Raising Native Chickens for Profit

November 1, 2023 by Lauro Braganza

Raising native chickens for profit is becoming one of the best alternative income-generating activities for many rural Filipinos. Due to the popularity of different types of chickens in the Philippines, you may think that raising native chickens is no longer fashionable. But the truth is, you can still make money by raising and breeding native chickens! You know, a lot of consumers are looking for native chicken for a variety of reasons. So if you’re looking for a livelihood that doesn’t require high capital, why not try raising native chickens?

This article will discuss the basic information on proper poultry care. Come and learn how to take care of native chickens! raising-native-chicken

Raising Native Chicken in the Philippines

Some restaurants prefer to serve native chicken to their beloved customers because the taste of native chicken is more delicious compared to broiler chicken, or 45 days chicken. But since most farmers are obsessed with caring for 45 days for a bigger income, restaurant owners often have a hard time finding a regular source of native chicken. Another reason is due to the inequality of size, weight, and meat quality of native chickens. This is why farmers are less interested in raising native chickens. But, read this article to see that it is still possible to earn money by raising native chickens even without spending a lot of money.

Raising Native Chicken: Proper care of native chicken

The native chicken is easier to care for compared to other breeds of chickens because of its ability to take care of itself. You don’t have to buy a lot of commercial feeds and medicine for native chickens. Once you have created a good habitat and pasture for these chickens, they will look for their own food. The good pasture will provide them with proper nutrition; insects, grains, and leaves needed for their health.

Similar to the commercial production of broiler chickens, adequate nutrition is needed to supply their growth and spawning. You need to adjust the grazing schedule of your chickens in each part of the pasture to ensure that the plants or weeds grow back properly.

Just like raising broiler chickens, native chickens also need vitamins and minerals as well as clean water to be healthy. If your pasture does not have an adequate supply of the aforementioned, you will need to provide feeds as a supplement to what your native chickens eat.

You can mix your feeds with ingredients that are not too expensive. This will save you up to half the original cost compared to if you just rely on commercial feeds.

Supplementary feeding to native chickens is done every morning and afternoon to teach them where they need to go home. As already mentioned, it will also help to maintain the health of your pet chickens.

The pasture should be capable of feeding native chickens. You need to plant grass or plants for them to eat. Just make sure the plants you plant are edible and nutritious. Avoid plants that you are not sure you can eat or not. Remember that there are plants that are poisonous for pets!

Here are some of the grasses and plants you can give to your chicken or pasture them.

Peanut
Corn, rice
Sorghum
Carabao grass
Malunggay
Centrosema
Guinea grass
Horseradish
Spinach
Sweet potato
Ipil-ipil
Night
Duckweed
Azolla, and many more

To make your care of native chickens easier, you can feed them leftovers on the table or in the kitchen. Fruit and vegetable skins are also eaten by native chickens. Just make sure they have an adequate supply of drinking water for the whole day.

Advantage of chicken meat over broiler chicken meat

Consumers prefer native chicken as opposed to broiler-type or 45-day chicken for so many reasons. Mainly, the taste and flavor of natural or native chicken meat are unique. Its meat is also sweet and less fatty.

So if you’re looking for a livelihood, try raising native chickens. It can increase your family’s income without the need for large capital, energy, or time.

Questions related to raising native chickens in the Philippines

Is native chicken farming profitable?

These special characteristics of native chicken contributed to the establishment of its niche market which is seemingly unaffected by pressures from commercial layer and broiler markets. Hence, this makes native chicken production a top investment option for small and medium entrepreneurs.

Is native chicken good for business?

Resiliency is one of the important characteristics of native chicken making it a preferred business option. They are known for their adaptability to local agro-climatic conditions, hardiness, and ability to utilize naturally occurring feeds, farm by-products, and high tolerance to diseases.

How do you raise native chickens?

Native chickens should be provided with ample housing structures where they can roost during the night, find shelter during rainy weather, and build nests when they are of laying age. Provide adequate range-type housing for growers and breeders with 1-2 square meters per bird.

How long does it take for a native chicken to grow?

How long does local chicken take to mature? Generally, chickens are assumed to be mature when they attain sexual maturity, and this period is between 16 to 28 weeks depending on the breed However, other factors like feed, genetics, management, weather, etc, can influence the rate at which local chickens attain maturity.

What are the best feeds for native chicken?

Farmers may use the following feed ratio to meet the nutrient requirements of native chickens: 50% rice bran, 20% corn bran, and 30% copra meal. 75% of the preceding mix and 25% commercial feeds. 50% cereal and 50% forage with other supplemental feeds.

What is the most profitable type of chicken?

In the long run, Layers farming on a large scale will be more profitable and bring in more revenue than broiler farming as after laying of eggs, the birds can be sold out as meat even though at a lesser price than that of broilers.

How much is a kilo of native chicken?

In the first quarter of 2022, the average farmgate price of native/improved chicken (backyard) was recorded at ₱220.09 per kilogram, live weight, which registered an increase of 41.9 percent compared with the average farmgate price of ₱155.14 per kilogram, live weight, in the same quarter of 2021.

How many eggs does a native chicken lay per year?

Despite all these, a native chicken lays about 40-60 eggs in a year. However, recent findings showed that when properly managed and fed with the right quality and amount of feeds, the native hen can produce as many as 130-200 eggs in a year (Roxas, 1997).

What is the lifespan of a native chicken?

With any luck and barring any genetic issues, your chickens should live for 8-12 years, with some chickens being reported to have lived for 15-20 years!

What makes chickens grow faster?

While chickens need a lot of carbs to meet their energy needs and make them put on weight, a high-protein diet can help your indigenous chickens grow faster. Animal by-products are generally some of the best quality protein sources for your chickens. You can also supply them with some plant protein.