Pingliang City, Gansu: Rare Bird Farming in Kongtong District Opens the Door to Prosperity
Wild geese being fed at the Xigou Rare Bird Farm.
On October 14, walking into the rare bird farm located in Xigou Village, Kongtong Town, Kongtong District, a colorful kingdom of rare birds appeared before the reporter: brightly feathered pheasants chased one another, beautiful blue peafowl strolled elegantly, and Silkie chickens clucked as they foraged...
"I have been raising rare birds for three years, mainly peafowl, wild geese, Silkie chickens, golden pheasants and other rare bird breeds. A batch was just sent to market a few days ago, and there are still nearly 3,000 in the farm now," Zhai Tao, head of the Xigou Village Rare Bird Farm, told the reporter.
Zhai Tao, 37 this year, is a native of Xigou Village, Kongtong Town. On one occasion while working away from home, he saw that as people's living standards rose, demand for rare birds was growing, and rare bird farming had high output and good returns with broad market prospects, which sparked a strong interest in rare bird farming in him. So starting in 2009, he began with Silkie chickens and tried small-scale farming, gradually tasting the sweetness of raising rare birds. In May 2013, after coordination by the town and village, Zhai Tao relied on the former site of the old Xigou Primary School, used more than 40 abandoned old school buildings, invested 1 million yuan, and registered and established the Pingliang City Xigou Rare Bird Farming Farmers' Professional Cooperative, engaging in the rearing, breeding, hatching and promotion of rare birds.
"Pheasants and Silkie chickens can sell for 120 yuan each, wild geese for 600 yuan each, and pheasant eggs and Silkie eggs also sell well in large supermarkets!" Zhai Tao told the reporter that because these rare birds are raised purely naturally, they are highly favored by nearby restaurants and tourists, and annual sales revenue can reach more than 800,000 yuan.
Rare bird farming has made life increasingly comfortable for Zhai Tao's family. Speaking of his next plans, he was full of confidence: "Our village is close to the Kongtong Mountain scenic area, with unique advantages. Next year I plan to expand the scale further and develop more villagers to run it together and get rich together!"