#native chickens

The chicken farming system in an area imposes the feeding practices particularly in the sustainable raising of native chickens. The study was conducted to determine the feeding practices of native chicken raisers in the four (4) provinces of the Ilocos Region in the Philippines. The native chicken raisers utilize various feed resources but the most commonly used feed sources are corn grits, palay and kitchen left overs. The native chickens also feed on local pasture species of which the most common is Cyperus rotundus. During the survey on feeding management, feedstuffs identified and documented used as feeds and can be used for feed formulation includes pongapong, galiang, buga, rice midlings and coconut sapal. The native chicken raisers do not practice feed preparation and simply give the feeds in their original form; they also give commercial feeds at no exact amount. These findings will be useful in developing a sustainable feeding practice for nattive chicken raisers in Region I.