Zheng Silu's Ecological Chicken Farming Experience in Meidafan Village, Lanxi
Zheng Silu of Meidafan Village, Duntou Town, Lanxi City, contracted 20 mu of abandoned orange orchard in early 2001 and founded "Lanyuan Ecological Farm of Lanxi City." He introduced 1,900 Lingnan chicks from Guangdong, sold 1,740 meat chickens, and earned a gross profit of nearly 10,000 yuan. In 2003, he raised 1,050 chickens and had sold 978, earning a gross profit of over 6,000 yuan; the second batch of 2,090 chickens had also been introduced and raised, estimated to yield a profit of over 12,000 yuan. Moreover, the chickens ate insects and grass in the orange orchard and ginger fields, saving the labor cost of intertillage and weeding, and chicken manure fertilized the fields, saving over 500 yuan in fertilizer and pesticide costs, achieving a double harvest of economic and ecological benefits.
1. Centralized Brooding and Careful Feeding
To improve the survival rate of chicks, Zheng Silu made full preparations for brooding before introducing the chickens, adjusting the brooding room temperature to 30-32°C. He and his wife took turns on duty, observing the chicks' condition every 1-2h and feeding them once each time. Thanks to careful raising and scientific management, the chick survival rate was above 94%.
2. Formulating an Immunization Program and Implementing Planned Immunization
Whether chicken farming can be profitable depends on the survival rate as the foundation, with disease prevention being the key. Based on the characteristics of his ecological farming, Zheng Silu formulated an immunization program: after hatching, chicks were injected with Marek's vaccine at the hatchery; on the 8th d, Newcastle disease vaccine was administered via nasal drops; on the 10th d, bursal disease vaccine was administered via eye drops; at 16d, fowl pox vaccine was administered by needle; at around 50d, bursal disease vaccine was given again in drinking water; at 60d, Newcastle disease vaccine was injected intramuscularly.
3. Implementing Ecological Farming and Providing Green Products
To ensure the quality of the meat chickens and provide green products free of drug residues, Zheng Silu brooded the chicks until 25-30d, when each bird weighed over 0.35kg, then drove the chickens to the orchard for free-range raising, gradually reducing the amount of mixed feed. After 80 days of age, mixed feed was stopped entirely, and they were fed only raw grains such as corn and rice. In the orchard, the chickens mainly ate weeds and insects. Due to their high activity level, their muscles were well-developed and firm, they rarely got sick, and basically no veterinary drugs were used. After 4 months of free-range raising, they were sold when they reached a weight of 1.5-2kg, and were highly favored by consumers.