How Wild Pheasant Farming Can Achieve the Dream of Prosperity
When it comes to rural farming, the first things most people think of are pigs and sheep. But with social progress, farmers in the new era are no longer bound by tradition - they raise whatever is trending and whatever makes money. And so it happens that Chen Junhong, a young man returning to his hometown in Weigan Village, Yangxi Town, Yinjiang Autonomous County, has started raising wild pheasants at home.
On May 23, this writer walked into Chen Junhong's farm and saw the shed full of wild pheasants with sturdy bodies and brilliantly colored feathers. Some were leisurely pecking at wild grass, others were romping and playing, adding a touch of striking beauty to the quiet mountain countryside.
Chen Junhong is now 30 years old. After graduating from junior high school, he worked in Guangdong and Wenzhou successively. Ten years of arduous migrant work made him realize that working for others was not a long-term solution - to truly prosper, he had to start his own business. But what could make money in the countryside? Quick-witted Chen Junhong thought of the idle wasteland on the back hill of his hometown, so he went to Guangxi, Guiyang and other places to investigate and learn pheasant farming techniques.
Ten years of migrant work not only accumulated a great deal of business experience but also provided start-up capital. In June 2013, Chen Junhong took his years of savings from migrant work and, together with his fellow villager Deng Wenxin, invested 100,000 yuan to transfer over 40 mu of mountain land in Jiangjiaba Village and built a wild pheasant farm. After the farm was built, Chen Junhong purchased 1,200 pheasant chicks from Jiangmen, Guangdong for rearing. Due to inadequate insulation measures, quite a few wild pheasants fell ill and died.
"I bought back 1,200 wild pheasant chicks, and within a few days more than 400 had died. It felt like the sky had fallen on me - I was so devastated I wanted to die." When recalling to this writer the early days of raising wild pheasants, Chen Junhong's regret was written all over his face.
After this failure, Chen Junhong realized that the key to success in wild pheasant farming lies in technique. So whenever he had spare time, he buried himself in the village's farm library to study pheasant farming techniques.
"The wild pheasant farming site needs convenient transportation and ample water, and feed must be given in measured amounts. At the chick stage, 20-30 grams per day; at the young bird stage, 30-40 grams..." In front of the reporter, Chen Junhong already had an expert command of wild pheasant farming methods.
Through more than a year of exploration and study, Chen Junhong mastered solid wild pheasant farming techniques. He also raised free-range chickens on the side, and his farming scale grew from the original 1,000-plus birds to the current stock of more than 4,000. He became the town's best-known large-scale wild pheasant farmer. This year, Chen Junhong invested another 30,000 yuan to build a chick-rearing house, and has already bred more than 4,000 pheasant chicks, selling them to Wanshan, Yuping and surrounding townships.
"I want to further expand the farming scale, register a pheasant farming cooperative, and help the local people get rich." Talking about his next plans, Chen Junhong spoke with full confidence.
At present, Chen Junhong's Chuanhong Pheasant Farm has 350 breeding pheasants, 2,000 free-range chickens, and 1,500 chicks in stock. Pheasants sell for 80 yuan per kilogram, with annual income of more than 300,000 yuan.