PDL or persons deprived of liberty under the Minimum-Security Compound (MinSecCom) of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) now have a new reformation project, wherein they are tasked to manage broiler and layer chicken production.
The project, “Village-scale Chicken Meat and Egg production System Project” was introduced to the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) by the Livestock Research Division of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD).
The reformation project is a pre-release reformation program for the PDL that showcases profitability and sustainability of a village-scale meat and egg production system for the BuCor community. It ensures food availability while generating some income during and after this pandemic. It officially started in December 2020.
Last August 12, 2021, the first of three batches of 1,800 day-old chicks (DOCs) were delivered to BuCor. In just 5days from delivery, the chicks have tripled their weight from an average of 46 g. A month later, each of these DOCs attained an average weight of 1.2kg and sold as dressed chickens for P170/kg. From this first batch of DOCs, the project earned a gross income of P367,200. Considering that two more batches of DOCs will be delivered within the next 6 months, it is expected that P1.1M gross income can be generated from this broiler project, part of which can be used as capital to procure another 3 batches of DOCs to be raised as slaughter chickens.
Also delivered to BuCor in August were 384 ready-to-lay (RTL) pullets. They were received from PCAARRD by the Chief of the Administration and Reformation Unit to Deputy Superintendent for Administration and Reformation of NBP-MinSecCom CCINSP REYNOLD T PABLO JR and Acting Superintendent of MinSecCom to Acting Superintendent of NBP-MinSecCom CINSP MARK MELVIN D ROSERO, together with the PDLs.
These hens started laying eggs in the second week of September when they were 20-22 weeks of age. As of mid-October, 91% of these hens have started laying eggs and about 3,000 eggs have already been sold within the BuCor community. Within a year, each of these layers is expected to produce 310 pieces of eggs or about 119,000 eggs for the duration of the project. They have started selling the initial small-sized eggs at P100/tray. As the size improves, they can be sold at P6.00/pc to fetch as much as P714,000 within the project duration. Apart from the eggs, the 384 hens can be sold as culls at P80/hd to give an additional income of P30,720 after a year.
This project is one of three projects of the Livestock Research Division of DOST-PCAARRD under the Manok at Itlog sa Pamayanan, a program under the GALING PCAARRD Kontra COVID-19 Program, which is DOST-PCAARRD’s response to RA No. 11469, the Bayanihan Heal as One Act.