Free-range chickens sold online are in short supply, and sales prospects continue to look good
As the Spring Festival approaches, more and more customers are buying free-range chickens online, and Yan Qinghua, a villager from Lianhua Village, Shuanglu Town, Fengdu County, is busier than ever. On January 21, when this writer went to interview him, he was luring free-range chickens by scattering feed, preparing to slaughter them, vacuum-pack them and send them out by express delivery with ice packs to keep them fresh.
Lianhua Village sits at an altitude of more than 1,100 m, with rich forest vegetation, fresh air and a sparse population over a wide area. In April 2016, Yan Qinghua took advantage of the local favorable conditions and raised free-range chickens in line with local conditions, investing more than 300,000 yuan to buy the relevant equipment and facilities. The free-range chickens he raises are never fed hormones or feed from chick to adult; they are mainly raised free-range in woodland, and their meat is delicious, with rich broth, much tastier than broiler chickens.
At present, the more than 8,000 free-range chickens raised by Yan Qinghua have gradually reached a body weight of around 4 jin each, which is the best time for them to be ready for market. It is understood that in recent days, the market price of free-range chickens has risen to a maximum of 24 yuan/jin. Although a road has been built in the village, connecting it to the town and the county seat, the journey is relatively long, and retail sales of free-range chickens are not large either.
"In response to this situation, my younger brother and sister-in-law took the initiative to help me open up an online sales channel for free-range chickens. At first, customers still had doubts, but we have always done business with an honest approach, and gradually business got better. Especially in the past few days, more than 50 customer visits a day have come to buy free-range chickens from us." Yan Qinghua said that more than 3,000 free-range chickens have now been sold online.
It is understood that each live free-range chicken Yan Qinghua sells online weighs 4 jin, with a retail price of 128 yuan each (including packaging and express delivery fees). Because online sales are relatively large, Yan Qinghua cannot handle it all himself, so he has also hired a laborer specifically responsible for slaughtering the free-range chickens. He and his family only handle the packaging, then transport them to the county seat and send them out by express delivery. Generally, they are shipped the same day, and customers outside the city can receive them on the third day.
"Based on the information currently available, it is expected that in the three days before New Year's Eve, there will be a peak in online sales of free-range chickens, possibly selling around 300 a day. For this reason, we have made full preparations to ensure that the free-range chicken meat is delivered quickly and promptly to customers." Yan Qinghua said.