Philippine native chicken breeds: Darag, Boholano and more
DOST-PCAARRD improved four native strains for the Visayas and Mindanao: Darag (Panay), Boholano (Bohol — the closest to Cebu), Camarines and ZamPen. Darag lays the most, about 110 eggs a year. Want birds for your table or yard? See our native chicken for sale in Ronda, Cebu.
The four improved strains
| Strain | Eggs a year | Egg |
|---|---|---|
| DaragPanay, Western Visayas · rooster mostly red, hen brown and laced | ≈110 | ≈41.4 g |
| BoholanoBohol, Central Visayas · rooster red with white shanks, hen reddish and laced | ≈62 | ≈40 g |
| CamarinesBicol · rooster yellow-orange and barred, hen brown and laced | ≈62 | ≈40 g |
| ZamPenZamboanga Peninsula · rooster red hackle on a black body, hen black | ≈105 | ≈43.6 g |
Source: DOST-PCAARRD Poultry Information System (accessed 17 Oct 2026); strains for Regions 5, 6, 7 and 9 (PCAARRD, 3 Jul 2017). Native hens start laying at 20–22 weeks.
Other native chickens
Banaba and Paraoakan
Purified at BAI’s National Swine and Poultry R&D Center in Tiaong, Quezon (DA, 26 Jun 2022). Paraoakan from Palawan is the biggest native type; Joloano comes from the Sulu Archipelago (Kurukod Journal, 2026).
Darag weight
About 1.3 kg for a rooster and 1.1 kg for a hen (ThePoultrySite, 14 Aug 2020) — small birds with firm meat.
A Cebu group
A UPLB comparison of five native groups found the Cebu birds had the highest hen-day laying but the lowest fertility, 51.43% (Lambio & Grecia, 1998).
Which native chicken for a backyard in Cebu?
Native chickens make up about 46% of the country’s chickens, and Newcastle disease can kill about 90% of an infected native flock (PCAARRD, 23 Feb 2016). Whatever the strain, vaccination matters more than the colour of the feathers — see the native chicken farming guide.
For eggs, a strain that lays more (Darag, ZamPen) pays back faster; for meat and fiestas, any healthy free-range bird works. Egg prices by size are on egg price per tray.
Gepanaga’s Farm raises free-range native chicken in Ronda from 2027. Reserve live native chicken: a vet health certificate with every batch, NMIS slaughter on request, a 30% deposit for seasonal reservations. Delivery in Ronda and southwest Cebu; Cebu City by arrangement.
Questions
What is a Darag chicken?
A native chicken from Panay, Western Visayas. Roosters are mostly red; hens are brown and laced. Hens lay about 110 eggs a year (DOST-PCAARRD).
Which native chicken lays the most eggs?
Of the four PCAARRD strains, Darag (about 110 a year) and ZamPen (about 105).
Is there a native chicken from Central Visayas?
Yes, the Boholano strain from Bohol, one of the four improved by DOST-PCAARRD.
When do native hens start laying?
At about 20–22 weeks (DOST-PCAARRD).
Which is the biggest native chicken?
Paraoakan from Palawan is described as the biggest native type.
