Chicken Breeds in the Philippines and Choosing the Right One

Poultry Farming Guides

If you plan to venture into chicken farming in the Philippines, one of the very first and the most critical decisions that you will have to make is deciding on what kind of niche you will (initially) focus on.

Once you pick one – such as meat production, egg production, or breeding – you will have to decide which breeds of chicken you will farm. This article will take a closer look at what to consider when choosing the right breeds for you, and what chicken breeds are available in the Philippines.

Chicken Breeds in the Philippines and Choosing the Right One

How to Choose the Right Breed to Farm

Before you get into picking the breeds that you will start with in your farming venture, here are some of the factors that you have to take into consideration in the selection process.

First of all, you will have to decide on the type of chicken that you will farm. In general, there are three types – commercial layers (for egg production), commercial broilers (for meat production), and native chicken that can be used for either purpose and are especially suitable for free range and organic farming systems.

In case of layers, you will have to consider the number, size, as well as the color of eggs the hens will lay. In case of broilers, the amount of muscles and fat is an important factor to look at, as is their survival rate and the speed at which they grow.

Finally, you will also need to consider the conditions in which you will raise the chickens. While in the Philippines, you will definitely want chickens that prefer warm weather, you will also need to consider things like street noise and the amount of space you will have available per bird.

Chicken Breeds in the Philippines

While in the past, Filipino farmers had to rely solely on native Philippine breeds of chicken, nowadays there is plenty of choice.

Besides the native chicken, there are imported commercial breeds, as well as improved native breeds which are engineered to retain the positive characteristics of the native breeds while also acquiring some of the good characteristics of commercial breeds.

Below, we will take a look at several specific commercial broiler, commercial layer, and native Philippine chicken breeds that you can get in the country.

Commercial Broilers in the Philippines

First, let’s go over some of the most common commercial broiler breeds available in the Philippines. You should consider one of these if you plan to focus on producing chicken meat.

Arbor Acres Broilers

Arbor Acres broilers were bred by Aviagen, a major American poultry company. In the Philippines, they are supplied by San Miguel, and they are one of the most popular broiler breeds in the country.

Arbor Acre Broilers

The advantages of Arbor Acres include excellent livability, very good growth rate, efficient feed conversion ratio, and very good meat yield.

It is especially the fact that they grow fast that makes them popular among farmers seeking quick harvests and profits. Of course, those can only be achieved if proper management practices are incorporated.

Hubbard Broilers

The Hubbard broilers were originally developed by Hubbard, a French company, that is now part of Aviagen. In the Philippines, they are supplied by Tyson Agro Ventures, and are especially popular in the free range chicken meat production business.

Shaver StarBro Broilers

This breed, bred by the Canadian company Shaver, is one of the older ones. In spite of that, it still enjoys some popularity in the Philippines where it can be sourced from Universal Robina Farms.

Ross Broilers

Being part of Aviagen’s portfolio of brands, the Ross broilers are one of the world’s most popular broilers. That is not surprising given that they are excellent meat producers and have especially good breast yield. As such, if managed properly, they will reward you with excellent performance and profitability.

Cobb Broilers

Cobbs are all rounded broilers that can survive in various environments that can be found in the Philippines. While they can be farmed in a conventional system, they thrive exceptionally when farmed in alternative poultry production systems such as in free range conditions.

Commercial Layers in the Philippines

If you are looking into starting egg production in the Philippines, then commercial layers are the way to go. For detailed instructions on how to farm them, make sure to check our [Farming Egg Layers in the Philippines guide](poultrymanual.com/ebook/layer-management-guide/2).

As for layer breeds, there are a number of them that you can raise in the Philippines including the ones below.

Lohmann Layers

Lohmann layers are one of the most common and “classic” layer breeds in the Philippines as well as the rest of the world. Originally, they were bred in Germany by Lohmann Tierzucht, and in the Philippines, they can be acquired from San Miguel among other companies.

Dekalb White Layers

Dekalb White layers are another one of very popular layer breeds used for egg production in the Philippines.

Dekalb White Layers

They were developed by Hendrix ISA, a US company, and have characteristics that make them not only the one of the most popular, but also one of the most suitable layers for raising in the Philippines.

One of the advantages of the Dekalb White layers is that they have an excellent, mild, temperament. Dekalb Whites are generally quiet and are also suited for alternative poultry rearing systems including backyard chicken farming, enriched cages, as well as free range chicken farming.

Other characteristics of the Dekalb White layers include good livability, large number of eggs laid, good egg size, as well as high quality of the eggs produced. Talking about the eggs, they are generally crisp white with rich yellow yolks, and they have an average weight of 63.1 grams.

Combined with the fact that the chickens also have a very good feed conversion rate, the Dekalb White layers are likely the best option if you are looking into farming commercial layers in the Philippines.

Babcock White Layers

Babcock White layers are another breed of layers that is prolific in the Philippines, and especially well known for their large eggs. Not only that, but they are highly adaptable chickens and perform well in a wide variety of climatic conditions. And, they also have a very calm temperament.

Native Chicken in the Philippines

The last category of chicken that you can farm in the Philippine are the native breeds. They are specific to each region of the Philippines, and among others include the following:

  • Banaba chicken from Batangas
  • Darag chicken from Panay Island
  • Parawakan chicken from Palawan

Native Philippine Chicken Breeds

Their advantages of farming native Philippine chickens include the fact that they are quite hardy, have excellent survivability, and grow well in a wide variety of conditions.

However, on the flip side, they do not offer optimal and efficient production characteristics – such as feed conversion ratios, egg sizes, and so on – as you would find in the commercial breeds mentioned above.

No Right Answer When Choosing a Breed to Farm in the Philippines

While it would be great if we could give you one breed that you should start with in your Philippine chicken farming venture, it is not as easy as that.

One of the main choices you will have to make is whether you will go with one of the commercial breeds with predicable productivity or with the potentially higher product quality but less predictable native chicken.

Whichever way you go, however, the key to your success will be implementing proper management techniques, as well as actively marketing your products. After all, you cannot have a business without sales, no matter how tasty your chicken meat or eggs.

To get some help with that – if you are interested in farming chickens in the Philippines – make sure to get our guides that will help you with getting your poultry venture off the ground. Currently, we offer one focused on farming egg layers, and one focused on farming native chicken in the Philippines.

Native Chicken Farming in the Philippines

Poultry Farming Guides