As technology improves by leaps and bounds, so do the worsening of health hazards with the emergence of new strains of bacteria that mutate into complex ailments. The result is a renewed interest for wellness in today’s health-conscious generation.
Suddenly, there is this desire to go back to the basics and a surging demand for “natural” products, from ordinary food to health drinks and vitamins.
In response to this call from consumers, AOG Enterprises took up the challenge of coming up with a healthy chicken – AOG Chicken.
AOG Chicken is the first dressed chicken in Region 8 that comes from organically raised fowls. This means that the chicken that goes to your table is free from chemicals. The result is a healthier chicken with tastier meat without the harmful effects of electrolytes.
The secret is in the naturally farmed process in raising the chickens. AOG Marketing Manager Junjun Sia explains that contract growers are forced to apply chemicals to their chickens to meet market demand. These chemicals are antibiotics, vaccines, synthetic vitamins, growth hormones and steroids.
While these chemicals contribute to the rapid growth of chickens, clinical studies have proven that these also have side effects to the consuming public in the form of ovarian disease, deformity of babies in the womb and even hormonal imbalance among the males, to name a few.
Veering away from the conventional system is a huge risk for AOG considering the chemicals contributed in keeping the chickens healthy and immune to diseases. But its experiment proved it can still keep up with the demand through natural farming through strict housekeeping.
In place of the chemicals, Sia said they concocted their own organic solution which they learned from seminars of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and Visayas State University. The special mix consists of rice, milk, garlic and ginger to boost the chicken’s immune system.
The result is the same quality and quantity of chickens harvested at 30,000 heads per week. The mortality rate is the same even without the expensive chemicals and the chickens still attained the ideal weight 1.4 kilos within 30 days. One will distinguish a naturally-raised chicken when eating lechon manok through its non-greasy oil.
The natural farming process isn’t new, Sia admits, as there are small poultry farms in Leyte applying the system. But AOG is the first large-scale, commercial breeder hereabouts that went natural. But what is the consumer’s assurance that AOG’s claim is for real?
AOG Poultry Supt. Epifanio Escarte said it is actually to their advantage to go natural as it saves the company from buying commercial feeding supplements. He also welcomes consumers to their farm to observe their process including how he prepares his concoction of organic solution in his kitchen cum “laboratory.”
Doing away with chemicals has its trade off like susceptibility to diseases as mentioned earlier. But AOG made up for this through good housekeeping to keep the chickens healthy. AOG introduced the tunnel ventilation system in Ormoc and was the first to apply it in its poultry farms in 2006.
The vent system controls the climate inside the structure at a comfortable level so that the chickens are relaxed. The enclosed structure also prevents flies from entering and protects the environment outside from foul smell. But there is no bad smell inside either because the cool climate dries up the chicken dung fast.
Moreover, the huge spinning blades suck out everything in the air within one minute to prevent ammonia accumulation. AOG also enforces strict bio-security measures in its poultry farms and dressing plant like installing a tire wash at the entrance gates and keeping stray animals out.
Once harvested, the chickens are taken to the Dressing Plant which is known for its strict quality control, having been awarded every year as the cleanest in Region 8 by the National Meat Inspection Commission. As a AA standard facility, chickens that go through this plant are safe enough to be sold nationwide.
AOG invested on state-of-the-art equipment which allows it to increase its production rate of 1,440 heads per hour four years ago to 2,500 per hour today.
Even without introducing their new product, AOG Chicken has already secured a comfortable market share in Ormoc. But chicken being a poor man’s meat (fish costs even more occasionally), Sia said they felt a responsibility to offer their consumers a healthy product.
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