Native Chicken Production in the

Philippines

Native chicken production has long been a way for Filipinos to supplement their
income from other sources in the Philippines.

Native chickens originally roamed about as wild fowl and fed on what they could
find. The native Filipinos caught them for food and searched for their eggs. And,
chicken meat has always been a major ingredient in Philippine dishes.

So what’s involved in native chicken raising?

In the earliest of days, you simply kept a small flock and let them roam your yard
or field eating what they could find. You gathered eggs wherever they laid them
and butchered the meat you needed. If you had a rooster and a dozen hens, the
breeding process was assured.
Eggs left for hens to nest produced the baby chicks you need to continue your
flock.

What eggs, meat and even chicks you didn’t need to sustain your family became
something you could barter for other things you needed. For fruit, vegetables,
flour, sugar, a new axe…

What are Native Chickens?

In its purest form, there is not much work involved in native chicken raising.
In the more remote areas of the Philippines, native chickens are still raised in
backyards. There may be a few of them or upwards to two dozen. They are free to
hunt and peck whatever grows or crawls about in that fenced backyard. In some
areas, they aren’t even fenced in. Shelter from the sun and from night-time
predators is most often provided. Eggs are usually laid in the morning to mid-
afternoon. Egg collection occurs daily after that unless eggs are needed earlier for
family consumption or sale.

The average native chicken produces eggs only up to sixty days annually. So each
chicken may lay 150 to 200 eggs each year. Whether she has a good diet affects
both the number and quality of these eggs.
If they are being raised for meat, it takes between 74 and 125 days for them to
reach an ideal weight of two pounds (1 kg).

The original, wild native chickens were very nervous around people.

Crossbreeding has made them more comfortable around people. Some might now
be considered tame enough to be pets. But they will still peck aggressively if
frightened or angered.

Native chicken producers try to maintain the type of diet for their chickens that
they would get if they were foraging for themselves. Native chickens weigh in at
one or two kilos (2 to 5 pounds).

There are several breeds including Palawan, Basilian, Darag, Banaba, Iloilo,

Batangas, Camarines, Joloano, Bolinao, Paraoakan, and Pangasia breeds. Darag
native chickens are particularly popular. Each breed has its own meat flavor.
Today’s native chickens seem part wild fowl called Red Jungle Fowl, part
domestic hybrid. It is believed that the chickens which mated with the Red Jungle
Fowl were brought to the Philippines by European explorers.
Many of the native chickens in the Philippines are red with black tails and brown
hackles. Combs on healthy native chickens are red. Female native chickens are less
brilliant with yellowish brown feathers.

While native chickens are raised throughout the Philippines, the greatest
concentration is in Western Visayas.

The Philippines is not the only area to raise native chickens. In fact, this is
becoming a dying farm-form there. While other countries like Indonesia and
Malaysia and Thailand report growths of almost 20%, the Philippines native
chicken industry shrank by nearly 15% last year. Singapore, once also a high
producer of native chickens, reported a decrease of nearly 40%.

Numerically, this means that in 2015 the Philippines produced almost 180 million
birds. By the following year, this had dropped to 175 million and has steadily
declined since then.

Why are native chickens so popular?

In spite of the decline mentioned above, native chicken farming is here to stay.
After all, humans cannot do without chickens. And, nowhere is this more evident
than in the Philippines where chicken is a major source of protein.

Native chicken producers raise the chickens for the eggs and sometimes for meat.
Many of them have ongoing buyers. However, others are taken to local markets
where they are sold live or bartered for other commodities. For sure, they are a
significant, sometimes major, source of the family’s income. It supplements their
other income while providing a vital source of protein for the family.

Native chicken meat and eggs are lower in cholesterol and, hence, healthier. People
will pay more for eggs and meat of native chickens. Those who have tasted native
chicken swear that it is more moist and flavorful than other types of chicken.

Native chickens have a competitive edge over commercially raised poultry because
the public believes they are hardier, healthier, and tastier.
Native chicken raising has long been seen as a viable way to supplement rural
incomes. It is also an important source of protein in the diet of developing and
underdeveloped countries of the world.

Factors to Consider Before Entering the Market

Urbanization is certainly a factor in native chicken farming.

There are fewer areas of the country where it is legal to raise chickens. Choosing
where you can locate a native chicken raising business needs to be a consideration
in establishing a business. Just as urbanization has increased, so, too, available
natural food sources have become less readily available for native chickens.

Duplicating what chickens foraged for in their natural environment must now be
factored into your chicken raising business in the Philippines.

On the upside, where some native chickens were raised not for meat or eggs but for
cock fighting, this has become thankfully far less of a market. This vicious fight-
to-the-death sport has declined in popularity.

Native chicken production is now predominately for eggs and meat.

The Future of Native Chicken Raising in the Philippines

What’s in the future for producers of native chickens in the Philippines? Or is there
one?

Is this another instance where factory farming and mass processing is going to
squeeze out the little guy?
The answer is a positive one!

The Philippines produces over 95% of the poultry it consumes, including native
and commercially produced poultry. Native chicken production accounts for
slightly more than half of the country’s poultry industry.

In short?

Native chicken farming is alive and well.

There is a growing interest in chicken meat and eggs that are free range. This
makes native chicken farming appealing. There is a ready and growing market.

For the most part, except for specialized food and shelter, native chicken farming is
not a high-cost venture. There’s a strong niche market for free-range meat and
eggs. This shows no immediate sign of shifting. Consumers are prepared to pay
higher prices to get free range native chicken and eggs.

The capital investment for farmers looking to get into native chicken production is
relatively low.
The standardization of the quality of native chicken eggs and meat is also being
addressed. This should improve sales. It should also mean that those farmers who
are trying to supplement a meager income with raising native chickens in their
backyard don’t lose out on this much-needed money.

Thanks to modern technology, it is now possible to have a native chicken with

more stamina to fight disease and harsh weather conditions. It is now feasible to
have native chicken breeds with enhanced egg and meat production capabilities.

Need for Government Support in the Sector

For intervention in competition from imports and for standardization of quality in

native chicken, the government needs to take action.

Adding subsidization would also encourage potential native chicken farmers to get
into production. How much capital is required? The Philippines Council for
Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources and Development has conducted a
study into that.

They estimate that in order to raise a thousand chickens for native chicken
production P94,000 is needed. In the third month, a net profit of P23,000 would be
gained. This is a nearly 25% return on investment (ROI).

As such, native chicken farming can be a fairly lucrative venture. (To learn all you
need to know about farming native chicken, make sure to check our guide.)

What else can be done to motivate native chicken production?

Advertising and promotional pamphlets, billboards, and videos could educate

residents about the potential for native chicken farming as a sideline to supplement
another income. Potential native chicken farmers need to see that for eight and a
half million of the world’s residents, most of them in the Philippines, native
chicken farming provides a significant source of revenue.

An example of one such effort is our eBook entitled Native Chicken Farming in

the Philippines. It is filled with important information and practical tips about
native chicken farming.
What to Know Before Getting Started

One of the reasons native chicken raising is on the decline in spite of an ever-
increasing interest in the product is that so-called native chickens have been
allowed to interbreed, producing mongrel offspring.

In short: They’ve lost the characteristics that made them a hardy, healthy breed.

Alas, the result of this indiscriminate crossbreeding is not good.

Today’s chicken, the outcome of ignoring how these chickens mate, is chickens
that have little resistance to disease and harsh climate. They are also poor egg
producers and slow to grow as meat sources. The meat from these mongrels is
stringy and less tasty.

So first you need “pure” hardy native chickens.

Next, you need to consider food sources.

Like the breeding, if you are serious about raising native chickens you can’t let all
they eat be only the things they catch. Devising a personal formula for what you
feed your flock is ideal.

Otherwise, you need to find an available source of organic chicken feed.

The latter is costlier and a bit of a stab in the dark.

Good organic materials include rice, hammered corn or corn bran as well as copra
meal. Food supplements like dried malunggay leaves or ipil-ipil also improve
production. Growing your own coconuts, bananas, and squash provide a good
natural food source along with supplements.

It’s important to set up and stick to a feeding schedule.

Like humans, native chicken like three meals a day.

Water is vital for the flock. When they first arrive add a little sugar. Lack of fresh
water will stress your flock. This leads to lower egg production, disease, and even
death.

Native chickens also need to be vaccinated against such diseases as fowl pox. They
should also be dewormed. This should occur every month and a half for free range
poultry. Find a veterinarian in your area that specializes in treating birds.

Like every venture, raising native chickens in the Philippines can be lucrative.

However, if you don’t start out with good stock or you don’t know what you are
doing, this entrepreneurial venture could be a disaster.
The Philippines Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources and
Developmentadvises first-time native chicken entrepreneurs to start with mature
chickens.

Sure, chicks are cute.

Starting them from hatchlings is cost effective.

Chicks cost less than mature hens and a rooster.

However, hatchlings are a long way from laying eggs and being ready for market.
If you can, purchase young pullets just about ready to lay. You know they have
survived early death, disease, crowding that will smother chicks and predators.
Avoid mature hens or you’re likely to get the culls of someone else’s flock.

Select a dual-purpose breed.

That means it is used for laying eggs and for meat. Even if you don’t use them for
both, the option is always there. These dual-purpose chickens often seem hardier.

Don’t spend huge amounts on your coop. That eats into the profits. Your chickens
need shelter and safety. Make sure they have a secure fence to protect them from
predators and a roof from the cold, and rain. They also require a place to roost and
nesting boxes where they will lay their eggs.
Try to keep the environment as natural as possible. Remember that’s the intent of
natural chicken raising. Use homemade roosts and boxes. Set up natural dusting
materials for them.

Keep food as natural as possible.

Get to know your local feed store. Talk to them about “natural feeds”. Add crushed
eggshells for calcium. Feed your natural chicken food scraps. This helps provide
extra nutrients. It’s also a great compost alternative. Win-win!

Keep lighting natural too. You’ve heard of those places that force laying by
leaving lights on night and day. Let nature take its course when it comes to egg
production. Your chickens won’t be as stressed.

Like children, native chickens thrive on routine.

Establish a timetable for feeding and egg gathering and adhere to it. This keeps
your hens happy and unstressed.

Keep the coop and eating area clean. Make sure the boxes have fresh bedding and
food and water feeders are clean and filled. This makes for a happier flock and
prevents disease.

In its original form, natural chicken raising was a small farming sideline.

It brought healthy eggs and meat to the table of Philippines families. A return to
this method and intend will encourage a renewed interest in native chicken
production.

If you’re interested in starting a native chicken farming venture, make sure to

check our guide, Native Chicken Farming in the Philippines.