Free-range native chickens under the trees peck open the door to prosperity
"Tweet, tweet, tweet..." On the evening of July 11, when the reporter visited the native chicken farm of Lükang Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. in Jiaozhuang Village, Dafengying Town, Sheqi County, it was just the fixed daily feeding time. At the sound of a whistle, more than 10,000 native chickens roaming deep in the woods rushed to the feed troughs like sprinters, "cluck, cluck, cluck..." "cock-a-doodle-doo..." Ten thousand chickens crowing together played a "pastoral symphony."
The one blowing the whistle was Li Songhai, manager of Lükang Company. He began returning home to start a business last year, using the open space under the trees to free-range ecological native chickens. At present, the farm has nearly 5,000 roosters and more than 10,000 hens, producing more than 4,000 eggs per day, with annual income of 500,000 to 600,000 yuan. This "post-80s" college graduate does not cling to the city but loves the countryside, taking root in the soil to create a path to wealth. Local people jokingly call him the "chicken commander."
"Now that living standards have improved, people generally pursue healthy food, and raising native chickens is a very good project." Like many young people in rural areas, Li Songhai had originally been working away from home. He found that city people were becoming more and more particular about "eating." In the market, a native rooster could sell for more than 100 yuan, and a native chicken egg sold for one or two yuan, and the sales were very good, so the idea of raising native chickens arose spontaneously.
Li Songhai never fought an unprepared battle. In his spare time, he bought books on breeding, collected relevant information online, and went to the market to conduct surveys whenever he had time. The good market prospects strengthened his confidence in raising native chickens even more, so he decided to resign from his job and return home to raise native chickens.
Around the Spring Festival of 2015, Li Songhai was not idle. He rented a large poplar grove at the entrance of the village, built chicken houses, put up fence netting, bought chicks, purchased feed, hired workers, and ran around handling procedures, working with great vigor. Before long, the chicken farm was completed, the sign of Lükang Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd. was put up, and the dream of ecological wealth was turning into reality step by step.
"Free-ranging in a natural environment allows the chickens to breathe fresh air and move freely, so the chickens have stronger immunity and are healthier. Apart from regularly feeding them pasture grass and baby bok choy, they usually catch insects and peck tender grass in the woods," Li Songhai said. The reporter saw that on the farm covering more than 50 mu, the chicken houses were clean and tidy, all relying on natural ventilation and natural lighting, and the temperature and humidity inside basically changed with the seasons, no different from the farmhouse rearing environment; in the woods, nearly 20,000 native chickens foraged freely in the grass, all with red combs and strong bodies, and the chicken manure was returned directly to the fields; while more than 10 mu of high-quality pasture grass planted at the edge of the woods provided the essential natural feed for the growth of the native chickens. To add nutrition for the chickens, Li Songhai regularly blew the whistle every day as the "assembly call" for an extra meal. The "menu" consisted of original ecological feed such as bran, corn, and soybean meal, ensuring the meat and egg quality of the native chickens, and the products were also in short supply.
"The native chickens we raise, the roosters can be sold in markets in surrounding counties and cities, while all the eggs are sold online, mainly supplying markets in southern cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou," Li Songhai said. In the packaging workshop beside the farm, three or four workers divided the work in an orderly way. Some were specially taking orders online, and some were sorting and packing eggs, busy beyond measure. Dozens of boxes of eggs were stacked neatly, waiting to be shipped out.
"In the past, when I worked for others, although the wages were not low, the time was tightly controlled, and I always felt uncomfortable; now I raise chickens at my doorstep, and whether I earn more or less, it is all my own, and it does not delay taking care of my family. The key is that I feel secure in my heart," Li Songhai said. "Free-range" native chickens "gather" wealth. Relying on a good ecological environment, scientific breeding methods, and a "fashionable" sales model, Li Songhai used free-range native chickens under the trees to "peck" open the door to prosperity and realize his dream of building wealth. "Next, I also want to contribute to targeted poverty alleviation, so that the poor people in the village can make 'chicken wealth' together with me and shake off poverty and become well-off as soon as possible."