PRODUCTION SYSTEM OF SELECTED COMMERCIAL BROILER CHICKEN FARMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Abstract

The study implemented a descriptive research design to assess the production system and management practices of selected commercial broiler chicken farms in the Philippines. Among the fifty-five respondents who participated in an online survey, 48 were contract growers while 7 were broiler integrator companies. Results showed that broiler farms were either producing two types of products: lechon manok (liveweight of <1.6 kg) and or big birds (liveweight of >1.7kg). The most commonly used housing was the climate-controlled system with elevated plastic slatted flooring. The majority attained seven harvests per year under the all-in-all-out system. The majority of the respondents were practicing basic biosecurity protocols and have moderate to high familiarity with GAHP. Bird welfare indicators were also being monitored regularly. All the respondents indicated that they have production performance standards set by the integrators. Production targets by the integrators were higher with narrower ranges compared with the targets of the grower farms. Climate-controlled system showed an advantage over the open-sided housing system in terms of better feed conversion ratio and higher broiler performance efficiency index. This study implies that, generally, the production system and management of commercial broiler chickens in the country conform with the standards based on published management guides.