Identification and Assessment of Feedstuffs Ingested by “Darag” Native Chicken in Iloilo

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to identify and assess the feedstuff ingested by free-range Darag native chicken raised in Calinog, Passi City, and Barotac Nuevo considered as the top three areas in Iloilo with the highest population in terms of native chicken breeder. Three-and-a-half to four months old native chicken samples were collected directly from the raisers in the areas by spot visits to eliminate biases of feeding. Chicken crops of the sample birds were directly excised in the study to further prevent digestion to take place. The identification and assessment of the crop contents were done together with the dressing and processing of carcass at Central Philippine University (CPU) College of Agriculture Laboratory Room. Data were analyzed using totals, means, percentages, frequencies, and ANOVA. The result of the study showed that majority of the raisers (82.35%) were feeding their chicken. This was supported by the large amount of supplemental feeds (44.61%) recovered from the excised crops of the sample birds. Various species of grasses and insects of different life stages were also obtained. More Ingesta recovered from the bird crops, sank (97.64%) than those that floated (2.36%). The Ingesta has 46.76% moisture content and 52.24% dry matter content. The live weight of the birds ranged from 762.50 to 836.67 grams with an average dressing percentage of 72.42 and with 7.57% giblets. The breast retail cuts were 19.85% of all the meat cuts and feet were 5.50%.