Optimizing Profitability in Native Chicken Production Business: A Study on Growth Performance and Cost-Effective Diet Systems for Native Chicken Production Business in Malaysia

The poultry industry in Malaysia is significant, with chicken being the most popular and affordable meat. Native (Kampung) chicken, known for its superior flavour and health benefits, has gained consumer popularity due to its lower fat content and higher Omega 3 levels. However, the slower production process and increased feed cost have impacted chicken meat production businesses. Hence, it is important to assess chicken growth performance, feed efficiency and profitability in chicken meat production based on locally sourced yet cost-effective diet systems. This study, conducted in Selangor, Malaysia, employed a completely randomized design with six different diet systems over two 12-week production cycles, each involving 50 chickens per diet. The findings revealed that Diet 6 (Yellow Pigment) consistently yielded the highest growth performance in terms of chicken body weight. Moreover, Diet 5 (Organic Acid) and Diet 6 demonstrated the highest feed efficiency. From a profitability perspective, Diet 6 proved to be the most cost-effective over the two production cycles spanning 12 weeks. This research provides valuable insights for the food safety of local demand in Malaysia and offers chicken entrepreneurs the opportunity to choose the most effective and cost-efficient diet system for profitable chicken meat production.