June 5,2012 Organically Feed Chic ens ,Anyone? By Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.

Maasin City, Southern Leyte-Majority of us nowadays are being feed with inorgani cally-feed chic ens locally nown as bantres that raisers put in cages and feed wi th chemically-laden processed feeds. Some of them according to information gathe red were injected with growth hormones in order to gain more weight in just less than 2 months. However, medical articles published in several health magazines always reminded us and advised us to prefer eating natural foods than processed foods. To prefer eating organically-feed chic ens than chic ens feed with processed pac ed feeds Yet we wonder why both fastfood firms and their chic en suppliers continue feedi ng us with chic ens that feed with processed feeds. Is it difficult for them to change the feeds of their chic ens for public consumption to organic feeds? Feed s that are derived from nature or natural plants that is endemically plentiful i n our country? Both fastfood owners and the chic en suppliers who have the needed funds to purc hase a huge lot for conversion into farms, where they could plant vegetables, fr uit trees, rootcrops, legumes and other edible plants can readily shift to natur al organic feeds for their chic ens, minus the injection of growth hormones. My suggestion on the change of processed feeds to organic feeds can also readily be done among chic en suppliers if they have much concern for the welfare and h ealth of their hundreds and thousands of customers/buyers. By doing this in good faith, we are certain that some chic en-eating people who prefer to eat chic ens feed with organic feeds, minus the injection of growth ho rmones, will start entering fastfood restaurants and patronizing their businesse s. Proof that my idea is doably applicable, here is a businessman from one of the P acific towns in Southern Leyte province who do what other food chain operators a nd chic en suppliers must also do for the good welfare of their customers. Purchased lot of about 2 hectares in brgy. ario Bagalay as Natures Farm. Fenced with omponents. One half hectare is devoted for nents were planted to 1,500 Robusta coffee ees in 2010 on the other side of the lot.

Cat-iwing, Hinundayan, was named by M barb wires, it was divided into three c raising chic ens. The two other compo seedlings in 2009 and 1,000 rubber tr

I have raised 1,500 imported chic ens from France, Mario Bagalay says during an in terview, But the eggs were hatched in Manila. The one-day old chic s were shipped to me via the Tacloban airport. The chic s named Superior F1 are of three types, he says, the meat type(for coo ing), the inasal type(for roosting) and the layer type(for laying eggs).He says he only bought the 2 types, minus the layer, that can come later on as his busin ess progresses. Mario states in details the ind of feeds he uses for the chic s. The first 14 d ays he feeds them with starter. From 14 to 21 days old he uses chic booster. Twenty one days old and up he starts feeding them with organic feeds.

The natural foods that he uses as feeds are corn, rice, cassava, camote, banana (carnava type) and grated coconut meat. He says he coo s all of these natural fo ods for easy digestion and avoidance of potential parasites if given raw to the chic ens. After all are coo ed and mixed wells, it will be allowed to cool down before fee ding it to the chic ens, he says. He is not buying the natural feeds that are al so mains food, but planted it in his farm. In case some of the chic ens would be suffering from diarrhea, he would give the m juice extract from coo ed guava leaves and nothing else. For cold treatment, h e says, he will be using carabo leaves, bamboo leaves and tangad leaves. He will coo it for several minutes to extract its juice. It will be served to the cold victims after cooling it. How many teaspoonfuls a day for each sic chic en, he did not divulge. Mario says he usually feed his chic ens from two to three times daily, maintaini ng the same ind of organic feeds throughout the year, adding nothing from their diet. In his farm he also installs some heaters that are essential to provide heat to his fowls, particularly during cold days and cold nights. Some 10 light bulbs of higher watts are li ewise being installed for lighting the chic ens in his broo der house. Without lights, the chic ens will be very noisy, he says. Heaters are al so important to neutralize the surrounding coldness, particularly at night. If theres an abrupt power outage, there is a ready standby petrocylene to provide substitute light until electricity will be restored. While most chic en raisers who feed their livestoc with inorganic processed fee ds and injecting them with growth hormones to gain more weight and added profit, Mario Bagalay whose facial feature remain unchanged as when he was one of the c ontractors to DENRs reforestation project during the Cory Aquino Administration a nd I as a DENR-PENRO wor er, reveals that he gives his chic ens maintenance vita mins/deworming from natural plants. These are composed of pepper (sili), garlic, union bulbs, ginger (luy-a) and mol asses. He says he chops it into small pieces and allows it to ferment for 7 days . The fermented juice is then given to his chic ens on a daily basis. Li e the n ative chic ens, Marios chic ens are also free to roam around the half hectare lot . His chic ens achieved similar meat texture and taste a in to that of the nativ e chic ens that are naturally feed on organic plants around the vicinity. He reminds yours truly and the businessmen as well that although he avoid the un natural way of adding more weight to his chic ens by the use of growth hormones injection, what is most important for him is to provide chic en eaters in the p rovince with organically feed fowls that are devoid of chemical or drug injectio ns. Instead, he ma es use of what are naturally available foods in the environme nt, which is what our bodies really need for good health. Never mind the additional funds to get additional profit needed to buy those dru gs for chic ens and growth hormones for its unnatural growth. Bagalay further discloses that meat type chic ens ta e 60 days or 2 months to ha ve a one ilo weight. The inasal type will ta e 80 days or 2 months and 20 days to reach a weight of 1.5 ilos. This is in contrast to bantres chic ens that are f eed with inorganic feeds and injected with growth hormones to gain more weight t han it should naturally be, if feed only with organic feeds. But Mario has a nob le reason: he just allows his chic ens to achieve its natural growth as dictated by Mother Nature.

Our interviewee has now started selling his chic ens individually in Hinunangan, Hinundayan, Anahawan, in a restaurant in Bato, Leyte and here at Kinamot Sa Abg ao Restaurant (tel. no. (053)381-3878). The health-conscious businessman has also started harvesting his Robusta coffee that bears fruits after one year and 6 months period. Upon bearing fruits, he says , a farmer or planter can start harvesting the matured fruits almost daily by sel ection His Robusta coffee seedlings were part of Congressman Roger Mercados livelihood p roject several years bac distributed to farmers in different municipalities of the province including Maasin city to provide support and additional income for the farmers respective families. He says his 1,000 rubber trees planted in 2010 can produce latex extract after a minimum of 6 years. As ed if rubber trees could thrive in Southern Leyte, he sa ys he thin s so as can be seen from the ind of growth his newly-planted rubber trees seedlings in Hinundayan has achieved. As for his organically feed chic ens, his easy to apply method is practically ad aptable by other businessmen in the province who want to venture in chic en rais ing, and strictly feeding them with organic foods, organic medicines and organic vitamins/deworming. We are optimistically hopeful that other business-minded men or investors will f ollow suit Bagalays novel idea so that our fastfood restaurants here and in the n eighboring provinces of region 8(Leyte and Samar) will be shifting soon to buy a nd to patronize organically feed chic ens for the health benefits and wellness o f their countless customers. For more information about Mario Bagalays organically feed Superior F1 pasteurize d chic ens call mobile phone numbers 0927-493-6516; 0927-572-3799. Email address : mariobagalay@yahoo.com.(Quirico M. Gorpido,Jr.)