Why you should buy naturally grown chicken

I  recently got an e-mail from Sandy Celi who happens to be a classmate of my sister-in-law Nenette in Maryknoll.  Sandy was inviting me or my staff to learn about the advantages of raising naturally grown chickens.  Since I’ve been swamped with e-mails regarding organically grown veggies and chickens, I have decided to ask Sandy to share with me what it truly means to raise and sell chicken the healthy way so that all of us can truly understand the value of buying something that benefits our bodies. 

Sandy’s Solraya’s Sunshine Chickens are free-ranged, grass-fed, naturally grown, pastured chickens.  They are raised with a lot of sunshine, fresh air, and water, and supplemented with unmedicated feeds and probiotics.  This is definitely a healthy option for a back-to-basics lifestyle.  Excerpts from my interview with Sandy:

What are the risks of buying chicken and eggs in the local market?

SANDY CELI: Not wanting to sound like a threat to the industrial chicken industry and the veterinary drug companies, I better just tackle the positive aspects of growing naturally grown chickens.  The risks are no secret though, the industrial chickens use antibiotics from day one and are fed growth hormones.  They are caged in real tight areas and harvested at about 28-32 days.

Why do you recommend people to buy naturally grown chicken and its eggs?  Is that the same as buying organic or free-range chicken?

Using the term “organic” can be very political for purists.  Very hard to say organic under the set standards of organizations.  In practical and commonsense terms, naturally grown is a better term.  Unless you grew your own corn and soya, you can’t say what the source was if bought from store that changed hands in trading.  I say we have chickens that are grass-fed, free ranged, naturally grown and supplemented with feeds without antibiotics or hormones. 

We recommend people to eat naturally grown chickens because they’re far healthier and tastier than the industrial chickens.

 What are the methods you use to grow and sell your chicken?  How do the eggs gathered from such chickens differ from those sold on the market?

 Our Sunshine chicks are caged in a brooder for the first 21days and fed chick booster with neither antibiotics nor hormones. They are also not given antibiotics in their drinking water.  Natural antibiotics from herbs are given to them.  On the 21st day, when they have complete feathers, don’t need artificial heat anymore, and are strong enough to fend for themselves against predators, they are set free on a ranging area.  There’s shelter over their heads, but they’re free to roam around as they please.  Feeds are still in their feeders, so they can choose to eat grass, insects, worms, etc., or nibble on their feeds at will.  Our Sunshine chickens are slow developers, for taste purposes.  Most growers slaughter at about 60 days.  For taste, it’s best to have the meat at about 90-120 days.

For the egg layers:  The Sunshine females are left to roam around, so you pick the eggs from the ground.  You will find eggs from our Sunshines to have deep orange-colored yolks and with no fishy smell or taste.  They have brown shells.  Most of our customers take our eggs raw.

 You said that naturally grown chicken need not be expensive.  Are your prices not so far from those of regularly priced chicken on the market?

We sell at P200 per kilo.  People may say that’s double the price of the industrial chickens, but take into consideration the area that the farmer needs (one square meter per bird to feed on the range, the time that he cared for his Sunshines, the health benefits for consumers, and the taste. Not yet counting the fact that the Sunshines, when cooked, do not shrink as they are lean and not bloated with growth promotants.  Considering those, they are fairly priced.

When I sad it need not be expensive, I was talking more about some traders of “organic” products that price them as if healthy can only be for the moneyed people.

Why do you grow your chickens naturally?  Do you have an association of people who raise naturally grown chickens that can also cater to others?

 I wanted to do something different, but still in the veterinary industry where we are really rooted.  Growing the chickens naturally interested me.

 It is not new, this was how we really had chickens before the industrial chickens were developed. 

We have growers nationwide, and we match them with inquiries from customers.  Matching depends on who is harvesting, what sizes are expected, and the volume required.

My growers have no association, but our marketing is geared towards our growers.

We maintain our quality through farm visits and keep in close touch with growers.  So through texts and e-mails, we are in touch, also through videos and farm visits.  You know problems as the questions are asked and weekly weights are texted to you. You get to monitor developments.

 As consumers, what should we look out for to make sure we get the real deal?

 The chickens will generally look lean and thin compared to the industrial chickens.  They don’t have the fishy smell or slimy feel when you handle them.  They don’t shrink when cooked.  But you can’t really tell beyond those.  Which is why trust and knowing the source are important.

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 E-mail author at: mommymaricel@gmail.com.