12
Non-traditional ways
of raising By Larry Locara
(The Farmer Entrepreneur)
chickens
April 11, 2014 | Filed under: Agriculture | Posted to Iloilo Metropolitan Times
C
hickens are easy to raise but the farmer is
often beset with problems that he needs to
address fast because chickens like other live animals have needs that should be provided for immediately. Failure on the part of the farmer
would mean diseases and oftentimes mortality.
On our visits to farmers to share our experience
and to gather theirs, we learned more that we
gave out. Farmers who are progressive and would
like to try new things are also innovative and often goes out of the traditional approaches to try
out their own and thereby develop their own systems or protocol.
Making and Using Probiotics:
The making and use of probiotics have already
gone a long way since the 1930s when Dr. Teruo
Higa first experimented and perfected the use of
beneficial bacteria, now known as probiotics as
opposed to antibiotics. The modifications made
by farmers have also been tested by their peers
and eventually adopted because they are as effective as the products from the method of Dr.
Higa.
IMO or Indigenous Micro Organisms for example,
are now made in so many ways. Some are still
using the original procedure of Higa but many are
Roosterman No. 36
now making them with added ingredients such as
lactobacilli from milk and even incorporating soils
and substances known or believed to contain
beneficial bacteria, molds, yeast and enzymes. All
these innovations are claimed by the exponents
to be as effective or may be more effective than
the original recipe.
One basic process is to buy a potent EM1 product
which sells for more than P300.00. The proponent then cooks rice like the original procedure
and once cooled, adds one capful of EM1 for
every kilogram of cooked rice. Then sometimes,
he also adds one-half bottle of the popular lactobacilli drink. The batch is mixed thoroughly then
covered with cloth and placed in a bamboo grove
or sometimes in a cool place for 5-7 days. Then
like the usual process of IMO, molasses or sugar
is added. Farmers using this process claim that it
is best for chickens and other animals but is applicable to plants too.
FPJ or Fermented Plant Juice had also been innovated upon. Many plants and vegetables studied
recently and found to be nutrient dense are now
being advocated for use as materials for fermentation. There are also farmers who combine both
plants and fruits for a combination of fermented
plant and fruit juices which they claim produce
more enzymes and easily available nutrients. Best