Native chicken production offers a promising source of income for rural communities, especially in remote

areas. However, natural brooding limits egg production per hen, making artificial brooding necessary. In

mountainous regions without electricity, artificial brooding poses challenges. This study aimed to evaluate

indigenous brooding strategies for Philippine native chickens, focusing on environmental conditions, growth

performance, survival rate, and chick welfare.

A split-plot experiment using 252 chicks was conducted under a Randomized Complete Block Design

(RCBD). The main factor was heating source—Tukong, Adjustable Hanging Heated Charcoal (AHHC), and

Kerosene Lamp—tested across three litter floor types: White Wood Shavings, Rice Straw, and Rice Hull.

AHHC consistently produced the highest temperature, lowest humidity (p<.01), and lowest litter moisture

Native chicken production in the Philippines has been recognized by agricultural researchers and

practitioners as a valuable economic activity in rural areas. It supports small-scale backyard farmers by

offering a sustainable and equitable source of income. More than just a mono-commodity enterprise, native

chicken raising is deeply integrated into diverse farming systems across the Philippines, contributing to both

livelihood and food security.

To strengthen the Philippine organic native chicken industry, continuous improvement in management

practices is essential—particularly in breeding, brooding, hardening, and growing. This study focuses on

brooding strategies that are suitable for rural communities and adaptable to current environmental conditions.

study explores indigenous, economical heating materials for artificial brooding in the Philippine context,

aiming to develop an organic brooding technology that supports chick welfare and is especially useful during

colder months.

The study aims to determine the best climate-smart indigenous brooding method for non-descript Philippine

native chicken (combination of heat source and litter floor) during cold months in the country and to determine

the following:

1. Temperature and relative humidity (RH) inside the brooder;

2. moisture content of the litter (bedding) as it is used;

3. level of ammonia (NH

) in each brooding pen;

9. the net profit factors (Cost and Return Analysis).

The study was conducted in the hilly area near the small ruminant project inside the Pampanga State

Agricultural University (PSAU) campus located at PAC, San Agustin, Magalang Pampanga.

A total of 252 newly-hatched, healthy and active native chicks (126 male and 126 female) with an average

weight of not less than 23.0 grams was used as experimental animals for comparison. The sex of the chicks

was determined through vent sexing. These non-descript chicks was derived from the stocks of unknown

origin which are commonly found in the backyard of the Filipino households. These were sourced out from

different barrios where native chickens are available.

chicks.

Figure 1. The different heat source from left to right: H1, H2 and H3

Figure 2. The different litter floor type from left to right: F1, F2, and F3

Number of treatment combinations --------------9

Number of replications ---------------------------- 4

Number of experimental birds per replication--7 heads

1) Housing:

Thirty- six scratch pens with the base measuring one square meter (1 m

purchased. These are already available in the market. These addressed the floor space requirement for the

chicks which should not be less than .30 square feet (.30ft

) per bird. Each pen contained seven chicks. The net

was placed in all sides of the pens to avoid chicks from escaping and to prevent predators from entering the

pen.

2) Gathering and Sterilization of Litter Floor Media to be Used:

Wood shavings, rice hull and shredded rice hay, was gathered and was sterilized to make sure that these are

4) Weighing and Grouping of the Birds:

The chicks were weighed and grouped accordingly. For every replication, there were 7 chicks placed which is

composed of four males and three females. The average weight of the chicks used was not less than 23 grams.

This is the standard weight of day-old native chicks under intensive management [4]. The gradient for

blocking is the orientation of the experimental area, and it will be from east to west direction - from where the

sun rises and to it sets.

5) Feeds and Feeding:

The feed given is chick booster crumble with not less than 21 per cent crude protein (CP) content. Feeding was

done frequently with the right amount to minimize feed wastage. After 12 hours until the second day, when the

chicks are already familiarized with the feeds, plastic chick feeder was gradually introduced to replace

newspaper matting used as feeders. Feed refusal was measured before replacing the feeder with fresh feeds.

loading of fresh feeds and clean water. Used litter materials was removed and disposed of properly after the

brooding period.

11) Data Gathering:

The data gathered was the following:

the panting or huddling was observed.

done between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and between 10:00 p.m and 3:00 a.m. The proportion of birds showing

panting or huddling was estimated and scored into five classes: 0 = none, 1= a few, 2 = a half, 3 = more than a

was observed. Clean or no soiling of feathers is equivalent to 0, mild soiling of the breast and legs is equivalent

to 1 and severe soiling of the breast, legs and wings is equivalent to 2. It was done in the third week of

9. Cost and Return Analysis -The net income was computed by subtracting the total cost of production of

C. Moisture Content and Ammonia (NH

) Levels

The highest moisture content recorded was from the interaction between H1 and F3 and the interaction of H3

and F2 while the interaction between F1 the two heat source group (H2 and H3) gave the lowest moisture

content percentage (Table I). The moisture content recorded in the study is very low. This low moisture

Because of this moisture level, it is impossible for the ammonia to proliferate. There is no ammonia produce in

the experimental pen since the moisture did not even reach its threshold level. The optimum litter moisture

Table I. Brooding Environment Parameter: Temperature, Humidity And Moisture Content Of The Litter

6.25

IA - Interaction

Superscript = Comparison across all treatments

Subscript = Comparison of the litter floor (F) in each source of heat (H)

D. Litter Condition Score

In terms of litter condition score, no significant differences were observed among the treatments as their

replicates are having the score that are not significantly different. From the scale of 5 wherein 1 is dry and

flaky and 5 is wet and capped, the average scores of the replications per treatment is ranging from 1-3 (Table

II).

The description on litter condition is in between dry and flaky and wet and capped. This is an attribute of good

litter floor management regardless of the type of bedding materials used. Effective litter management—

including moisture control, routine raking, and proper ventilation and drinker placement—is essential across

bedding types such as paddy husk, wood shavings, and sawdust [8]

Table Ii. Litter Condition Mean Score

Result from Kruskal-Wallis’s rank sum test: Chi-

Square 1.3605 DF 3

Pr > Chi-Square 0.7148

Not Significant

E. Growth Performance and Mortality Rate

The main effect of adjustable hanging heated charcoal (H2) in all level of litter floor groups, resulted to higher

final weight where white wood shavings (F1) is the highest. This is similar to the effect of F1 in all level of

heat sources. Meanwhile, the lowest final weight recorded in every heat source is the effect of rice hull (Table

F1 in all level of heat sources. Meanwhile, the lowest AGW recorded in every heat source is the effect of rice

hull (F3).