Thursday, July 17, 2008

Slow growths, small birds and transparency

A few weeks back, I have observed slow growth rates during the first to the 2nd week. Naturally, I had to look for likely causes of these symptoms. Upon evaluation I identified the following causes: 1. chick source 2. nutrition/feed 3. management. After more evaluation and data collection, I eliminated management partly because even those growers with good management have been affected. So there are only 2 likely suspects: DOC and feeds. Of course, if you point to these two as the likely causes, most probably they will point it back to you or to the other group. So, being a good and sensible poultryman, I only provided a solution to the only thing that I can control, and that is management. I felt that if I waited for confirmation of the problem from the breeding and the feed mill, all the birds with theses observed problems will have already been harvested (and that is what happended by the way!). Anyway, on my part, I advised my growers to do early selection and culling at the 1st week. I also prescribed to give a supplementation containing ATP and Sorbitol to help increase the feed intake during the 1st week in the hope of recovering the delayed days in growth. These management adjustments did very well in controlling the slow growth and the occurrence of small birds but still the runting cases have increased from 4% per month to about 10%! And they say that the feeds and DOC have no problems!
I think, that there was indeed a problem with the DOC, but not with the breeder itself but from the selection at hatchery level. Upon further investigation, it was found out that there are a lot of new hires at the hatchery during this time and this is most likely the true cause. Meanwhile, I also checked the feed content (protein and ME especially) and it showed that these two parameters are below standards.

In conclusion, the slow growth and small birds have been caused by two factors, 1) poor DOC selection at hatchery level and 2) low protein and caloric content. But with all the hiding and the cover ups, who will admit that they were to blame?

Talk about openness and transparency.......

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

The Return of the Jedi

Hi guys! I am back! Wait a minute, who am I saying hi to? Nobody ever reads my blog...hmmm.
Anyway, after a long absence from blog writing, I am finally back to blog some more. To tell you honestly, I did not feel like going back to blogging but I think the blog is the best outlet to put my challenges and frustrations in the field of poultry production an medicine and I get to share my experiences as well (as long as somebody reads it. Ah, well.)


Dachickenguy is in the house!!!!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Akhirnya! (Finally!)

Akhirnya keluarga saya datang malam ini! After waiting for four months, my family will finally be arriving in Indonesia. Being the only Filipino in Jawa Tengah (as far as I know), it's really hard not to feel lonely at times. I tried to find comfort in going to the mall (Plaza Ambarukkmo is the best mall, I think) but being in the mall regularly almost became routinary. Now that my family will be joining me, going to the mall will be different because I have my family to join me. It will no longer be a long drawn out stay at Dunkin Donuts, then skipping on to Carrefour to do my grocery. Now it will be a family affair. But I don't think we can stay at Dunkin anymore because a lot of people are smoking there and not very healthy for my wife and son.
Just to let you know how excited I am, I cleaned my house thoroughly which I rarely do, cleaned the banyo until it shone, and I washed my bed sheets just to have that clean and fresh feeling. I have not yet done my grocery, but will do it my wife, who by the way is a great cook. God I missed her cooking! Also, I get to play with my son again who learned to ride the bike by himself! Can you imagine the pain I felt when I was told that my son already knows how to ride a bike without his dad teaching him how. Kakainis! Well, those are the hasles of working in a foreign country. You miss out on spending a few occassions with your family like family gatherings. weddings, my son's graduation. Hay naku, buti na lang nandito na sila so I won't have to miss out on anything again.
Enough. Masyado na nagiging dramatic ang blog ko.
Just wanted to let everyone know how happy I am.
" Fathers should be neither seen nor heard. That is the only proper basis for family life."
- Oscar Wilde

Monday, April 14, 2008

Taga Elbi ka ba? The Return of the Comeback

Since I have nothing to put on my blog today, I decided to post another set of taga elbi ka ba quips. Here goes nothing!

21. Kilala mo sina Saniano Boy at Girl.
22. Alam mo kung nasaan ang "Johnson".
23. Alam mo ang kaibahan ng dalawang Flatrocks.
24. Kaya mong pumasok ng hindi naliligo.
25. Alam mong si Carasus at Pegabao ay iisa.
26. Alam mong ok lang na pumunta sa Maahas.
27. Tumatambay ka sa APEC para mag inom.
28. Alam mo kung nasaan ang Fertility Tree, Kwek KwekTower, at angTemplo ni Bruce Lee.
29. Tuloy ang klase kahit signal number 3 na.
30. Alam mo kung saan ang pilahan ng jeep papuntangIRRI, Forestry, okaya ay Jamboree...
31. Hindi ka kumakain ng buko pie.
32. Alam mo na bago pa man nauso ang unli rice saTokyo Tokyo,marketing strategy na ito ng Salad Country.
33. Hinahanap-hanap mo ang chocolate cake sa Mer-Nel's.
34. Alam mong bawal tumawid sa UPLB Gate(main), mulaGuard Housepapuntang harap ng Carabao Park...
35. Alam mong may oras lang na pwede kumain sa IRRIpag di ka IRRIemployee.

Alam mo na ba kung taga ELBI ka?

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Mortality: An Indicator of Performance

Mortality has always been an indicator of performance. It is quite obvious that with a very high mortality, all factors, like FCR, BW and age, are affected. It is therefore very important to keep mortalities low so that performance will be higher. Below are my observations and recommendations on how to keep mortalities low and controlled.
1. CLEAN UP!
Proper cleaning is often a neglected part of the operation. THis happens because our growers often times want to increase their profit per year by loading their farms as fast and as often as possible. Cleaning if not done properly can adversely affect your performance because a lot of bacteria and viruses can live upto 3 months in a poorly cleaned environment. Also, a lot of disinfectants are inactivated in the presence of organic matter. In short, your disinfectant will not work! So clean up!
2. BROODING
I may sound like a broken record, but I still believe that good brooding will effectively prevent your birds from dying. Why? Because during this period, DOCs are not that strong enough to protect themselves from outside infection. Also, a lot of the bird's physiological function is developed during brooding, like the immune system and the digestive system. If not properly given the right temperature, sufficient ventilation and proper feed and water care, your birds will have a weaker immune defense and poor digestive/absorbing function during the 3rd and 4th week. That is why poorly brooded birds are more susceptible to respiratory diseases and almost always break down during stressful conditions, like after giving your ND vaccination at the 3rd week. As they say, your chicks are are your future!
3. ANTIBIOTIC TIMING
It has always been a practice among poultry farms to give antibiotics as a prevention during the 2nd or 3rd week. The problem is, we might be giving antibiotics during a time when the birds do not really need it! That is why most of the times we experience respiratory breakouts even after giving preventive antibiotics. Also, giving antibiotics regularly can cause resistance which is currently experienced here. To ensure that the giving of antibiotics is needed and timed properly, it is recommended to do necropsy to evaluate the condition of the birds. Doing necropsy can tell you a lot of what is happening inside the birds. Remember, that using antibiotics will cost you, and it will cost you a lot if not done and timed properly.
4. SELECTION
Proper selction of small and weak chicks can and should be done as early as the first week. We have to separate these challenged birds from the stronger ones because these are often times the first ones to gwet infected with disease. Also with proper selection, we significantly lower the probability of disease spread. Proper selection also goes hand in hand with culling. Culling of small birds or runts during the early stages is a good management practice, because we are already eliminating and reducing the risk of an infection coming into the farm. Early culling of runts also ensures that we have a better conversion efficiency because these birds though small can eat the same amount of food as a normal bird. So, select then cull is an important key.
5. MONITORING
If the above mentioned factors are done properly but poorly monitored, then we will still have problems with our mortality. Being able to monitor closely the farm will better prepare us for any eventual disease that we mioght experience. With proper monitoring, we can easily anticipate and properly prevent mortalities from happening iunexpectedly.
With the five factors mentioned above, it is safe to say that we will be able to control any mortalities that can happen in the future. Preparing our buildings, taking good care of our DOCs, knowing when to give antibiotics and montiroing these things will ensure that our birds will be protected and be strong enough to fend off any problems in the future.
Remember, your birds depend on you to survive and you depend on your birds to live!

Saturday, April 5, 2008

The Jakarta Project


Have you ever been to Jakarta? The first time I have been in this city is when I arrived in Indonesia. I was awed and impressed by this city because it is very modern and have a lot of places for shopping. If you want gimmick then Jakarta is the place for you. It is like Makati and Ortigas rolled into one. Shopping malls, retaurants, bars, discos, you name it, it's here. I stayed there for about three weeks and then I learned the bad side of Jakarta. The traffic is terrible! It is even worse here than in Manila! Trafic starts at around 630 am and lasts for the whole day! Its even worse during weekends.

Why is traffic so bad? Well, because there are a lot of vehicles and the roads are so narrow. And its home to 10 million people, meaning there are a million motorcycles on the road. They're like ants that just pop up anywhere. They're behind you, in front of you, by your side, everywhere! Good thing I don't drive here. If I did, it will be a lot of stress. And according to something I read, Jakartans don't lioke to take public transport and vehicle owners are growing by 10% a year! No wonder car companies used Jakarta as a test market.The good thing about it is, the drivers here are very patient and have tremendous self control. If a pinoy driver is in the same situation, there will have been some blood spilled because its crazy out there on the road. A regular 30 minute ride will be turned into a 2 hour nightmare because of the traffic. God, I miss color coding!


Tulad ng sabi nila, kung ayaw mo matrapik, umalis ka ng maaga!


But for shopping, Jakarta is the place to go. To live and work there is another question.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Heroes


Finally, the season finale of Heroes season 2 will be aired this wednesday 8pm WIB. It's a cool series because it shows that people with superpowers may use their powers for good or for evil. The plot is always changing and you never can tell what will happen next. My fave character their is the Japanese guy named Hiro who has the power to teleport himself to anyplace and anytime in the world. One episode in Season 1 showed him teleporting himself to the girls bathroom! How cool is that!


Anyway, this show is a lot like the workplace. There are people who have power and there are people who wants to have power. People in power may use their abilities for good or evil. Reminds me of my past bosses. One of my past bosses uses his power to scare you into doing your job very well. Scared the hell out of me but come to think of it, I did perform well because of his tactics. Although he used his power to scare his people, his ultimate goal was to elevate your performance. And he was also very protective of his people. Nobody can scream at his people except for him. Another one of my bosses also uses his power but in a different way. He uses his power to make other people agree with him even if everyone knows that he is wrong. He makes his subordinates realize that no matter what you do, the boss is always right. The boss is always the best. The boss also signs your paycheck and determines your salary raise!


People in the workplace who wants to have power usually are very friendly with people who are in power. In the local Pinoy dialect, it is called "sipsip". COme to think of it, the word is dead center in describing these people. Since they want to be in power also, by "sip-siping" to the boss, they in turn may have sucked some power from the boss. Oh, to be favored by the gods!

Case in point, I have a colleauge before who always says yes to the boss even if he knows that the boss is mistaken. And when the boss turns around, that's the time he unleashes a series of vile vituperations against that person. But because he is such a good dog, I mean boy, he is always on the good side of the person in power. Talk about lap dogs!

Back to Heroes. If you have the need to imagine yourself having super powers and saving the day, without having to suck up to any one in power, then this show is for you.Catch it Wednesday nights at AXN at your local time.


" With great power, comes great responsibility!"

- Uncle Ben to Peter Parker, from the movie "Spiderman"

***picture of "Heroes" above taken from kateblake_200 at flickr.com



Saturday, March 22, 2008

Taga ELBI ka ba? Part 2

Here are some more reminiscing about UPLB:

11. Taga-elbi ka kung pagkatapos mong magbakasakalikay Mang Pogs,diretso ka na kay Mr. Midnight
12. Bumibili ka ng blue book sa Coop.
13. Alam mong hindi pwedeng ibato ang Batong Malaki.
14. Nung pinanood mo ang movie ni aga at regine nashot at elbi (samay gaygay gowns) at nagtawag ng taxi si regine enagtawanan kayo ngmga taga-LB at clueless ang iba.
15. Alam mo kung nasaan ang White House.
16. May tanline ka ng tsinelas.
17. Alam mong mas masarap ang pancit canton na niluto sa 'heater cup'
18. Sanay ka maglakad.
19. Thursday night ang gimik night mo.
20. Alam mo na ang pinakamalaking banyo ay ang Ellen'sFried Chicken,at Sizzler's ang tinitingalang kainan.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Chicken Coops: Where to Stay

My work in Indonesia has brought me to several places where I require to spend the night. There are good ones and then there are bad ones. I like to call these places chicken coops because they provide you with a place to stay and relax. Below is a list of "coops" that I have stayed in and have considered it my second home:

1. SURABAYA: HOTEL SOMERSET: Hotel Somerset is a good place to stay whenever you find yourself in Surabaya. Its clean and the rooms are spacious. The hotel personnel are friendly and courteous and they speak a little English. The front office personnel understand and speak good English, making the hotel very tourist friendly. Free breakfast is included in your rate and the food is average. There's a bar at the lobby with nightly singers and 2 billiard tables if you want tot unwind. Rate for a de luxe room is about IDR 470,000.00 nett/night. I will advise you to let a travel agency book for you because they get discounts (around 390,000 IDR). The only problem is that the Hotel is too far from the center of the city. (If you want to go to a mall and to Starbucks, taxi fare will be around IDR 20,000 to 25,000 one way)

2. PURWOKERTO: HOTEL WISATA: Hotel Wisata is a good enough place to stay if you just want to sleep and rest. The staff are friendly and accommodating, they serve breakfast for only 15,000 rupiahs. Rates are really cheap ranging from 126,000 rupiahs to 400,000 rupiahs. Rooms are clean and spacious and the towels are replaced everyday.

3. JOGYAKARTA: HOTEL MELIA: This hotel is very near Malioboro and is easily accessible. The hotel is really nice and they have a restaurant and several function rooms. The food is good but if your on a tight budget, better scoot down to Mall Malioboro, which is quite near the hotel. If you fancy to buy some souvenirs, walk down Malioboro Lane where you can buy cheap Jogya t shirts and not so cheap batik wear. Malioboro is like Quiapo without the smell and the snatchers. Rate for this hotel is about 600,000 rupiahs up. I am not really sure because I haven't stayed there yet.

More chicken coops next time......

Bridging the (Technical) Gap

Learning Bahasa Indonesia is very important when dealing with poultry owners and their staff. Why? Because if you don't speak the language, its probably 100% sure that you won't get things done the way you want it to. So to help you in expressing yourself to these people, here are some words I found useful to use whenever I am giving instructions in the farm:

1. tirai/layar - curtains
2. jantung - heart
3. hati- hati - liver
4. paru-paru - lungs
5. kapalan - foot pad erosions
6. pelebaran - expansion
7. pamanas - heater
8. suhu - temperature
9. nyaman - comfortable
10. program pengobatan - medication program
11. gumboro - known to us as "IBD"
12. ngorok - rales
13. cekrek - snicking

These are just some words I find useful in the farm. More technical terms as soon as I learn them.

Chicken Politics: The Pecking Order

Most of the time, I always steer clear of office politics. I just cannot stand the constant bickering and the gossiping of who did what to who and other whodunnits. I think it is counter productive. But, I have learned that if you want to stay alive and strong in a company, you have to play the game. Establishing your rank in the pecking order is almost as important as to performing your job well. You have to know whose "vent" you have to kiss to ensure your livability in the "coop". Of course, there is always the head "rooster", the "top dog" so to speak, who knows somebody who knows somebody way up in the order. The "rooster" is like god in the coop. He gets his way even if every thinks he is wrong. He gives blessings and punishments to those worthy of his grace. Sometimes, the head rooster will have a challenger. Most often, this challenger is a newcomer in the coop and has not yet established his rank in the pecking order. The head rooster, of course have several "alipores", who will report to him the activities of the challenger. If the challenger is a threat, then the head rooster and his minions will find ways to destroy the challenger in any means possible. If not considered a threat, then the challenger will be left alone, albeit be encourage to join the head rooster's gang.

Office politics is very like the nature of chickens. For chickens to survive, they have to learn where they are in the pecking order. We usually segregate the small birds from the big birds because the small birds will definitely have a harder time to grow in a pen that is dominated by bigger and stronger birds. Is this also the way office politics should be? Separating the weak from the strong to ensure their long term survival?

Frankly, I do not know how to answer this question. It is just a good thing that sometimes my vent gets kissed, and other times, I have to kiss someone's vent. No problem with me as long as that vent doesn't stink!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Duck Tales



Duck meat, locally known as "bebek", is an Indonesian delicacy that is famous in some parts of this country. Usually cooked as "sate bebek" or "sop bebek", it catches the tastiness and rather unique flavor of duck. In the Philippines, we have our own version of this delicacy known as "itik", which is usually cooked as "kinulob". "Kinulob na itik" is a meal that made my hometown of Los Banos famous.




My sojourn in Indonesia has introduced me to this "bebek" delicacy. I find that "sate bebek" is really good especially if the sauce is tasty enough. The "sop bebek" which I have tried in Serang in West Java, is not really my thing. This dish was served to me in Jawa Barat and I noticed that the duck meat still has some feathers clinging to it. Must be part of the chef's secret recipe. But over all I found the taste of the "sop" very satisfying. If it were not for the feathers, I would have definitely enjoyed it more.




Whether it's sate or sop or kulob, duck meat is definitely a must try for any food aficionado.

A Good Start


I have always told my " mitras" that brooding is probably the most important part of making your broiler operations a success. Here are some of my thoughts:


1. Day old chicks (DOCs), if not given proper brooding care during the first week, will most likely have a respiratory problem after the 2nd ND vaccination.

2. If chicks get cold during the first week, it's pretty sure that you will have a lot of small birds after the 2nd week.

3. Poor heater management will result in malabsorption syndrome. This will make your chicks unable to absorb properly the nutrients from the feed, causing "helicopter wings"

4. Ventilation should always be considered as an important part in the development of the chick. Chicks need fresh air too.

5. The immune system's development starts at the first week. If brooding management is not good, then the immune system will not develop properly eventually failing even with little stress.

6. Litter material, if kept dry, will definitely help bird growth.

7. Temperature should not always be the criteria for evaluating "bird comfort".

8. Bird reaction and condition should always be the first step in evaluating brooding management.

9. If the first week body weight is lower than standard, then growth rate is already compromised.

10. Culling small birds during the first week is a good management practice. Why? Because the small birds are usually the first ones to get sick and will always eat a lot of feeds adding points to your FCR.



These are just a few generalizations that I have made during my years as a poultry specialist. But everybody should realize that without a good start, there is no good finish. So let us give our DOCs the best start by providing the best brooding management.

Taga ELBI ka ba?

Just received an email from a friend of mine in the Philippines. Being a graduate of UPLB, I enjoyed and immediately connected to his email which I have posted below. So to other fellow Peyoopsians or Elbiers, whatever we call ourselves, enjoy the post and reminisce about the good old Elbi days.

Taga-UPLB ka kung...
1. Kilala mo si Mang Pogs.
2. Nalilito ka kung saan nakalagay ang banga niMariang Banga.
3. Tubig na lang ang tingin mo sa gin.
4. Ginamit mong reviewer ang mga old exams para sa mgamidterms, prefiat finals sa math, stat, chem, physics, eco etc.
5. Hindi ka sumasagot ng UP (yupeee) kapag tinanong kakung saan kagraduate.hahaha! sagot mo elbi.
6. Taga-elbi ka kapag kilala mo yung professor nanagbi-bike ngnaka-barong na kupas. (Si climax! kalahating alberteinstein,kalhating mang pandoy)
7. Ok lang pumasok sa mga klase kahit naka pambahay/pantulog attireka.
8. Pag nagtanong si manong driver ng "may animal badyan?", at maysumagot ng "meron po" ay di ka natawa.
9. Pag nagtanong uli si manong driver ng "may mens badyan?", at maysumagot uli ng "meron po" ay di ka natawa.
10. Di ka nahihiyang magbitbit ng malaking payong.

Are you from UPLB?
More next time.......

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Bridging the Gap

Ever since I came to work in Indonesia, I have been trying my darndest to learn to speak and write in Bahasa Indonesia. It took me about a month to be able to speak at least a smattering of Bahasa Indonesia to get me thru my day. Using my handy Inggris-Bahasa-Inggris kamus (that's dictionary to you), I used to write down at least 10 words that I don't understand, look up their meaning, and using these 10 words the following day in my conversation. Two months of studying the language, I find myself still groping for words to express my self. The hardest part for me was how to construct the sentences. Bahasa Indonesia has no tenses and usually the structure is the reverse in English. A lot of words are almost the same as in Tagalog so it wouldn't seem to hard to at least be able to communicate, although in "barok" style. So for you trying to learn Bahasa Indonesia, below are my 10 words for the day:

1. pagi -morning ("selamat pagi" means good morning)
2. siang -afternoon
3. malam- evening
4. apa kabar? - how are you?
5. terima kasih - thank you
6. sama- sama - welcome (could also mean together)
7. berapa - how many?
8. harga -price
9. harganya berapa - how much?
10. mahal/mura - expensive/cheap


Hope this will get you started in learning Bahasa Indonesia.

Sukses!

Monday, January 21, 2008

Buddha be Praised!



Borobudur, located in Magelang, Central Java, is a ninth century Mahayana Buddhist temple built around 800AD. Composed of around 6 levels, each level has a story to tell about Buddha and his teachings. At the top of the temple, there are several cone shaped structures, wherein you can find a life sized stone scuplture of Buddha. It is said that if you touch this idol and make a wish, then your wish will come true. At the top of the temple, you can see from miles around and you can just sit in a corner and contemplate on life.


After visiting the temple, you might want to look at the souvenir shops outside the main gates. Within these stalls you will find a variety of souvenirs to choose from. There are silver replicas of Borobudur, t shirts, pens, paintings, weird masks, etc. And if you fail to visit these stalls, there are a lot of hawkers that will flock to you, making you "kulit" until you buy from them. Buti na lang, I look like an Indonesian so they did not flock to me like they did with the Caucasians. The hassles of being white!


Borobudur is definitely a place to visit and should be in your itinerary when you are in Indonesia. Buddha bless you!


Info: Entrance fee is Rp9,000 per person. If you have a camera, you have to pay additional Rp 1,000 and Rp 2,000 for a videocam. Oh, and in case they ask you where you're from, just tell them that you're from Jakarta or something. They have a different charge for orang asing (foreigners) and I'm sure its more expensive than the rates I have mentioned. You can also get a tour guide for around Rp 50,000. But make sure your guide's English is really good.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Soto Sapi: Food for kings



Yesterday, while travelling in the heart of Jogyakarta, we stopped by this eatery of Pak Marto. Situated near the palace of the king of Jogya, this small eatery is always full. People regularly stop by Pak Marto to taste his famous Soto Sapi. This dish is like our Pinoy Nilaga, made also with beef and some vegetables. You can eat it on its own or you can also eat it with rice (which I did because I am Pinoy). Soto Sapi comes with a plate of babat goreng, a dish of fried cow innards particularly the rumen. Locals say that a long time ago, Soto Sapi is the food of choice of kings in Jogya. Pak Marto's dishes are really good and not that expensive. The place is clean and orderly, but they only serve Tehbotol, a locally manufactured tea beverage. So, if you're in a royal mood, visit Pak Marto's in Jogya and feel like a king with their Soto Sapi!

Monday, January 14, 2008

To Spray or Not to Spray



New Castle's Disease or ND, is a viral disease that results in high mortality and is very infectious. Today, most farms have 1 or 2 ND vaccinations for their broiler program. But inspite of this preventive measures, there still sporadic outbreaks and this usually happens during the rainy season. So if there is an outbreak, it will probably best to revaccinate the whole flock with a more potent ND live vaccine (such as La Sota) but it is recommended that the vaccine be applied thru spray vaccination. Although not widely used in Indonesia, spray vaccination is usually the method of choice because; 1) the vaccine enters the nasal passages thereby ensuring faster delivery; 2) it can be done quickly ( you need just 15 minutes to spray a 5,000 population farm), and 3) it is very easy to do.


So in cases when there is an outbreak of ND in your farms, then the best way to control the mortality and the spread of the disease is thru spray vaccination.

The Big Fish




Last week I went to Pati, Demak and Jepara as part of my regular farm visits. We had lunch in Pati in this by the corner turo turo and we ate this really weird looking fish. The locals call this food "manyung". I think they cook it in coconut milk and they add ingedients that I don't know about. The taste is, well, let's just say that its a local taste. I tried a piece of it but found that I am not really "sanay" with the taste. Look at the photo and judge or yourself. A lot of the locals patronize this place because of the "manyung" and probably this out of the way eatery is "terkenal di sana".

Monday, January 7, 2008

Holidays

Spent last chritmas in the Philippines. Xmas in the Philippines never changes. You might think that not so many people will go out shopping because of lack of money, but its not the case. Everywhere you go its traffic. Long lines at the cashier, long lines at the parking area, everywhere. But at least I get to buy some gifts and spend some quality time with my wife and kid.

Good to be home.

Why Create A Blog


Most people I know have their own blogs and I was wondering what the buzz was all about. So being a Pinoy Dr. Hewan (veterinarian) in Indonesia, I thought I should also start my own blog. Not for anyones benefit but just to pass the time and record my experiences here in this country. Hopefully in the future, other Dr. Hewans (DrH) can look into my logs and pick some information that they might need in their field especially if its in poultry. Also, I welcome other DrHs to post also their experiences in the field of veterinary medicine in Indonesia.


I hope to record all my adventures not only in the field of veterinary medicine but also my adventures in Indonesia's culture, people and places that I will be able to visit while I am staying in this beautiful country.


Selamat datang!