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 :)

Agri Kapihan 28Oct07

It was a first for me to attend the real Agri Kaphan. What I know are the ones at AANI Herbal Garden and Livelihood Center every 1st Sunday of the month.

Attendance was very good, but everyone was saying that there was an abnormal low number of attendees that they attribute to the very long weekend.

I took pictures of where they postioned us, right by the entrance, under a tree, part of the pocket garden. Nice area actually. You will see the day old chicks :), AANI booth with Tony Rola captured on the right side (mangga_gamot), and the ATOVI gang.

I waited to take photos of the Agri Kapihan proper, when we were to do the seminar.

Joseph and Audrey of Sun Field Chicken arrived :).....

Some company make you totally forget about tasks.

The seminar was good. People are slowly, starting to understand that F1 chickens are broilers and not breeding materials.

This Replaces Dessert

Just finished dinner of Inihaw na Sunshine (just do a salt and pepper rub, leave it for about 30mins, then broil it over live coals, adjust height to achieve that low temperature, slow cooking).



Printing invoices for deliveries, sitting infront of the monitor...I get this email from Tessie of Davao. She sent these pictures of her three (3) batches.

I forgot my craving for a Latte.

Sunshines are brownred, not black :)

Click this to read Zac Sarian's column in the Agriculture section of Manila Bulletin today

We were featured. Thank you. But...I wonder where they got the photo shown???

As you can see all over the photos on this blog, Sunshine Chickens are brownred. Once in a while there may be a different color, may be due to genetic throwbacks, but those will be exceptions.

Good thing I will see Zac tomorrow during the Agri Kapihan. I hope to get an answer :)

My Leche Flan

Sandy's Leche Flan
Ingredients:
• 1 C carabao's milk or goat's milk
• 1 C coco sugar
• 6 whole eggs from grass fed, pastured hens
• 4 whole calamansi or 1 whole dayap, do not squeeze, just take out seeds
Directions:
In a bowl, combine milk, sugar, eggs and calamansi or dayap (including the rind). Mash the ingredients using clean hands, do not beat the mixture. After you have mixed it well, remove calamansi or dayap and any seeds that may have been left. Set aside. Using 4 llaneras, put some coco sugar in each and set on top of stove one at a time, over low heat. As it melts, tip the llanera side to side to coat the bottom. Set aside to cool. Pour egg mixture into the 4 llaneras, cover with aluminum foil. Put llaneras in a bigger pan. Pour water until it reaches almost halfway through the height. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 mins or until firm.If you have no oven, cook in a steamer for 30-45 mins. Check after 30 mins if done.

I like adding grated Dayap rind just before steaming.

The touch of mint gives a wonderful flavour, though some people don't like it. Instead of Dayap or Kalamansi, you may get fresh mint leaves and have it as you mash the ingredients. Take out the mashed mint leaves. Then before steaming, top with fresh leaves.

I Like To Smile To Start The Day

Yes, I know....no pictures again from that very pleasant night with Adora and Kathy of MX 97.7....and that made me "smile" now.

George of Tavern Murano made that good Baked Sunshine again. The other dish he created was a crunchy one with peanut sauce he made from scratch. He showed us the sauce...he said olive oil or was it butter?, peanuts plus other things that skipped me now. I didn't care as he was talking as I was busy relishing the morsels. You will ask for extra bread to scrape the last traces of that Peanut Sauce.

Last night had us having dinner at Kambingan ni Mang Ali. He made soup, simply boiled with lemongrass. That as really good. The other one was a favorite the last time, the inihaw with just salt and pepper rub.

On both nights I came well equipped with my charged camera. Next time, should hang it around my neck so I remember it when soup gets to it.

Looking Forward to a Dinner of Good Sunshine MX

After we had that very good Baked Sunshine by George of Tavern Murano, I thought about Kathy of MX 97.7. She had been doing my radio ads and tags.

Sent her a message last week and invited her to have chicken dinner.

That is tonight. I hope to really remember to take photos!

St, Mary's New Rangers in Cebu Mountains

See how excited they are to be free. They are really meant to be set on the range, let loose to forage and play around. Happy chickens give us good tasting meat :)

They also got their first batch of island borns, see the photo of the new day olds.....as the importeds are set out, the new batch goes in :)

AGRI KAPIHAN 28OCT

Everyone is invited to join the Agri Kapihan on 28 October at the DWWW 774 compound, 23 E. Rodriguez (near corner D. Tuazon).

It is held every 4th Sunday of the month, 8-11am, but most people come real early. Good opportunity for you to meet the Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura hosts (Nina Manzanares-Agu, Tony Rola and Zac Sarian) and the rest of the KSA family.

There are FREE seminars held during the event. Topics for 28 October, among others, will be:

1) Raising Sunshine Chickens by Dr. Rey Itchon

2) Use of Biozome, Micronutrients Fertilizer by Antonio Lucero Jr.

Agricultural products will be available during the Agri Kapihan.

See you there!

While you are on your way there, don't forget to stay tuned to Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura DWWW 774 AM radio, every Sunday, 4:30-7:30am

Tavern Murano's Baked Sunshine

My favorite Italian restaurant in Santiago City, Tavern Murano, made us Sunshine Chicken done three (3) ways.

I gave him full authority on what to do. I just said : No artificial seasonings, low fire, slow cooking.

First came two dishes. Both had serving sizes pieces. One was like sauteed/braised with carrots and raisins. Second one was with fresh wild mushrooms.

Both were not really what I will ask for again, but the things is, the natural taste of chicken stood out. Flavors didn't masque the taste of the meat.

The piece de resistance came...whole baked Sunshine Chicken in a bed of chunky potatoes.

George came by to say he was amazed at how the chicken felt even when uncooked. Not slimey at all, soft to the touch, no fishy smell at all, the innards looked tender and clean.

He looked at us bite into our baked Sunshine.....really great taste! Then he said he boiled it in very little water. About 15 mins, turning it around often, releasing the fat from the Sunshine, w/c was minimal as he said. Then transferred the Sunshine to a baking dish with a bed of potato chunks. Poured the minimal liquid he had left from the pan. George of Tavern Murano baked it, very low fire....letting the natural juice cook the Sunshine and the potatoes.

Not a pinch of salt, nor other seasonings. As we both said.... "NADA"! He said he baked it the French way.

That I have to ask about :)

He and his wife Joy didn't have dinner with us, but he made sure he had servings for them set aside. He asked his red wine to be brought to us, and we enjoyed a glass to cap our meal.

I just realized....I forgot to take photos again. Good meals make me...

Inihaw and Tinola of Ali

The testing cook texted this yesteday at about 5pm yesterday:

Ok Sunshine Chicken. Mabango at masarap lasa ng tinola ko. Pa taste test ko tinola sa mga customers ko dito. Ewan ko lang yung inasal

By 6:30pm, we were having our bowl of Tinola at his eatery and a plate of inihaw. I like my Tinola better using lemongrass. His inihaw using just salt and pepper was great. I guess the key was using more black pepper :)

Ali of "Kambingan ni Mang Ali", followed my suggestion for cooking. Low fire, slow cooking.

Verdict: the chicken didn't require more cooking time as expected, it retained its original size and didn't shrink, taste was perfect chicken w/o needing artificial seasonings.

He called friends to try out his recipes. By 7:30, the table behind us was enjoying the inihaw na manok, sans msg. There was no need for the sawsawan! That group was composed of chinese guys who loves and knows what they eat :)

I meant to take photos, right? But my hands were busy eating, exctedly listening to comments, decided to take in a couple of drinks...ayun, nagsisisi now why I forgot to take pics.

PS: My Sunshine tagalog radio ad had Ali doing the main character's part. Now, he can do another radio ad con gusto. You can't sell what you don't know and believe in.

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.

Tinola, Inihaw and Nilaga in Santiago

You know the saying that "Hindi tinatangkilik ang propeta sa sa sariling bayan"?

Sad to say the Sunshines are not patronized where we are based. We are only able to distribute here about 10% of our total produce.

Neighboring provinces are growing Sunshines...uh uh but not Isabela, Santiago City in particular.

But then, your best allies are good words. It eventually spread to Santiago that our Sunshines tastes great! And....maybe friends of friends asked family members about the Sunshines.

Now, the family started getting interested. To cut the story, we asked a brother-in-law to cook three Sunshines for dinner later. His gameplan, cook it however he wants and he may ask his friends to try.

I hope to take a peek later at the taste testing and not be shy to take pictures.

SunField

He says that will be the brand of their chickens. Sun Field nor Sunfield?. Neither am I sure if it will be sold as roasted chickens or just dressed to consumers.

Catchy name, and nice signature too that they use when posting in the PCARRD forums:

SUNFIELD Chicks
All Natural Old Fashioned Home Grown
FRESH PASTURED CHICKEN

Right time at the right place!

I Think I Got It

Following is an email and my reply. He has read the blog and the PCARRD forum, but wanted clarification on some things. If it wasn't clear to him, then it may not be clear to some of us too. Publishing this might be helpful to others.

>
> So for the 1st 21days: I will give Probiotics na Anilov SP
YOU CAN USE ANY PROBIOTICS SA MARKET. WE PERSONALLY USE ANILOV AND IT IS
AVAILABLE FROM US.

and adlib of
> chick booster. Tama ba? And is it right that the chicken boosters are the
> feeds? dun ako nalito e.
YES ADLIB OF CHICK BOOSTER. THEIR TRAYS SHOULD NEVER BE EMPTY. REFILL IN
SMALL AMOUTS OFTEN

>
> Then starting the 21st day I will give Bio100 chick booster and Anilov
> Performance.
WE PERSONALLY GIVE UNMEDICATED FEEDS. PERO KUNG WALA AVAILABLE SA AREA
NYO, YOU CAN USE BIO200. WE ARE NOW WORKING WITH A FEED COMPANY FOR
MAKING AVAILABLE UNMEDICATED FEEDS NATIONWIDE.
>
> Then I read that kung konting heads lang naman, no need for vaccinations.
> 8 lang sakin so no need na talaga dba sandy?
8 BINILI MO NA SUNSHINES? IKAW BA YUNG NAGDALA SA PANGASINAN? IT IS
SUGGESTED THAT YOU VACCINATE. PERO SA NUMBER OF HEADS MO, BAKA SABIHIN MO
MAHAL KUNG BIBILI KA NG VACCINE. KUNG NASA ISABELA KA LANG, WE HAVE A
PATAK CENTER, WE VACCINATE AND CHARGE PER HEAD.
>
> I really appreciate your guidance and patience! paki correct na lang kung
> may mali ako. thanks a lot!
I APPRECIATE YOUR QUESTIONS TOO, KASI WE WANT A HAND HOLDING RELATIONSHIP
PARA WE CAN ALL LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER.

No More Bookings for the Importeds

We are no longer accepting bookings as we just have enough stocks for our displays. Walk in customers will be served depending on availability. Clients who have reserved and confirmed pick-up dates will be served.

Thank you for your response.

We will continue to work hard to give back the support we got from our growers. Advertising and information disemination is geared towards consumer awareness, which will translate to more customers for our loyal growers.

Our PR team is busy in planning to make events to help our growers.

Dealers nationwide will be fully assisted.

Island borns are available starting October 20 hatch and weekly thereafter.

Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura, DWWW 774

We were invited to Kaunlaran sa Agrikultura, a radio show at DWWW 774, every 4:30-7:30am Sundays.

This is hosted by NinaManzanares-Agu, Tony Rola and Zac Sarian. Very enjoyable as it has fast paced interaction amongst guests/hosts, unscripted, and informative to listeners from the phoned in questions.

We look forward to be active in this radio show and during the Agri Kapihan every 4th Sunday of the month, DWWW, 23 E. Rodriguez near corner D. Tuazon.

How Do You Know You Are Getting Real "Solraya's Sunshine Day Old Chicks"?

BOXES: We only use BRAND NEW chick boxes, marked Solraya's Sunshine Colored Chicks on the top cover, with our logo and addresses on the sides of the body of the box.


Our chick boxes are designed to transport 100 day old chicks. It is well ventilated and stackable for volume orders.

We seal them during deliveries.

Our dealers/poultry supply stores are advised to display the empty box atop their brooders to identify our products.

Be wary of recycled chick boxes used for delivering your chicks. You don't know where the boxes nor the chicks came from. They may infect your flock.

DEALERS: You may coordinate with us and we refer you to the dealer in your area. We monitor their deliveries and orders, so we can refer you to a dealer who we know have bonafide Solraya's Sunshine Chicks available.

UNIFORMS: Please deal only with our personnel. All of us sport the same uniforms, with the Solraya logo and the Solraya's Sunshine Chicken patch. We are properly identified when making deliveries, during shows and when doing farm visits.


CONTACT: You may call (02) 417-1800 or (0917) 847-2639 for information on our dealers or the source in your areas.

Solraya's Sunshine Day Old Chicks PHP38

Our hatches for October13 and October15 are almost fully booked.

Starting the hatching date of October20, we will be having the Solraya's Sunshine Day Old Chicks at PHP38.

Weekly hatching for now. In November, we will start to hatch 2x a week :)

Thank you for the support everyone had given the Solraya team.

We assure you we look after our customers. Our PR team has started with Agrilink. They are now working on awareness for the consumers.

Solraya will do it the other way. Build consumer awareness on the benefits of eating right. Propping up our clients. We take the backseat in promotion.

We will target the end users for you. Surely, at the end, there will be a good relationship as everyone will be happy.

You will get back the support from us!

Tessie ng Davao

The original transacation was done by the Mr who said he will be out of town and that Mrs will pick up at airport. That was history. Since then, txts, updates and orders have been done by Tessie.


We both are excitedly monitoring her babies.