Detailed Explanation of Key Technical Points for Raising Free-Range Chickens in Tea Gardens

    Raising chickens in tea gardens can reduce pest and weed problems in the tea garden, increase organic fertilizer for the tea garden, loosen the soil, improve the soil properties of the tea garden, reduce feed, lower feeding costs, and improve the taste quality of the chicken meat.
    1. Breed selection: Raising chickens in tea gardens is a feeding method based mainly on grazing, supplemented by housed feeding. Because the production environment is relatively extensive, local chicken breeds with strong adaptability, strong disease resistance, tolerance to coarse feed, and diligence in foraging should be selected for raising.
  2. Site selection: The selected tea garden should be a certain distance away from the village, with convenient transportation, high and dry terrain, and good ventilation and light. The ground should be sandy loam or loam, not previously contaminated by infectious disease or parasite pathogens, with good air permeability and water permeability. Such soil drains well, has low thermal conductivity, and microorganisms are not easy to reproduce, meeting hygiene requirements. There should be sufficient water sources for the chickens to drink, and the water should not contain pathogens or food, have no foul or unusual odor, and be clear.
  3. Chicken house construction: In the central section of the tea garden where the chickens are released, choose a suitably wind-sheltered and flat place, and build a simple chicken house with a single-slope roof about 2 m high, a span of 5-6 m, and a length of 10-30 m using earth walls or brick and wood as well as felt. The floor should be paved with sandy soil or cement. The chicken house should face south from the north or face southeast from the northwest.
  4. Release methods
    1. Grazing: When chicks are first released into the tea garden, the feed troughs and drinkers should be placed about 1 m near the chicken house for the first 5 days so they can become familiar with the environment. During these 5 days, feed them according to the original brooding frequency, and afterward the feeding frequency can be gradually reduced. When the weather is clear, release the flock from the chicken house in the early morning, and drive the flock back into the chicken house in the evening when it gradually gets dark. On rainy days, if the chickens' feathers are already full, the chicken house door can still be opened and they can be allowed to move in and out freely. Otherwise, the flock should not be released. If the weather suddenly changes, the chickens should be called back in time.
  2. Supplementary feeding: The flock can be fed an appropriate amount of compound feed first every morning before grazing, and then given 1 more supplementary feeding after the flock is called back in the evening. The amount of supplementary feeding should vary with the season. For example, in autumn and winter, when weeds and insects in the tea garden are scarce, the amount of supplementary feeding can be appropriately increased, while in spring and summer it can be appropriately reduced.
  3. Epidemic prevention and disease control: A complete set of scientific immunization procedures must be established, and vaccination should be carried out regularly. Vaccination of the flock is generally carried out after the flock returns to the coop at night.
  5. Precautions: When pesticides are sprayed on tea trees to control pests and diseases, the flock should first be driven to a safe place to avoid them. If there is heavy rain, they can be kept away for 2-3 days; if it is sunny, this should be appropriately extended by 1-2 days to prevent the chickens from eating pesticide-sprayed leaves, green grass, and other things and being poisoned. After the flock is sold, the tea garden should be cleaned up, and the ground can be disinfected by splashing quicklime or lime milk. After raising each batch of chickens, there should be an interval before raising again. After one batch is raised in one tea garden, it should be left idle for a period, and another tea garden should be found for raising, which is the so-called "rotational grazing."
The above content is for reference only.