Production and economic performance of broiler farms at different altitude: A case study of Paranje partnership in West Java

Abstract

The altitude of closed house poultry farms affects broiler chicken performance through changes in temperature, humidity, and oxygen levels. Although the closed house system is designed to stabilize the internal microclimate, the external environment influences the physiology of chickens at different altitudes. This study examined the effect of farm altitude on broiler performance and partner farmers' revenue within the Parenje partnership system in the West Java Province. This research was conducted using secondary data from the Paranje Partnership in West Java Province between 2022 and 2024. The data were grouped based on the altitude of the farm as follows: P1 (≤300 m), P2 (301–600 m), and P3 (>600 m). Each group consisted of 210 best performance records over three years, totaling 630 data points. The observed parameters included feed consumption, harvest weight, harvest age, depletion, feed conversion ratio (FCR), performance index (IP), and farmer revenue per chicken. The data were processed descriptively and are presented in the tables. The results showed that farms in P1 achieved the most efficient feed consumption, highest harvest weight, lowest FCR, and the highest IP and revenue. Conversely, farms in P3 recorded the lowest performance and revenue owing to environmental pressure. IP proved to be the main indicator of technical efficiency and was highly correlated with farmers’ revenue. The conclusion of this study is that the altitude of poultry houses affects technical performance and profitability of broiler production, with P1 being the best recommendation.