Ten years ago, I started a genetic experiment to improve the slow-growing and poor egg-producing “native” chicken.
No offence intended for my friends who are into the broiler chicken business but I have really never liked broiler chicken meat because it is dry with short muscle strands and the meat is clumpy.
This was the reason why, using the indigenous chicken breed in Mindanao called “Parawakan,” I developed my own “native” called Manok Pinoy.
I had the Manok Pinoy name registered with the Intellectual Property Office several years ago.
This morning, after being away from the farm for a week, I picked four 65-days-old Manok Pinoy cockerels from the free range to try a new China-made Rotisserie oven which I bought recently.
The farm boys used to roast our Manok Pinoy using charcoal in open fire and sometimes the skin would get burned.
The cockerels we roasted today were about 800 to 900 grams each and since Day 31 were fed 50% commercial grower feeds and 50% hammered yellow corn.
They also had access to greens with a lot of sunlight in the range.
The dressed Manok Pinoy were stuffed with “tanglad” and onion then lightly rubbed with salt.
After 40 minutes in the oven set at 150 degrees for 15 minutes, 200 degrees for another 15 minutes and 250 degrees for 10 minutes, I and my cousin, Neri Sodusta, who acts as my farm manager, and friend, Rolly Ramos, feasted on the roasted Manok Pinoy for breakfast.
What I tasted was the most succulent “Litson Manok’ I have ever had in my whole life and this is no exaggeration.
The meat was tender but firm and the muscle strands long, typical of the meat of free-range chicken which had access to the green grass under a lot of sunlight.
Today, I felt fulfilled as a farmer having accomplished what I dreamed of 10 years ago – a new strain of Philippine backyard chicken which would gain weight faster and lay more eggs than the mongrel chicken most of our farmers raise in the farms up until today.
Most of all, I realized my objective of retaining the meat quality, characteristic of the “native” chicken – firm with long muscle strands.
With all these accomplished, I will now prepare to seek accreditation of Manok Pinoy as a distinct and modern Philippine free-range chicken breed.
Since we do not have a body which sets standards for Philippine chicken breed, I will work with both the University of Southern Mindanao and Central Mindanao University Animal Science and Veterinary Colleges for breed validation.
My ultimate dream is to see this breed raised by farming families in the countryside so that their children will have brown eggs daily and grass-and-grains fed free range chicken.
This is my pride and joy as a farmer and my humble contribution to Philippine Agriculture and rural economic development.
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