Young man starts a business raising small partridge chickens, with annual sales reaching 18 million yuan
In 2015, Zhou Xianhua returned to Jiangxi and began learning to raise Chongren partridge chickens. In the early days of starting his business, he encountered many difficulties, and the first batch of more than 200 partridge chickens he raised all died. In order to raise the chickens well, Zhou Xianhua increased his investment in technology-based chicken farming. This year, Zhou Xianhua's ecological Chongren partridge chicken farm expanded to 500 mu, with 100,000 ecological Chongren partridge chickens ready for market, which can achieve sales revenue of 18 million yuan and profit of 3.2 million yuan.
Zhou Xianhua, who was discharged from the military in November 2011, worked for many years at multiple enterprises in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan and other places. In 2015, Zhou Xianhua resolutely returned to his hometown and went back to Chongren County, Jiangxi Province, to begin learning to raise Chongren partridge chickens with his uncle, and in March 2016 he established the Shancao Ecological Partridge Chicken Breeding Cooperative.
Zhou Xianhua built his chicken farm on the summit of a "single-slope" mountain, surrounded on all sides by large mountains, with a winding village-level road running from outside the mountains all the way to his chicken farm. The chicken farm uses fully enclosed pen raising. On the east and west sides are two rows of four earthen houses each, which can provide shelter from rain and warmth for the chickens. Walls are built on the north and south sides, and in the middle is a spacious drying yard, enclosed with nylon netting.
Speaking of the confusion and setbacks when he decided to start his business, Zhou Xianhua recounted them one by one as if counting his treasures. Before being discharged from the military, Zhou Xianhua had also hesitated, mainly due to worries in five aspects: First, he worried that he did not understand chicken-raising techniques and was afraid of encountering large-scale infectious diseases such as chicken plague during the breeding process. Second, he worried that the sales market conditions would be poor; if he raised too many chickens, what would he do if he could not sell them? Third, he worried that entrepreneurship policies would not allow it, since raising chickens does cause some environmental pollution. Fourth, he worried about site and funding issues. There were many farmers near his home, the site was limited, and would the villagers agree? Besides, although his classmates and comrades-in-arms had been working away from home these past few years and had earned quite a bit of money, he himself was not well-off financially, so where would he get the funds to invest in building a chicken farm? Fifth, he worried that his elderly father would not agree, because large-scale chicken raising after all carries great risk, and if it went badly, the whole family would be dragged down with it.
After returning to his hometown, Zhou Xianhua first sought out the leaders of the then Labor and Employment Bureau and made clear his determination to start a business at his doorstep, hoping to receive government support, mainly support in terms of policy and the entrepreneurial environment. Facing this outstanding young man who was ambitious and determined to build a career, the county entrepreneurship guidance center, the small-sum guarantee center, and village and group officials as well as local villagers all unhesitatingly extended a helping hand.
Soon, with the help and guarantees of the government, relatives and friends, Zhou Xianhua obtained a loan of 100,000 yuan and finally got the chicken farm running smoothly. In the early days of starting his business, Zhou Xianhua encountered many difficulties and setbacks. For example, when the chickens got sick, he could not buy medicine locally to treat chicken diseases, could not make timely and accurate diagnoses of the chickens, and there were no professionals nearby to provide support. He did not know how to mix feed or determine proportions, was unclear about disinfection and epidemic prevention measures, and knew nothing at all about hatching techniques, selection of breeding eggs, warmth keeping and feeding management of chicks. He was completely in the dark and understood none of it, so the first batch of more than 200 partridge chickens he raised all died.
However, Zhou Xianhua was indeed an outstanding young man who was diligent in learning, willing to delve into things, and down-to-earth in doing work. In order to raise the chickens well and run the chicken farm well, he thought of many methods and also increased his investment in technology-based chicken farming. He successively went to Wuhan, Yichang and surrounding townships to extensively inspect chicken farms and sales markets, and gained a certain understanding of scientific chicken raising.
In addition, he specifically bought a color TV and a set of satellite dish antenna, insisted on watching CCTV's "Nongguang Tiandi", "Zhifu Jing" and agricultural wealth-building programs produced by other local TV stations every day, and also bought study materials such as "Treatment and Prevention of Chicken Diseases", "Feeding and Management of Partridge Chickens", "Hatching of Poultry Eggs and Feeding of Chicks" and an old laptop. Through careful study of book knowledge and consulting online materials, he continuously improved his ability to raise chickens scientifically. In particular, the feeding method he developed using pine needle powder combined with leaf mold soil enabled his Three Gorges native chickens to achieve the goal of growing well and quickly, giving wings to his chicken-raising business.
This year, Zhou Xianhua's ecological Chongren partridge chicken farm expanded to 500 mu; it has built 200 sq m of ecological Chongren partridge chicken brooding sheds, 2,000 sq m of growing chicken sheds, 700 sq m of egg-laying sheds, 150 sq m of feed warehouses, 600 sq m of office space, and 150 sq m of other ancillary rooms. The Shancao Ecological Partridge Chicken Breeding Cooperative currently has fixed assets of 22 million yuan, 2 senior livestock and veterinary physicians, 2 professional technical personnel, and 15 specialized breeding households. This year it can bring 100,000 ecological Chongren partridge chickens to market, achieve sales revenue of 18 million yuan, and profit of 3.2 million yuan. The cooperative's ecological Chongren partridge chickens have also signed assistance contracts with 3 migrants and 8 poor households, and plans to use 3-5 years to help them escape poverty and become prosperous.
After the storm comes the rainbow. During the breeding process, because he did not understand this industry at the beginning, had never been exposed to it, and did not understand the techniques, he looked for technical materials to self-study, learned through radio and television, and consulted relevant technical personnel. With everyone's support, he set up this chicken farm and achieved returns that same year. Zhou Xianhua realized his dream of becoming prosperous at his doorstep.