Yohsou Farm Introduction
Walking into the countryside path of Lufeng Village in Zhudong Township, Hsinchu County, you will see the large sign of "Youzhu Farm" written on the exterior wall of the house. The first thing that catches your eye upon entering the farm is a series of towering silos storing soybean feed. As you get closer, you will find five chicken coops scattered around, some being the places where the chicks grow, and others for the egg-laying hens. At the same time, numerous chickens are running in the open space beside the coops, each one being the treasured darling of the farm's second-generation owner, Luo Youzhu. At under 30 years old, Luo Youzhu is a Hakka native of Hsinchu County, having watched his father, Luo Shilong, raise chickens since he was young and developed a deep affection for them. After serving in the military, Luo briefly worked in sales for a year, but the pressure of the job led him to decide to return home to help out with his father's chicken farming, beginning his life raising chickens. Friendly Raising and Happy Egg-Laying Initially, the Luo family raised native chickens, but one day, a sales representative for eggs visited and mentioned that the market for eggs was promising, along with some idle chicken coops at home, sparking Luo Youzhu's ambition to raise egg-laying hens. "A family that raises chickens wants to try raising all kinds of chickens," Luo Youzhu joked. Thus, the father and son ventured into the field of egg production, evolving from unfamiliarity to gaining experience, and now Youzhu Farm exclusively raises egg-laying hens, becoming the "happy farm" for the whole family. What makes Youzhu Farm special is its pasture-raised method for egg-laying hens, which is typically reserved for broilers. "Why should egg-laying hens be confined to cages day and night to produce eggs? That just doesn’t sit well with me," said Luo, who had always considered chickens as companions since childhood. He believes that treating chickens kindly will lead to good eggs, and although the free-range approach may not appear economically viable, Luo insists on the principle of "taking from the right sources" and treating the chickens humanely. Youzhu Farm's egg collection system is designed to automatically gather eggs without them touching the ground, reducing contamination without a water wash. But how do you get these chickens, who are used to running around, to lay eggs in their designated nesting boxes? It turns out that when egg-laying hens are preparing to produce, they tend to squat still, which is when they are picked up and placed in the nesting boxes to get used to laying eggs there. With thousands of chickens, this training period can last one to two months, requiring constant repetition of this action from dawn to dusk, highlighting the effort involved. Custom-Mixed Healthy Feed To ensure the chickens are not only happy but also eat non-toxic and healthy food, inside Youzhu Farm's feed mixing warehouse, various raw materials are piled high. Workers weigh each ingredient on a scale and mix them accordingly before sending it to the coops for the chickens to enjoy. Starting from his father Luo Shilong's experiments with feed formulations, Luo Youzhu has continued adjustments after taking over, changing the formula over thirty times, researching how different ingredients affect eggshell thickness and yolk color. "It's like how people pair dishes with rice, rice being the main staple." The feed used at Youzhu Farm is primarily grains, supplemented with trace elements, seaweed, and probiotics, requiring careful proportioning for each batch of feed. Luo Youzhu believes that, like a mother cooking at home, while it can be tough, the choice of ingredients and their sources are always clear. With no added chemical synthetic ingredients and a dedicated approach to feed, Youzhu Farm's eggs are all-natural and non-toxic, earning customer approval amidst rising food safety concerns. Steady Progress in Marketing However, the challenges of marketing arose as they transitioned from raising native chickens to egg-laying hens, losing their original customers in the process. Young Luo Youzhu found that many store owners he approached thought he was just playing around and doubted how long he could sustain his efforts. By chance, he encountered the "Taiwan Animal Society," an organization that emphasizes humane treatment of farm animals. Through their introduction, many organic stores came to learn about Youzhu Farm's non-toxic eggs, helping to resolve some of their marketing issues. Additionally, Luo Youzhu took to the frontlines, participating in many small farmer markets to communicate directly with consumers. "I often tell consumers that while an egg costing over ten NT dollars may seem expensive, it carries a lot of unseen value." Gradually, he opened up the market, and now you can find Youzhu Farm’s eggs at direct sales stations for young farmers in Hsinchu County, organic stores, and more. "When times are tough, I think back to the reasons I insisted on this path: it all comes down to the joy I felt when I found the first egg, doesn't it?" In each egg, Luo Youzhu finds his purpose, sharing this simple joy with more people.
