Establishment of the gene pool and development of the breeding system for the elite flock of Darag chickens

摘要

The distinct taste of the "manok" (Philippine chicken) have to be conserved in a gene pool for use in future breeding programs. A gene pool for manok is therefore essential for the current improvement effors and for the conservation of quality germplasms for the future needs of the industry. Farmers and rural folks in Western Visayas still prefer to raise Darag Chickens to supplement their income and the protein supply to the family. There is now high demand for Philippine chicken meat not only inWestern Visayas but also in the Metro Manila area due to the general claim that meat of native chickens tastes better than that of the commercial broilers' (Coligado, et al., 1985). Likewise, Smith et al. (1999) connected fat chickens and sick people. The distinct taste of the "manok" (Philippine chicken) have to be conserved in a gene pool for use in future breeding programs. Thus, the common native chicken in Western Visayas known as "Darag" has been conserved in an elite flock and their breeding andproduction performance parameters, measured for two years, are hereby presented. The demand for the meat of indigenous chicken is increasing due to its distinct flavor and being organically-grown. The distinct taste of the manok (Philippine chicken) maybe controlled by the genes which when identified could be used in the selection and breeding of good quality Darag (the local strain of manok in Western Visayas). A gene pool for manok is therefore essential for the current improvement efforts and for the conservation of quality germplasms for the future needs of the industry.