If you are a farmer, would you keep chickens in your garden even if you know that the birds can renovate cultivated beds and wreak havoc among your newly planted or growing vegetables?
It comes with special challenges, says Ms. Faith Pec-ao, an officer at the Provincial Veterinary Office (PVO). Still, she and her companions have been promoting both the raising of chickens and the pursuit of survival gardening in the villages of this hinterland province.
The growing of livestock in backyard is part of the tradition of local villagers here. Chickens are used in the observance of many rituals.
In the on-going implementation of the survival garden and chicken program, in support of the Plant, Plant, Plant Program of the DA, the local folks have been asking for free-range chicken, reported Ms. Pec-ao.
It is fortunate for us, because the chicken breed is fast growing and produce more meat and eggs, she said.
More important, they are available, she added.
She explained that free-range chickens “are easy to care for by all members of the family, are fitted for backyard raising, and there is no need for an expensive housing.”
Many villagers are familiar with growing chickens on their backyards and gardens. The sight of flocks of chicken tugging alongside their owners towards the backyard gardens, eating worms, insects and slugs, plucking weeds, and digging holes is quite familiar.
Where necessary, people have always found ways to maintain harmony between livestock, such as chickens, and the backyard garden of table greens by fencing it with wires, plastic or polyester nets, or plain stick.
To respond to the growing need of Mountain Province folks to grow free-range chickens, especially during these times where everybody is being called upon to help ensure food security, the Department of Agriculture-CAR, Agricultural Training Institute-CAR, and the Provincial Government Unit through the PVO enhanced the distribution of the said livestock to the farmers.
According to Ms. Pec-ao, some 2,200 beneficiaries availed of a total of 44,000 day-old chicks provided by the PLGU (20,000) and DA-CAR (24,000), and 407 sacks of chick booster feeds from the latter.
The distribution of the livestock to the beneficiaries was done through the PLGUs “Free Range Chicken Raising Project” that provided beneficiaries with 20 heads of day-old chicks and 15 kilos of chick booster feeds.
The other mode of distribution was through the Farmer Poultry School funded by ATI-CAR and DA-CAR where each beneficiary was given 10 heads of hens and 2 heads of rooster with 20 kilos of layer feeds.
The survival garden and free-range chicken program in Mountain Province is being implemented by the PVO in partnership with the municipal livestock coordinators.
“The program,” according to Ms. Pec-ao, “is a great help to our farmers as a source of eggs, meat and even income especially during the period of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).”
In view of the popular demand and growing need of more villagers in Mountain Province to grow vegetables, and chickens for meat and eggs, as an additional source of food during these difficult times, the PVO is seeking the DA’s assistance for more seeds and day-old chicks to be dispersed to its constituents. **Robert Domoguen-DA CAR
