Ecological Chicken Farming Helps Huang Ying Open Up a Path to Prosperity
"Boss Huang, I want 26 Luhua free-range mountain chickens tomorrow." "Sure! You're an old customer, so I'll give you a discounted price, 98 yuan each, and I'll pick out the biggest ones for you!" On February 6, Huang Ying, head of the Yepu Ecological Free-Range Mountain Chicken Professional Cooperative in Xiangzhai Village, Baofei Town, Renshou County, received a call early in the morning from someone wanting to buy "ecological free-range mountain chickens."
Huang Ying's professional cooperative is in Group 5 of Xiangzhai Village, and the chicken farm year-round raises different breeds of ecological free-range mountain chickens, including Luhua chickens, silkie chickens and yellow crossbred chickens. Huang Ying, 36, told reporters that she had previously worked in Guangdong, Chengdu and other places, but because her parents at home were elderly and her children were still young, and she herself also wanted to return to her hometown to develop her career, after much investigation and taking local conditions into account, she returned home at the end of 2012 and began raising free-range mountain chickens.
Huang Ying initially bought only more than 100 breeding chickens, letting them build nests and lay eggs on the mountain and hatch chicks, and afterward she also developed breeds such as silkie chickens and yellow crossbred chickens. Starting in April 2015, she has been able to sell more than 4,000 free-range mountain chickens and more than 40,000 eggs each year. Now, Huang Ying has begun a household order-based farming model and has established a professional native chicken farming cooperative, extending its reach to neighboring villages and communities such as Yonggu Village and Donghua Village. "When I first started the business, I encountered many bottlenecks and difficulties, and there were many times when I wanted to give up, but I gritted my teeth and persevered." Huang Ying sighed that no pain, no gain, and that only after shedding too much sweat did she achieve today's results.
"Our free-range mountain chickens are raised freely on the mountain land and grow among the trees. They mainly eat wild grass and insects, supplemented with corn, wheat and rice, and enjoy growing conditions similar to those of wild birds, so the meat is tender." Huang Ying said that the "free-range mountain chickens" at 98 yuan each sell very well, and many buyers are repeat customers. A barren mountain has become a "mountain of gold" because free-range mountain chickens are raised there.
Only by continuous learning can one make progress. Huang Ying not only understands farming techniques, but also online sales. The cooperative's "ecological free-range mountain chickens" are sold through the "JD.com" e-commerce platform to major hotels, farm stays and residents' homes both inside and outside the county. Orders placed on the first day can be delivered to guests' dining tables the next day. The Spring Festival period is the peak sales season, and Huang Ying's biggest worry is that the cooperative's "free-range mountain chickens" are not enough to sell.
In addition, as the head of the cooperative, Huang Ying also proactively provides chicks and on-site guidance services to poor households. Wang Bing, a villager in Group 11 of Xiangzhai Village, became poor because of long-term illness. Under Huang Ying's guidance and support, in 2016 he raised more than 40 free-range mountain chickens and increased his family's income. Now, 10 poor households like Wang Bing have become Huang Ying's "assistance targets."