Production and dispersal of Darag can be a profitable business venture.
Darag refers to the native chicken that predominates primarily in Western Visayas, most especially in the island of Panay. These chickens descended from the indigenous Red Jungle Fowl (Gallus bankiva) which are still roaming around the forests of Negros and Panay.
While the meat of Philippine native chicken is recognized for its flavor, taste, texture and suitability to Filipino dishes, some gourmets claim that Darag chicken meat is even better. Scientists attribute this to the higher amount of the free amino acid (aspartic) content in its meat.
The study on the production and dispersal of darag native chicken was conducted by Evelyn D. Tomambo, George Fredrick A. Roxas, Ray L. Arenga, Celma G. Casiple, and Bernabe B. Cocjin, researchers from the West Visayas State University, La Paz, Iloilo City.
The project aims to realize the potential of native chicken production as a viable livelihood activity for farmers in the Philippines through appropriate technology. It seeks to produce and disperse improved week-old and 40-45 days-old Philippine native (Darag) chicks, produce the corresponding production module for the purpose, and determine its profitability.
To meet the production quota of 10,000 week-old chicks in three years, WVSU established five sub-stations in Panay, namely: Department of Agriculture – Western Visayas Agricultural Research Center (DA-WESVIARC); Iloilo State College of Fisheries (ISCOF), Dingle Campus; Capiz State University (CapSU), Dumarao Campus; and Aklan State University (ASU), Banga, Aklan. Each sub-station received 40-45 days-old chicks from WVSU as initial breeding stock.
The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry, and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) provided each sub-station with an electric incubator. The sub-stations are to supply the 40-45 days-old chicks to farmers in their respective service areas at cost.
The chicks were also sold to individuals and institutions and private entrepreneurs who are now sources of stock(s) of Darag chicken in their respective areas.
Active farmer-cooperators from the previous project were selected and became recipients of Darag chicks produced by the project, while the new ones underwent hands-on training on native chicken production at WVSU.
Significant results of the study yielded benefits in terms of average egg weight, fertility, and hatchability.
WVSU has produced about 13,000 40-45 days-old chicks and has dispersed more than 10,000 head to 190 cooperators/clients/recipients from 2005 to 2008. These chicks have likewise shown improvement in terms of average weight, feed consumption and conversion, and survival rate.
From a production cycle of 2 years, a 50-hen module can generate a net income of about P70,000 from the sale of week-old chicks and about P76,000 from 40-45 day-old chicks, if artificial incubation is practiced.
The project “production and dispersal of improved week-old and 40-45 day old Philippine native (Darag) chicks” is one of the finalists for the best paper research category in the National Symposium on Agriculture Resources Research and Development (NSARRD).
The NSARRD was initiated by PCARRD in recognition of the outstanding contributions of scientists and researchers in uplifting the status of agriculture, forestry and natural resources research and development. It highlights the celebration of the PCARRD Anniversary every year.
PCARRD marks its 38th anniversary on November 10 with the theme Agham at teknolohiya sa agrikultura at likas na yaman: kabalikat sa pagbabago at pag-unlad. (Ricardo R. Argana, S&T Media Service)
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