Negros Occidental chickens feel the heat, shrink eggs

BACOLOD, Philippines – People are not the only ones frying eggs these days in Negros Occidental. The scorching heat has turned the province into a poultry sauna, leaving chickens clucking about their miniaturized offerings.

Chicken egg sizes in Negros Occidental are shrinking due to “excessive heat,” and the pricing has also been affected, Provincial Veterinarian Placeda Lemana said on Thursday, April 18.

“There are no more jumbo eggs available in the markets in the province right now because of the El Niño phenomenon,” Lemano said.

The largest eggs buyers can find in the local market are actually medium-sized, which command prices ranging from P6 to P8.25 a piece, showed data from the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) Bantay Presyo.

A drought has been wreaking havoc in Negros Occidental and at least four other provinces in Western Mindanao, and agriculture officials were worried that the situation would worsen in the coming days. One province, Antique, has been declared under a state of calamity on Thursday.

The website www.kalmbachfeeds.com explains that when a hen breathes heavily to cool down, it produces a lot of carbon dioxide, which upsets the balance of pH in its bloodstream. Such an imbalance causes calcium in the hen’s blood to mix with other nutrients, affecting how eggshells are formed.

Lemana said the rising temperatures have started to adversely affect the P8-billion poultry industry in Negros Occidental, a province that produces an average of 1.2 million eggs daily.

Negrenses alone consume 900,000 to a million eggs each day, data from both the Office of the Provincial Veterinarian (OPV) and Negros Occidental Layers’ Association (NOLA) showed.

Lemana advised the province’s poultry raisers to provide their chickens with enough water mixed with sugar to maintain their energy amid intense and rising temperatures.

She also advised poultry raisers to reduce the number of chickens per cage for better ventilation.

Aside from smaller eggs and stunted chicken growth, Lemana said they have not documented chickens dying of heat stroke in the province.

Eric Magdato, an egg vendor at the Bacolod Central Market, confirmed that large eggs have become a rare sight in the public market where he works. 

Magdato, however, said he was told by suppliers that the egg sizes were being affected not necessarily because of the El Niño, but because of the aging chickens. He pointed out that it’s culling season now for old chickens. 

He said he and other vendors were also buying eggs from Bantayan Island in Cebu, and Barangay Dulao in Bago City. 

Aljun Cabalfin, the head cook at the Turf Cafe on San Juan Street, Bacolod, said the establishment was not affected by the shrinking eggs, because they prefer to serve medium-sized eggs, and these are available in the market. – Rappler.com