Morphological characteristics of the Philippines CARAGA black native chicken

The study was performed to describe the morphological characteristics of the Caraga black native chicken. A total of 40 heads of the native chickens (8 roosters and 32 hens) were used. The test animals are the product of the breeding and purification project of the Caraga black native chicken. The result of the morphological characteristics shows a predominant black coloration on the significant body parts of the native chicken, such as black plumage, black comb, black air lobe, black shank, black skin color, dark–brown Iris, dark grey beak, grayish meat, black bones, and black wattle shanks. Moreover, quantitative body measurements on 12-month-old native chicken recorded that the rooster is heavier (1.9Kg), taller (33cm), and has a higher body length (24cm) than the hen (weight = 1,350g, height = 28.5cm, body length = 24cm). Based on the findings, hens are generally smaller than roosters, which can be attributed to the body build of roosters. Males, naturally, are suited for muscle building, while the hens’ body is built for reproduction. published by the Journal of Biodiversity and Environmental Sciences | JBES