Where chickens are free to roam

A day in the life of a healthy free range chicken.
By Foong Pek Yee
The chickens need to eat, move and sleep well.
Three meals a day,  exercise and a good night’s sleep is a must .
Free range chicken (zou di ji in Chinese) farmer Ling Kok Seng also known as  Chicken King, says customers can tell the difference when chickens are well bred.
The Chicken King : Ling Kok Seng is synonymous with quality free range chickens in Manjung, Perak.
The chicken meal  comprises corn and  chopped vegetables mixed with chicken feed.
He fenced up two acres 0f his four-acre oil palm holding for his chickens to roam all day long.
The chickens are released to  the fenced up area in the morning.
They are rounded up to a secured section in the evening to protect them from predators like wild boars at night.
While a two months old chicken is ready for the market, Kok Seng says he keeps his chickens for another month.
According to him, a three  months old chicken is at its prime – in terms of meat texture.
“An extra month of exercise enhances the meat texture,” he shares.
Healthy : A good diet makes a difference
Kok Seng who learned chicken rearing while working for a relative says passion for the job and experience is important.
“I am happy when my customers are happy with their purchase,”  says Kok Seng from  Jering Village in Ayer Tawar.
His customers are mostly regulars  from Ayer Tawar and Sitiawan in Manjung, Perak.
Kok Seng will be in the market in Ayer Tawar and Sitiawan thrice a week to sell his chickens.
On market days, he will wake up 4.00am to make his way to the market early.
He says he enjoys market days – mingling with traders, friends and customers.
Kok Seng had taken up different jobs before he became a chicken farmer six years ago.
He was a construction worker in Singapore for four years  before he returned to his village for good in  2004.
Kok Seng, 40 and his wife Ting Ping Ping, 38,  have  a five-year-old son Ling Ke Yong.
While his zou di ji (free range chicken) business can be hectic, Kok Seng says it is not stressful and that he has time for his family and friends in between work.

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