Monday, November 16, 2009

The Parable of the Chook-minder

Chicken harvest has started for a week now, and it will take another three sleepless weeks before we can totally empty the chicken sheds. This is the reason why The Chook-minder’s Quill hasn’t been scribbling anything for the past seven days.

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...but of course I didn't miss the bout between Pacquiao-Cotto. As a Filipino blogger, I obliged myself to subscribe the ‘pay-per-view’ of the said fight. So last Sunday, I sat in front of the telly for more than 4 hours as I waited with pessimism... but ended up happy and proud because I was able to witness how the People’s Champ engraved history in the boxing world!

*****

The movie 2012 is also the ‘talk of the blogosphere’ nowadays, so I watched it this evening. Huhmn, I commend the visual effects of the movie. That’s it, nothing more. But hey, I believe that the release of the movie was really planned to coincide with the Scripture readings last Sunday, and I think these are all related to what I have been doing lately—the chicken harvest.

With the company’s up-to-date knowledge in poultry genetics, health and nutrition; plus the husbandry skills of the poultry farm workers and the modern amenities of the chicken sheds, only 94-96% of the flock pass the standards of the harvest crew and the dressing plant. Part of the remaining 5% dies, and others are condemned along the growing cycle because they are sick, small or skinny. During the final night of the harvest, chicken catchers would set aside and leave all the substandard birds behind.

Then it’s the responsibility of the chook-minder. All the poor-performing or unproductive chickens are condemned- their head and neck joint is skilfully dislocated. The dead birds are then placed in a wheelbarrow, tipped in a tractor bucket parked outside the shed and finally dumped in a 6-foot deep mortality pit!


10 comments:

Chyng said...

Hello RJ! Musta jan? you're based in Australia, right? Mahirap kumuha ng tourist VISA?

So do you recommend watching 2012?

Kosa said...

well organized naman pa naman pala ang buhay ng chook-minder eh kaya ok na ok! atleast eh may time pa ring umupo at manood ng fight ni Pacman... manood ng 2012 at magblog..lols

ako kase magulo pa rin ang buhay.

pero ayus na ayus pa naman.

mapanood nga rin yung 2012 na yan!

Anonymous said...

How does it feel to be the one doing the 'harvesting'? Masakit sa kalooban ano? I can't imagine myself doing your work. No matter how I 'skillfully' dislocate a chicken's head (if ever I learn how to do it), hindi ko pa rin makakaya sa awa sa mga manok.

I can't imagine how hurtful it will be for Father God to do the same with his creations (segregate the sinners from the saints) during the coming of Jesus.

Mahirap nga ang trabaho mo, RJ, but put it this way. Someone needs to do it. Do it for God.

On 2012: Pangatlo ka na sa nabasa ko ngayon na nakapanood ng movie. And your verdicts are almost the same. Ako naman napanood ko yung 2012: Supernova. Akala ko nga un ung 2012. Hindi pala. In the end, I called the movie 2012: Superpangit. Don't ever dare watch it.

SuperGulaman said...

ummmm...2012...at dahil sa mga sinabi mo...aha, prang gusto ko syng panoorin... pero ayun nga kelan kaya...busy busy..walang time daw..pero hindi nmn nauubos ang time..ginamit ko lang sa mga bagay n hindi ko nmn masyadong gusto... haaysss...

2012...2012...2012...

...new moon...

naimarka ko na ang mga yan pra sa buwan ng nobyembre ko... ;D

A-Z-3-L said...

:(

kawawa naman ang mga "unproductive" chicken. pero ganon talaga...

is it normal scenario? o ngayon lang? may kinalaman ba ang weather sa health ng chicken nyo ngayon? o dahil lang yan sa updated standards (na mas malupet?)

hmmm... mapanood nga yang 2012.

AL Kapawn said...

mass killing pala ang nangyayari sa mga unproductive chicken..

sayang din yun.. pwede pang gawing adobo.. he he he

RJ said...

CHYNG
Hi! Hindi ko alam kung mahirap kumuha ng tourist visa, kasi hindi ko pa naranasang mag-invite ng kamag-anak o kaibigan dito. Pero kapag genuine documents naman ang ipi-present mo, at ma-defend mo ng maayos ang iyong sarili sa interview, mataas ang posibility na ma-grant din naman.

2012? Hindi ko iniri-recommend, Chyng.



KOSA
Anong naging suliranin, bro?

Yes, panoorin mo ang 2012, sana magustuhan mo.



ISLADENEBZ
Noon 'yon, pero ngayon sanay na, hindi na masakit para sa akin ang mag-condemn. Humane procedure naman po 'yon. At college days pa lang ay ginagawa na namin sa Anatomy at Pathology ang euthanasia.

2012? Huhmn, hindi ko nagustuhan. Yang Supernova hindi ko pa napanood.



SUPERGULAMAN
Inaabangan ko rin ang New Moon, kung hindi ako nagkakamali, sa November 19 na ipapalabas dito.



AZEL
Normal scenario 'yan Azel. Talagang may mga runts sa eksena ng food animal production.



ALKAPON
Hindi na namin pinapansin ang mga sakitin, bro. Kasi kung nais namin ang adobo, tinoila o litson, mga healthy birds ang kinakatay namin. U

Reena said...

i'm not interested in watching 2012. so maganda ba?

may season ba ng pag "harvest" ng chicken? kala ko everyday pwede. hehe

pareho tayop. medyo pessimistic ako sa laban ni pacman. pero buti nalng tlga nanalo kasi kinabahan tlga ako. hehe

Anonymous said...

Iba talaga ang galing ni Pacman. ( Yes! :D ) Re 2012, meron akong nakita kamakalawa:
http://space.about.com/od/frequentlyaskedquestions/a/Will-The-Earth-End-In-2012.htm
Movie pala yun (na-overlooked ko yung hypertext na “hollywood version”), dito ko lang sa post mo nalaman.

RJ said...

REENA
Huhmn, medyo hindi ko nagustuhan ang kabuuan ng 2012. Pero ang visual effects ayos naman. U

Yes, may season ang chicken harvest, lalo na kapag broilers. All in, all out kasi dapat (sabay ang dating ng sisiw, sabay din ang pagkawala) para maiwasan ang mga sakit. May break sa cycle ng mga harmful bugs. Uhmn... o",) 35-54 days ang harvest age ng mga manok namin.

Nanlamig nga rin ako sa first round. Hahah!



HOMEBODYHUBBY
Napahanga na nga talaga ako ni Pacquiao dahil sa sunud-sunod niyang pagkapanalo sa mga mahuhusay na boksingero ng mundo.

Yes, pelikula po 'yong 2012, panoorin niyo po. Palabas na rin po ngayong araw ang New Moon. Napanood niyo po ba 'yong Twilight?