Start raising native chickens now

By REY B. ITCHON, DVM

MANILA, Philippines —  So you want to raise native chickens. To start with, put up an enclosed ranging area. Provide 1 square meter per chicken, made up of light posts like bamboo, and net at least six to eight inches high. Put also a roofed shelter at least 2 square feet per chicken and a nesting basket equivalent to the number of your hens. Nesting baskets must be in a partially dark place.

Plant the surroundings with legumes like trichantera (madre de agua), rensonii, Indigofera or any high protein legumes. Put also perches for them to stay during night time.That’s one way of protecting themselves from predators. When the plants are at least 3 to 4 feet high, then you are ready to raise native chickens. These plants will serve as their food and shade. Chick-ens love shade very much.

Buy a pair of native chickens or better one male and twenty females, preferably 4 to 5 months of age or older. You can easily distinguish a native chicken by its body conformation. If you are familiar with the banana flower, that is exactly the shape of its body. It tapers towards the tail. Let them loose in the enclosed area, feed them grains or feeds formulated for natural farming. The amount of feeds given will be 50 grams per bird then you can also give the legumes that you planted. When your chickens are acquainted with your place, the chickens will soon lay eggs. Each chicken will lay an average of 10 t0 15 eggs and soon they will sit on them (broodiness) for 18 to 21 days. After that, those fertile eggs will soon hatch into beautiful healthy chicks.

After hatching, when the chicks are already dry, gently remove the baby chicks from the nest, including the new mother hen. Isolate them from the rest of the flock. Give the appropriate feeds for their age, chick booster for the chicks.

The hen will rear her chicks for some time. After that she will leave them. She will be ready to be mated again after rearing her baby chicks for 1 to 2 months.

For further questions, email rey_itchon@yahoo.com