Agriculture Business Week

One promising new money-maker for local investors is the Pekin duck, particularly the F1 (first generation) ducklings of a superior genetic line from the Czech Republic that is now available locally.

According to Dr. Erwin Cruz who is distributing the ducklings, this Pekin duck will usually attain a liveweight of 3.6 kilos in only 49 days. With a dressing percentage of 69%, each bird will yield 2.48 kilos of marketable meat. The meat has a farmgate price of P190 per kilo, hence one dressed duck will gross the raiser P471.20.

And what is the cost of production per bird of a batch of 100? The cost of producing one kilo of meat, including the cost of dressing, is P122.83, according to Dr. Cruz. So the cost of producing the 2.48 kilos of meat per bird is P304.61. Subtract this from the gross of P471.20, and you get a net profit of P166.59 per head. That’s not bad for a growing period of 49 days.

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Posted on May 8th, 2011 under Poultry. Tags: Duck, Poultry. Comments: 94

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

This age-old dilemma has resulted to countless debates for centuries, as it continues to baffle scientists, academicians, and even your community “tambays”.

It is indeed mind-boggling and may even cause people to scratch their heads, but for Martin Ozaeta, a simple Batangueño who hails from Lumil, San Jose, it is not important which came first, as long as it is economically rewarding.

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Posted on September 15th, 2010 under Poultry. Tags: Chicken, Egg, Poultry. Comments: 3

The ostrich is the largest living bird in the world. An adult male ostrich is usually 2.4 meters tall with weight of over 100 Kg. The female adult ostrich is only a little bit smaller. Because of their huge body and small wing size, ostriches cannot fly. However, the speed of their legs can very well make up for being flightless. Ostriches can run as fast as 70Km, each stride as big as 8 meters.

Ostriches have been hunted for their flesh and plumes since ancient times. Today, the Department of Agriculture encourages ostrich farming as an alternative to poultry business to prevent food crisis in the country and to boost the country’s economic development.

Commercial ostrich farming
Startup capital for ostrich farming is much more than an ordinary poultry farm. Each breeder bird may cost approximately P40,000 and requires 200 square meter pen space. However, long term return on investment in this venture is lucrative.

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Posted on July 8th, 2010 under Poultry. Tags: Bird, Ostritch, Poultry. Comments: 3

Agri entrepreneur Tina Moradas Papillion talks about the basic things one ought to know in raising chickens the free-range way.

One of the most significant trends in agriculture in recent years is the growing demand for organic and naturally grown agricultural products. Compared to conventionally grown produce inorganic or natural products often enjoy a premium price and are increasingly becoming mainstream as more people ask for them.

Among the people who are capitalizing on this trend is Arestina “Tina” Moradas Papillon, owner of Pamora Farms, a free range poultry farm in Abra. Pamora Farms, is actually a combination of Tina and her Frensh husband’s last names. It started as a backyard operation in 2000, when Tina set it up for her parents. They started commercial operations in 2002 with a monthly capacity of 200 chickens. Today they have a monthly capacity of 10,000 chickens.

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Posted on June 10th, 2010 under Poultry. Tags: Chickens, Poultry. Comments: 8

There are many species of oregano. Origanum vulgare is a hardy, aromatic, bushy perennial with rose-purple, sometimes pink to white flowers. It is a European native, where it is commonly called White Marjoram.

Oregano has been highly prized for its folk and culinary uses. It is particularly used in Italian and Greek cuisine. It is the leaves that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavorful than the fresh.

Oregano is often used in tomato sauces, with fried vegetables, and grilled meat. With basil, oregano contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes. It also combines nicely with pickled olives, capers, and lovage leaves. Unlike most Italian herbs, oregano works with hot and spicy food, which is popular in southern Italy.

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Posted on May 27th, 2010 under Herbal Plants, Livestock, Poultry. Tags: Herb, Livestock, Oregano, Plant, Poultry. Comments: 4

What most Filipinos don’t know is that geese are cheap and easy to maintain and they provide animal protein as well as cash income.

Unknown to many Filipinos, goose is one of the oldest of man’s feathered friends. Their domestication probably took place in Egypt (where they were considered sacred) about 3,000 years ago; although some research suggests that it may have been even earlier.

The term “goose” (plural: geese) applies to the birds in general, and to a female in particular. The word “gander” is used for a male in particular. Young birds before fledging are called “goslings.” A group of geese on the ground is called a “gaggle”; when geese fly in formation they are called a “wedge” or a “skein”.

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Posted on May 7th, 2010 under Poultry. Tags: Geese, Goose, Poultry. Comments: 5

Here’s an in-depth look at the world of organic farming for both livestock and organic.

Organic farmers should promote animal well-being throughout the farm. This may be done by minimizing physical and psychological stress on the animals and reducing the incidence of disease. Also, when animals are not stressed, veterinary hills are reduced and meat tenderness is maintained.

Pain and stress relief Conventional farming practices such as castrating, marking and mulesing, if it cannot be avoided, should be kept to a minimum.

Physical alternations should be provided as needed to promote the animal’s welfare and in a manner that reduces pain and stress. Anesthetics lidocaine and procaine are allowed to be sued for pain reduction. Chlorohexidine is also allowed for surgical procedures conducted by a veterinarian, as well as a number of other topical disinfectants.

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Posted on April 27th, 2010 under Livestock, Organic, Poultry. Tags: Farming, Livestock, Organic, Poultry. Comments: 1

Here’s an in-depth look at the world of organic farming for both livestock and organic.

High production is the typical aim in conventional farming. In organic farming systems, the farmer chooses animals for a wider range of qualities. These qualities include the mothering ability and tolerance for pest and disease. Lifetime yield is given more importance, and the productive life of animals is given priority.

Longer life expectancy of animals has several advantages for the farmer. It allows the farmer to get to know his animals, including health and disease history. It also allows the herd to have a stable social order and health state. Because of their longevity, the animals become more adapted to the conditions, thus lessening the stress factors. For cows and other mammals, colostrums quality and quantity also increase over time.

Artificial insemination is generally discouraged except for cases where new genetic material is needed. Embryo transplant is prohibited because this practice requires hormone injection so that the breeding cycles of the animals are synchronized. Genetic engineering is also prohibited in organic farm operations.

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Posted on April 21st, 2010 under Organic, Poultry. Tags: Farming, Organic, Poultry. Comments: None

With good early bookings, all the signs are that there will be another well attended Pig, Poultry & Dairy Focus Asia 2010. This event is now perceived as Asia ’s leading independent technical conference for anyone involved in modern pig, poultry and dairy production and attracts production managers, QA managers, nutritionists and veterinarians. The event will be held on 1 – 3rd March 2010 at the prestigious Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

The event has 90 international experts as its speakers and topical issues such as the use of enzymes and probiotics to improve feed utilisation and animal performance, the effect of health on meat or milk quality, controlling the impact of mycotoxins, optimising reproductive performance and the value of organic minerals are among the topics on the programme.

In addition, the pig programme will consider topics such as intestinal integrity, semen analysis, weaning capacity and boar taint control and the poultry programme will also consider in ovo vaccination, evaluation of feed trials, single stage incubation and salmonella control. The Dairy programme will also focus on calf pneumonia, heat stress, reproductive health management and coccidiosis.

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Posted on February 5th, 2010 under Events, Livestock, Poultry. Tags: Asia, Bangkok, Conference, Dairy, Events, Pig, Poultry, Thailand. Comments: None

Topnotch poultry and livestock equipment supplier Belmont is promoting the use of a new climate control technology to optimize the growth of chicken while generating power savings of up to 70 percent.

The technology involves a combi-tunnel ventilation system designed specifically for regions with heavy daily or seasonal temperature variations.

The system works by taking in fresh air through wall inlets, thus entailing minimum ventilation to remove the excess moisture and heat of the animals.

“Though it’s still in the exploratory stage, the combi-tunnel ventilation is perfect for subtropical and tropical countries like the Philippines. The combi-tunnel technology integrates various ventilation principles into a single intelligent system. It ensures optimum conditions for the chickens by letting ventilation depend on the outdoor temperature, humidity and the age of the animals,” said Belmont’s marketing manager Tony Magno.

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Posted on October 23rd, 2009 under Climate Change. Tags: Climate Change, Poultry, Technology. Comments: 2

HIGH-TECH CONTRACT GROWERS
Not the typical contract growers are the brothers Arvin and Angel Bryan Yumul who run a high-tech automated broiler farm in Lian, Batangas. Between the two of them, they raise 100,000 broilers at a time, housed in five buildings, each containing 20,000 chickens.

Angel Bryan, 36, and the younger brother, is a biology graduate from La Salle and he is the expert in farm animals, says his brother.

On the other hand, Arvin is a mechanical engineer who appears to be deeply obsessed with the latest gadgets that are available in the industry. He regularly travels to the United States to observe the latest machines and equipment that will make raising chickens as automated as possible. That is why you will not smell the usual foul odor encountered in an ordinary poultry farm when you visit their Lightning Ridge Farm in Brgy.Binubusan, Lian town. You will be lucky if you see a fly in their farm.

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Posted on July 16th, 2009 under Poultry. Tags: Antibiotics, Poultry, Probiotics. Comments: 11

Don’t look now, but the growing trend in poultry production is toward the use of more probiotics and less of antibiotics. This is the case not only in the raising of free-range chickens but also in the mass production of broilers – the so-called white chicken which are produced by the millions throughout the year

The growing trend is for a good reason. Consumers are increasingly becoming health-conscious and are shying away from poultry meat packed with antibiotic residue. Antibiotics, of course, are the main weapon of poultry raisers in subduing deadly respiratory diseases. The trouble is that many poultry raisers tend to depend largely on these drugs, to the extent that they are overdoing it. Many of them think that the more antibiotics they use, the better for their flock’s health.

The trouble is that the excessive use of antibiotics results in high antibiotic residue in the poultry meat. And this is bad because the consumers who eat the antibiotic-loaded chicken will imbibe the drug. And the possibility is that when the time comes that it is necessary for the consumer to take medication, the antibiotic may no longer be effective in treating the human ailment. The bacteria causing the disease may have developed resistance to the antibiotic.

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Posted on July 15th, 2009 under Poultry. Tags: Antibiotics, Poultry, Probiotics. Comments: None

Halquinol is an old drug but still is useful for nonspecific treatment of scouring or diarrhea in livestock and poultry. Although it is quite commonly used in pig and poultry production, many raisers still needs to know the nature of this drug.

What is halquinol?
Halquinol is the generic name of the active ingredients of Quixalud, a product of Novartis Animal Health. Halquinol is also available as generic products from different sources.

Is halquinol an antibiotic?
In the strictest sense, halquinol is NOT an antibiotic, but it kills microbes that may cause disease.

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Posted on July 11th, 2009 under Livestock, Poultry. Tags: Halquinol, Pigs, Poultry. Comments: 10

Have you been wanting to start your own duck business? Here’s a no-nonsense guide to jumpstart your way to success.

A small flock of ducks may be raised in the backyard at a low cost. Apart from the brooder, which is needed for the first week or so, facilities and equipment for duck raising are fairly simple. Duck houses must be built in a quiet, cool place and should be at a nearest possible location to a stream or pond. Suitable local materials include bamboo, nipa and cogon. The duck house is ideally located on a well-drained area. Sandy soil is preferable for the duck yard as it drains easily after a rain. The earth floor of the duck house should be bedded with dry absorbent material such as straw or shavings. A low fencing of approximately 61cm is adequate for breeds that are not adept to becoming airborne like Pekins.

However, there two types of commercial duck housing, which are total confinement and semiconfinement. Modern total confinement housing is well insulated and mechanically ventilated. Ducks are isolated in age groups, whether in separate buildings or in separate pens with a solid partition between them. There are also two types of floor design, all wire mesh or a combination of litter and wire mesh with waterers located on the wire.

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Posted on June 17th, 2009 under Poultry. Tags: Duck, Duck Eggs, Duck Meat, Meat, Poultry. Comments: 1