatever regional term we have for the Filipino native chickens....we don't, won't, nor claim that the Sunshines are OUR native chickens.

Why? Because, much as they really do taste like the natives, our Certified F1 Sunshine Chicks are from the Certified Parent Stocks that we import are from SASSO of France. We will not claim to the fame of OUR native chickens, nor will we disclaim the research and development of SASSO of France. SASSO is known in the free range chicken industry as the leader, and develops and maintains the strains of pure colored chicken farm breeds. They go through a natural selection for taste and preferences of the different regions in France and clients' requirements. We are proud to be carrying SASSO.

We studied and continue to study our Philippine conditions and market preferences and decided on which strains to bring in to comeup with what we offer to you as Sunshine Chicken. First we brought in the a heavy pure farm breed, that gives us the colorful Sunshines. We next reintroduced the Naked Necks that are sturdier under tropical conditions and have a thinner skin that gourmets prefer. We are now thinking of a new strain to add to our existing line :) All those, to satisfy the different growers' and farmers' needs and wants.

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.

Market

Where's the market?

A grower is literally going to the market....not wasting time looking nor waiting for the middlemen to find him.

They are getting a space at the local market in Antique and sell their dressed produce there.

He wants the locals to experience our claim of the taste of bisaya manok, in the Sunshine Chicken.

Panay Antique

Depending on what you mean and how you pronounce it. Antique the place? Or Antique as in old, heirloom, art, collectibles....

We have here both. A grower in Antique, engaging in the old way of raising chickens. Almost 1 kilo in 33days. Not bad at all. Surely tastes like the bisaya manok!


Looking forward to go visit that part soon!

Fiesta Time

Yes, we do eat everyday. They say that Filipinos are such big chicken eaters.

That means we may be serving chicken everyday. If I were to base from our sales of chicks and dressed chickens, the people around have learned to eat good and healthy chickens...Sunshines in particular!

We have doubled our production...and we expect the number to increase yet in the next few weeks as our Certified Parent Stocks have performed better than expected in terms of production, hatchability and time frames.

Do we have problems with disposing? Nope. Early and sustainable marketing built the consumer consciousness.

There will be seasons and time when the demand will go up further.... You think it was just Christmas time? There are graduations, fiestas etc...and TODAY will be the perfect time to load. In time to harvest in April and May.

Plan your loading so you maximize harvests, time, effort and profit.

Table Eggs In Demand

Table egg production, from grass fed and free ranged Sunshines are in demand. We sell at PHP250/tray of 30s and it is very in demand.

Another business idea one may go into is the table egg production.

You may slaughter the male Sunshines for meat, and maintain the females as layers. On the 5th to 6th month, when they reach sexual maturity, they start to drop and give you brown colored eggs. The egg yolks will be deep orange in color, and have no fishy taste.

Expect to get about 180 eggs per annum from one hen :) They will not be as productive as your hormone laden white chicken layers, in terms of number of eggs, but the health benefits and premium pricing will make it worth it.

Try the eggs...you will be proud if you produced them.

Leche Flan Please

My favorite food blogs have posted about Leche Flans in the past few days. Maybe coincidence that they have thought about this light and creamy dessert from eggs and fresh milk.

I like using real fresh carabao's milk please for my Leche Flan( you might want to try my recipe). If you used eggs from grass fed Sunshines, you end up with glorious golden Leche Flans that you'd otherwise would have thought to have been artificially colored...just like the street kwekkweks :)

If your clients know that the eggs you used came from grass fed hens, used good fresh milk, and it all adds up to delicious flan, you will have a market for your creamy dessert.

Sunshine Chicken Longaniza

If I had the time, I want to have my favorite Alaminos, Pangasinan and Vigan, Ilocos Sur Longanizas in Sunshine Chicken instead of pork.

I had been encouraging some people to do it. Everyone's reply was it won't be good without the fat. But that's just the point! There is definitely that sector, "the hometown garlicky taste of longaniza they love" people. They want that taste, but in a healthier version. No preservatives.

A trader should address this market. Those healthy food buffs won't buy the fatty pork longanizas anyway, so they should look into the alternative market for that huge longaniza craving, using grass fed chickens.

Vigan should open eyes to this. They have the garlic. They have that known market for longaniza. And they have a government who looks after tourism and livelihood.

Hoping to taste some Vigan Sunshine Chicken Longaniza!

Don't Just Feel It. Taste It!

Remember that commercial for a shampoo? As I was reviewing photos taken in Ilocos Sur of this very pretty girl, I recalled that Alice Dixon ad :)

During the lunch breaktime during Monday's dispersal, we decided to hie off to Sinait. That is the last town of Ilocos Sur, boundary of Ilocos Norte.

Led to the recipients of the 1st dispersal in December, saw us looking at almost 2 kilo Sunshines :) It was 1.5k around Christmas time, but recipients thought that the project coordinators needed to check on it before they are able sell. Some other recipients were apologetic that they have started to sell.

That is the point! Gov DV and I chorused that "that is what we want"! Starting next week, recipients will start to give back eight (8) adults, so they may qualify to get 100 21day old chicks again.

How Do I Cook It?

I took out three (3) capons to season and roast for tonight. Three...yes you read right! When there are ten (10) children in the family, spouses and grown up children, three capons might not even be enough :)

Salt, fresh black pepper from the mill, just pinched Rosemarie from my pots. That's it for my capons tonight. Will let them sit on marbled potatoes, and let their juice season the marbles as they bake with the Sunshines.

I can't stress enough: low fire, slow cooking :)

What Grass Should We Plant?

We have always been asked this, what one has to plant for the Sunshines to eat.

They eat anything that is soft :) No need to plant, as when you rake an area, new life sprouts. If you have tall and matured grass around....cut them and see the new stems and leaves will attract your Sunshines.

And as for food? Let's work with what is abundant in your area. There will be no clear cut feeding programs nor materials.

I suggest though, that while they are ranging....let them have feeders with their grains, adlibitum. Just like a green buffet, let them walk around, poke and sniff. Give them choices and liberty to eat whatever at will.

By experience, they love the range more than their feeders.

Think About The Gifts

As I was reading my online newspaper tonight, I came across Dreaming of a Green Christmas.
I always thought that one should give a give that they themselves would want to have :)

For about a week now, I had been emailing with a lady who asked me about the benefits of eating grass fed chickens, pricing, availability etc.

Today, she ordered more than an ordinary household would consume in one week. Why? She may have read my mind and advised me that she was giving some as gifts to her friends. She was actually gifting her friends and me too. For her friends, she wanted to give the gift of healthy and tasty chickens. And why did I say she was also gifting me? Because she said that if her friends liked it, they will contact me for their chickens :)

But she already gave me a good time for her emails are so straight and no corners.....she was so funny in her candidness.

Name That Store

I have already approved store signages, freezers delivered, stainless counters there, vacuum packer transferred to its new nook....

As I was filling out DTI etc....I sort of had a sudden change of heart in store names. I will try to switch it to a shorter and non tongue twister.

It took a long time before people can recall and even pronouce "Solraya"...I can't think why! This time, I will play it short name game....won't say it yet, as am not sure to get approval. I won't count the chicks till they are hatched :)

Today, my 3tonner gets delivered and if the universe loves me big, it gets intalled today. But I will understand if I get timed for tomorrow. Can't be too pushy, it was just ordered late Saturday.

Think Simple

The most asked when we displayed these Sunshine Chicks during Agrilink 2008, "What are those things for their water, mineral blocks?"

No sir/mam, they are stones, nothing more. Plays an important role though. In that picture, they actually need more stones for their waterer.

When day old chicks get to you, they are thirsty. They will rush to get their drink. In the process they get too excited and almost bury their heads in the water. We don't want that to happen, as they will get wet and will feel cold. When they chill, they will bunch up amongst one another to get the heat they need. They will end up pushing against one another and trampling on some chicks :(

Just this morning, on the way to work, I was telling Doc Rey about the question if the stones were mineral blocks or vitamins :) He shouldn't take it for granted that small matters need not be explained. What is natural for a veterinarian/farmer will be greek to a budding farmer.

Think simple, think practical. That was all our forefathers needed to do to survive and eat.

FREE Seminars At MATH

Reminder: Market At The Hills, starting Nov 08, will have extended hours, to night market. Saturdays, 9am-9pm. Sundays, 9am-6pm.

Activities have been lined up to make it interesting for the customers and booth owners.

Free seminars have been lined up. To kick off the start of the night market:

Nov 08, 2-5pm, Starting An Organic Garden by Raymond Rubia of Daily Dose Farm

Nov 09, 2-5pm, Raising Grass Fed Sunshine Chicken by Rey B. Itchon, DVM

See you at Market at the Hills, Corinthian Hills Clubhouse, Temple Drive

Eggs From Grass Fed Sunshine Chickens

I haven't been to our farm for a long time now...when I say farm, this is our small farm in Santiago, where we live and our main store is based.

We have some Sunshines here for our own consumption of eggs and meat. The demand and request for eggs from real grass fed chickens have gone up and we started sharing our small harvests for the week.

I get to sell our produce at Market At The Hills, and it excited me to see the producers again. They are just a few, but seeing them graze, makes me proud of the eggs I sell.

I remember one known seller before who is supposed to be selling free-ranged eggs. Inquired from us about the reject eggs from our hatchery. Oh sure we do have them, but they are not sold by us, as they are not eggs from grass fed, free ranging chickens. Surely she knows that, and feigned memory lapse :) Well, I added that memory to my character gauging bank.

Few minutes later, guess what Doc Rey found amongst the bushes.

I had the freshest, warm, healthy, just out of the cloaca, egg...I eat our eggs raw. Threw back the empty shell to them. I should have taken a picture of the raw egg and how they fought for the egg shell. The calcium is good for them.

Noel Discovery Bazaar 2008

We will be taking part in this event, the Noel Discovery Bazaar.

November 26-30, at the World Trade Center. See us at booth #236, food section.