Raising over a thousand peacocks, villagers became rich and were hailed as the Peacock King

He Xiaogang, a villager from Dawei Village, Zhangqiao Township, Zhecheng County, has raised nearly 2,000 blue peacocks (Pavo cristatus). They have not only become a sight in the village, but have also made him rich, earning him the title "Peacock King." Today, he has registered and established a professional cooperative for peacock breeding, preparing to lead the villagers to wealth together.

Recently, a reporter came to He Xiaogang's breeding farm and saw several hundred blue peacocks. He Xiaogang said his wife even specifically learned to make specimens. "Many companies call to place orders, but only peacocks at least 3 years old can be made into specimens. Our scale is limited, so we cannot take large numbers of orders."

It is understood that He Xiaogang is 53 years old and has raised laying hens for twenty to thirty years. Five years ago, he began raising blue peacocks. "Raising peacocks is much simpler than raising chickens. After two years of raising them, I saw results and the returns were good, so I bought some more. Now I have raised more than 1,800, of which more than 400 are breeding peacocks," He Xiaogang said.

The blue peacock is valuable from head to toe. It can not only be enjoyed for viewing, but peacock eggs, peacock specimens and so on can also be sold. The peacock chicks that He Xiaogang has bred are sold to Wuhan, Guangzhou and other places. Many villagers call him the "Peacock King."

He Xiaogang told the reporter that raising blue peacocks is a niche business, and many people do not understand it and dare not raise them. Some people believe that eating blue peacocks is illegal, but in fact, domestic blue peacocks can be sold and eaten.

The reporter learned from the Shangqiu Municipal Forestry Bureau that the green peacock (Pavo muticus) is a national first-class protected animal and hunting and killing it is strictly prohibited; the blue peacock is a rare semi-herbivorous non-protected animal that can be raised and eaten.

He Xiaogang's breeding farm has already obtained a business license and a wildlife domestication and breeding license. This year, he also registered and established a peacock breeding cooperative, preparing to lead nearby villagers to raise peacocks together and provide villagers with one-stop services such as technology and disease prevention.