Chicken coops plans

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET Native chickens in the Cordillera are disappearing at an alarming rate and the regions Department of Agriculture is worried that the breed would soon become extinct.

The DAs poultry specialists told a media forum at the Agriculture Training Institute here on Thursday that native chickens have failed to sustain their potential as a steady source of meat products.

Blame it on the peoples attitude of confining the raising of native breeds in the backyard and the rapid commercialization of free range chickens, said Dr. Jerry Sabado of the DAs quarantine services.

Native chickens do not receive enough attention from their owners because they are raised more for backyard purposes than as a major source of livelihood, he said.

The effect was that generations of native chickens gave way to the massive increase in the commercialization of free range chickens, he said.

Sabado said free range chickens are the common broiler type that could be raised and sold in 45 days.

Dr. Miriam Tiongan, of the Benguet veterinary office, shared Sabados views, saying the province alone has become a wide market for commercially raised chickens.

Thousands of them are delivered to different outlets in the province, spinning a profitable distribution business, she said.

The Cordillera is basically an importer of live chickens, she said.

Sabado said this reality has sidelined the business potentials, and even the health benefits, of raising native chickens.

Compared to most free range chickens, native breeds are more organically based since they do not require dosages of antibiotics and commercial feeds.

They could feed themselves on green grasses and plants, insects and other natural commodities found in the soil, he said.

When cooked, it cannot be denied that their meat tastes better, he added.

But native chickens take a longer time to raise, compared to the free range chickens, Sabado noted.