Breeding Tips from Bacolod Champion Nestor Espinel

Nestor Espinel of Bacolod City is pretty much a hands-on game fowl breeder who doesn’t have a farm manager. He goes to his farm everyday not just to check here and there but to work…hard. He sometimes even personally transports the feeds to the farm, even though he could delegate it.

While he does have hired hands already, Nestor still keeps a rigid control over his farm. When derby season comes, he handles conditioning and the final preparations for the fight. He also installs the knives on his entries. After all, he is not the famed gaffer for nothing.

This successful breeder has worked hard for what he has that is why he is keeping a tight rein on what he has already achieved. He does not waste his resources, so he keeps the number of workers in his farm to a minimum. At his conditioning farm in Gardenville, Bacolod City, Nestor only has four men while the breeding area has three. During the breeding season, however, he just hires extra hands in order to keep up with the extra work, like special feeding and exercise. On easy months, these people are let go in order to save up on salaries and other expenses. Nestor does this so that his farm remains not only profitable but also sustainable.

In terms of game fowl nutrition, Nestor says that he takes advantage of the free advice given by veterinarians on retainers with feed and nutritional companies. He is very thankful that these companies give full support to local breeders like him through ambulatory clinics and veterinary advice. Nestor uses different brands of supplements and medications but is loyal to only one brand of feeds.

Nestor is also keen on keeping the farm clean so that disease can be prevented or at least easily controlled. He shares that one big concern now is that new strains of diseases are coming out. Sometimes, they would notice a symptom and then they would administer a medication immediately. As it turns out, the new infection is just simulating the symptoms of another but is not exactly the same. Only through a laboratory testing are these strains identified. Nestor shares that their fowls all have complete vaccination and they give antibiotics every month as prevention.

During breeding, Nestor uses an incubator for faster production and also to cut on costs. As an enterprise, using the incubator is economically viable, he explains. The chicks stay in the brooder for a week after which they are released in a cage on the ground. The cage still has lights on to keep them warm, especially at night. From three weeks onwards, the young birds are then ranged.

Since Nestor also handles the conditioning of his entries, he relies on his good sense in the selection of his birds. Primarily, he looks at the birds that are brave, high flying, and not aggressive. “They have to be smart fighters,” Nestor says. After selection, the chosen birds are then prepared for about a month with a special diet, beefed up supplementation, and exercise.

Nestor Espinel has certainly gone a long way from just feeding the chickens at his father’s backyard farm in Silay City when he was a young boy. He is now an established breeder in Negros who has made a name for himself through hard work, perseverance, and an effective breeding system. He has won awards for his breeding and has gained recognition among his peers. Now, the only way to go is higher.

Note: Buyers may reach Nestor Espinel in Bacolod City at Mobile No. 0917-4082021.