Don't Take For Granted

You always have to check caretakers, even after you have tried to teach them (granting that you know what you are doing too). We made a quick trip today to check on brooding this week in a new developed area. New caretaker too, so Doc Rey wanted to see how he followed...

Can you spot the mistakes from here?



Ok good. He has his hammock there. Radio playing...I forgot to tell him to tset it to the radio station where we broadcast our info ads in Isabela...that should be his audio bibles :) I take the radio was for him, and not for the chicks.

Maybe now at closer view, you can?

Maybe you can't tell too? Common sense in brooding is not really common sense to a non knowing like me also.

Since I have some knowledge already after all the seminars, farm visits, and listening to Doc Rey...this is what I can tell:

1) Infrared bulbs were sent to be used. What was sent was 150w each and I sent six (6) pcs. We were brooding five hundred (500). He just used four (4) all in one side and had incandescent bulbs on the other side. I heard Doc Rey asking him (his way of teaching the how and the why) if the chicks last night were bunched under the red bulbs and not merrily walking around.

2) The rat protection is better when there are no corners where there may be a tendency to group and they can get crushed. Doc Rey reminded him that he was told to make that in an Oval shape. Ideally round, but it will be difficult to go around the pen with a big circle in the middle.

3) There were no standby heaters. There were drums outside and the ricehull were ready in sacks too. He should have had them ready and staged on pedestal hollowblocks (w/c were sitting quite far so it will be difficult to put together incase of a power outage in the middle of the night).

Aside from the above, these I heard from Doc Rey:

1) Set the basin feeders near the heater bulbs. If it is cold, they will want to stay near the bulbs and of the food is far, they won't go to eat.

2) Set the drinkers horizontally instead of vertically. Again, set it under the bulbs. Same concept. Make food and water accessible to them even when the temperature is low.

As I was studying picture now as I used it for the topic....it dawned on me that it will be better it the grouping was divided into two (2) or three (3) of those iron sheets. That was, the caretaker goes around the groups, changed the water and cleans out basins with out stepping on beddings. Maybe that was the reason caretaker opted to set the waterers and basins near the edge...so he can easily reach out.

Oh well.....we will be back later at the farm to eat freshly picked veggies. I will discuss that with Doc Rey :)

How to Monitor

I have written several topics on the monitor ( you may want to use the "search" button). Remember how I wrote also about eventually graduating to sturdier housing. Sure, let's start small and cheap and grow with the business. We also did. So now we are building notch higher.

Because of the demand for the dressed Sunshines, we have to grow some to make sure the supply and quality is met. Everything fell into place as we are now developing another 3hectares in the farm and have more room to play and rotate ranging areas.

I took these pictures yesterday and when reviewing today for filing, Doc Rey got a bright idea on including building expenses in his seminars. Since he has just received receipts and paid labor, he has a good grasp of expenses.

He now thinks like me....a lay, dummy, non-technical mind. We have developed the seminars from my point of view....I hope it had helped you too :)

The foundations are now cemented, strong and posts are weather proof. See the wood to be used? We saved them from an old beach house in Cavite that we demolished. The beachline was eating it up and we thought that instead of losing it to the sea, we can make good use of the wood. This is great material as time and salt had aged it well. As always and in all cases, foundation is most important.

It gets the morning sun. You know how we expose babies to the morning sun for the vitamins we get and the health benefits? Of course it is good for all too! It also dries up the pens, the natural way :) The wind directions in your property is also taken into consideration. We oriented the side that the wind won't run into the roofs. The resistance with the wind can let the roofs fly away.

Notice also that the buildings are not too high to fight the wind, but not too low that it is difficult for the caretaker to clean. Keep in mind that we need to make it easy for the caretaker to feed and clean around. If it is convenient and easy, plus the fact that he should love what he is doing...then it won''t be work.

Don't worry about predators...yes, it still needs to have steel matting all around. Maybe we won't have that budget for now, then we can have poultry wire or green plastic screen as walls.

See the dog? He is there now to get used to the new area to guard.

Your range fences, are ideally nets.

This Is The Monitor

There are some people that you like working with or socially. I am one person that the liking for work and socially has to go together. I can't just like you for work. If I was to work with you, I have to like you socially first. A pair we like is Andry and Jojie Lim.

Remember the monitor that I described as a lopsided "T"? As I was going through my Facebook, I saw this in Jojie's photos posted recently.

Maybe the frames that Andry used were ready made and didn't touch it as it may be intended for use again for other applications. If I was to build this now, I will not make it that tall, as Sunshines nor caretakers aren't that tall :) The free flowing air had been answered by the screened walls and monitor.

You need all the fresh air and sunshine to dry and disinfect naturally. Much like you ferment good fruits and veggies to fertilize your fruits trees and veggie plots...you need to give sunshine to your Sunshines!

I remember hearing Doc Rey discussing about what side faces the afternoon sun and he was considering the wind direction. I am not into that data...but will inquire about those again and post it as another topic.

Monitor

Quick trip to Isabela farm to check on new shelters being built. The trip is to monitor the construction and for a monitor constructed :)

Summer is approaching so the planning has to take into consideration that temperature....so monitors are in order.

For the lay and the non-technical person like me, the first time I heard that a grower installed a monitor in his Sunshines' shelter...I was like "wow"...I thought it was CCTV and cameras. He must love the Sunshines that much.

A monitor in poultry buildings means air outlet/ventilation :)

Last night I was listening to Doc Rey as he was giving instructions and drawing his several buildings. Don't let the term "several buildings" impress you. Shelters that are built with cement foundation, wood from a demolished old house, slightly elevated to plan against wet ground etc, nothing fancy, but fully utilitarian.

There was something about it that didn't seem fit for me. There will be two roofs side by side, the tip won't meet up there!? Like an lopsided "T". I had to butt in and ask to be briefed on the design. He looked quizzically at me as if I had to know that it was a monitor and it was for ventilation :)

Having been briefed and reminded about fresh air entering and allowing hot air to escape, now I know and understand the simple design of the open roof top and lopsided "T" design. Hey, how come the monitors I see on the large commercial buildings look like lofts? He said the lopsided "T" is the old and simple design in poultry management. The new loft designs (no relation to the furniture retailer) is a product already of intelligent architecture :)

Great that mind is activated by forced creativity when budget is constrained. We are all learning here. We need to find ways to make it easy for us and for them.