Text: Panda Science Popularization Officer
Editor|Panda Science Popularization Officer
The demand for chicken in our country is very large, and there are countless people in China who don't need to think about eating chicken every day, which also makes the quantity of chicken in short supply. Fortunately, a chicken has been developed that grows fast and is easy to feed, and most importantly has delicious meat.
But it took a long time for our country to develop this kind of chicken, so what exactly is this chicken, have you ever eaten it?
What are the common types of chickens in China?
In the treasure trove of rich and diverse Chinese chicken breeds, there are also some special chicken breeds worth mentioning, just like the breeding environment of Shandong Shouguang chicken is one of its unique qualities.
The paddy field township where Shouguang chicken is located is located in a hilly area, with fertile soil and abundant brine resources, which makes Shouguang chicken have a natural source of nutrition and make its meat more tender and delicious.
The Xinghua chicken, located in Fengkai County, Guangdong, is also unique in its special size. Xinghua chicken is small and well-proportioned, agile, although small, but the meat is delicious, widely popular, the chicks mainly show light yellow down feathers, making the Xinghua chicken also unique in appearance.
Surprisingly, the demand for seasonal chickens varies from season to season and from season to season, and it is also important to consider which breeds of chickens are more popular in which season. For example, in winter, many people will choose to eat Gushi chicken, Gushi chicken meat is delicate, green and yellow, because the winter is cold, eating warm Gushi chicken can help the body to drive away the cold and warm the stomach.
In traditional Chinese clothing, some images of chickens are also used, and the Huiyang bearded chicken gets its name from the open whisker-like feathers below its neck. It is produced in the Huizhou area, which is the birthplace of traditional Chinese clothing culture, and the Huiyang bearded chicken under the influence of Lingnan culture is not only attractive with red arms, but also reminiscent of strong traditional clothing.
Through an in-depth understanding of China's rich and diverse treasure trove of chicken breeds, people can not only taste their own unique cuisine, but also feel the regionality and diversity of Chinese food culture.
Each breed exudes the charm of the corresponding region, they are the precious resources and cultural inheritance of China's chicken industry, and they are also an indispensable and important part of food culture.
But the demand for chicken in our country is very large, so there is a need for a chicken breed with high yield and fast growth, but this kind of chicken has taken hundreds of years to be successfully cultivated, this chicken is the white feather chicken!
The market demand for fast-growing white feather chickens and the challenges of China
The white-feathered chicken, also known as the broiler, is a poultry breed that is popular in the market because of its fast growth rate and delicious meat. In China, this chicken is known for its fast growth rate, its abundance of meat and its ease of farming.
Therefore, this kind of chicken has become a frequent guest on people's tables, but this kind of chicken needs to rely on imported breeding sources for a long time, and China is facing a lot of challenges in the field of white-feathered chicken breeding. The rapid growth of white-feathered chickens has caused concern among some consumers, with some mistakenly believing that their rapid growth is due to hormone use.
But in fact, this is the genes of the breeder, coupled with scientific nutrition and advanced management technology, so that it can meet the market standard in just 40 to 45 days. Moreover, the nutritional value of white-feathered chicken cannot be ignored, and its low-fat and low-cholesterol characteristics make it the best choice for a healthy diet.
Although white-feathered chickens occupy an important position in the market, due to the long-term dependence on imported breeders, China's independent breeding capacity in this field needs to be improved urgently, and hundreds of millions of yuan need to be spent on breeding chickens every year, which prompts domestic enterprises and research institutions to strive to break through the bottleneck of provenance technology.
It was not until 2019 that a Chinese company successfully conquered the breeding technology of white-feathered broilers, marking a major breakthrough in the field of white-feathered chicken breeding in China.
In the breeding process, Chinese farmers are gradually adopting intensive and large-scale breeding models, and using advanced equipment and automation technology to improve breeding efficiency. At the same time, with the improvement of cultural level and professional knowledge, the new generation of farmers pay more attention to disease prevention and health care, and the application of traditional Chinese medicine is gradually increasing, effectively reducing the occurrence and spread of diseases.
As an excellent breed of white feather chicken, white feather chicken has significant advantages in the market, but China's dependence on white feather chicken provenance needs to be solved urgently, through technological innovation and industrial upgrading, China is expected to play a greater role in the global white feather chicken market.
White-feathered chickens have leaped from relying on imports to independent breeding
Because of its unique characteristics, the white feather chicken has become the darling of the global poultry industry, and it is precisely because of these factors that the white feather chicken has also become a frequent guest on the table of countries around the world. In China, white-feathered chickens occupy half of the chicken market, but for a long time, the breeding rights of white-feathered chickens in China have been controlled by European and American countries, and this situation has only changed in recent years.
White-feathered broilers once entered the Chinese market for the first time, and quickly won the love of Chinese consumers with their unique taste and fast slaughter time. However, with the surge in demand, the breeding problem of Chinese white-feathered chickens has become increasingly prominent. For a long time, 100% of China's white-feathered chicken breeds have been imported, which not only leads to the domestic market being affected by external factors, but also brings biosecurity risks.
In this context, Chinese enterprises and scientific research institutions have begun to independently develop the provenance of white-feathered chickens. After years of hard work, China finally achieved self-sufficiency in the breeding source of white-feathered chickens in 2020. This means that China is no longer subject to foreign breeding technology and can independently control the development direction of the white feather chicken industry.
However, China's white feather chicken industry is not all smooth sailing, in the past period, due to the unstable supply of seed sources, China's chicken market has seen large fluctuations, imported original breeders often carry a variety of diseases, to China's biosecurity has brought great challenges.
But all this has become a thing of the past, and now China is gradually realizing the independence of the white feather chicken industry, injecting new vitality into the global white feather chicken industry. It is worth mentioning that the popularity of white feather chickens in China is very high, and white feather chickens are very popular in the Chinese market, and it is on a par with yellow feather chickens.
However, the growth rate of the white feather chicken is fast, its meat is very hungry and delicious, and it has become a hot product in the Chinese market, whether it is a vegetable market, a supermarket, or a fast food industry, you can see the white feather chicken.
It is suitable for the growth environment of white-feathered chickens
In the process of white feather chicken breeding, the requirements of the chicken house are particularly important. It is necessary not only to pay attention to warmth and ventilation, but also to make reasonable use of light. Bright light has an important impact on the living Xi of white-feathered chickens, which can promote their normal activities and eating behaviors. Therefore, in the design of the chicken house, it is necessary to consider suitable windows or skylights to ensure that there is enough light in the chicken house.
In addition to the requirements of the chicken house, brooding management is also a part of the white feather chicken breeding process that requires special attention. Before the chicks enter the coop, preparations should be carried out in advance to provide them with a suitable warm environment.
Careful keepers need to preheat the house to the right temperature, so that the chicks are not exposed to cold temperatures when they are in the house. However, temperature control during the brooding stage is very important and should be scientifically adjusted according to the growth and development of chicks and changes in temperature. Proper humidity control is also key to ensuring healthy chick growth.
There is also a rational use of drugs is also a need for special attention in white feather chicken breeding, there is no threat of disease in the white feather chicken can grow healthily, so regular vaccination and preventive medication is essential. At the same time, it is necessary to follow the guidance of the veterinarian to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the dosage and time of medication, and also to do a good job in the hygiene management of the environment in the house to reduce the risk of pathogenic bacteria transmission.
And the control of the level of nutrition is also an important part of the white feather chicken breeding, the young and middle-aged white feather chickens have a greater demand for protein and amino acids, so the feed needs to be rich in high-quality protein, rich in vitamins and minerals feed is also indispensable, reasonable feed ratio can promote the growth and development of white feather chickens, improve breeding efficiency.
Therefore, understanding the living Xi and breeding points of white-feathered chickens can not only better manage the breeding process, but also improve the health of white-feathered chickens, pay attention to the requirements of the chicken house, scientific brood management, rational use of drugs and master good feeding skills are the key to ensure the success of breeding.