Guangde Maotui Chicken

Guangde Maotui Chicken

Guangde Maotui Chicken is a product with a geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Guangde Maotui Chicken is a specialty of Guangde County, Xuancheng City, Anhui Province. "Guangde Maotui Chicken" is an old local breed from the mountainous areas of the county, nicknamed "Maotui" (hairy legs) because of the tuft of hair growing between its legs and feet. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was once an imperial tribute. Guangde Maotui Chicken is favored by consumers in Shanghai, Nanjing, and other areas due to its active lifestyle, less greasy meat, and higher nutritional value. It is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Guangde Maotui Chicken is a rare breed originating from the mountainous southern region of Guangde County, dating back to the Neolithic Age (approximately 5,000 years ago), when humans first settled in the area. Pottery patterns from the ancient Xiayang site (now Maotian Village in Guangde County) depict how humans gradually domesticated the fiercely wild "junglefowl" of the mountains into what is now known as the "Maotui Chicken." This chicken is famous for its densely feathered legs and preference for roosting in tree branches. In the second year of the Ming Dynasty's founding, in the spring or summer of 1368, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, who had proclaimed himself emperor in Yingtian (present-day Nanjing) on the fourth day of the first lunar month, visited Guangde again in the company of his close aides including Liu Bowen. After ascending the summit of Hengshan Mountain and paying homage to the Temple Mountain God, he inspected the local conditions in Maotian, southern Guangde. The imperial visit drew much public attention, and local gentry served the emperor with Maotui Chicken raised in their homes. Pleased with the taste, the emperor decreed that Guangde’s "Maotui Chicken" be included as an imperial tribute. To this day, locals still refer to serving chicken to honored guests as "catching a Maotui."

　　"Guangde Maotui Chicken" is an old local breed from the mountainous areas of our county, nicknamed "Maotui" (hairy legs) because of the tuft of hair growing between its legs and feet. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was once an imperial tribute. The "Guangde Maotui Chicken" raised through ecological free-range farming by the Southern Anhui Bamboo Village Specialty Production and Sales Cooperative is favored by consumers in Shanghai, Nanjing, and other areas due to its active lifestyle, less greasy meat, and higher nutritional value. It has now passed organic food certification.

　　In 2013, the "Guangde Maotui Chicken" applied for by the Anhui Southern Anhui Bamboo Village Specialty Production and Sales Professional Cooperative passed the review of the Agricultural Products Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, and was registered and protected as a national geographical indication for agricultural products.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Guangde County is located in the southeast of Anhui Province, at the junction of eight counties across Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces. It borders Changxing County and Anji County of Zhejiang Province to the east, Liyang City and Yixing City (both county-level cities of Jiangsu Province) to the northeast, Langxi County of Anhui Province to the north, Xuancheng District of Xuancheng City, Anhui Province, to the west, and Ningguo City (a county-level city of Anhui Province) to the south. The county covers a total land area of 2,165 square kilometers and has a population of 510,000. The specific geographical area protected for the Guangde Maotui Chicken agricultural product geographical indication includes six townships: Dongting Township, Lücun Township, Sihe Township, Yangtan Township, Baidian Town, and Shijie Town, encompassing a total of 58 administrative villages. The protected geographical scope is between 30°70′22″N and 30°94′95″N, stretching 88 km from north to south and 65 km from east to west.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) Appearance Characteristics: Guangde Maotui Chicken is a dual-purpose breed for meat and eggs. It has a compact body type. Its head is of moderate size, with a single upright comb consisting of 6–7 points; the comb leaves and wattles are bright red, and the earlobes are red in 60–70% of cases, with orange-yellow irises. The beak is wax-yellow, slightly longer on the upper part and curved downward. The chest is deep and slightly protruding forward. Adult chickens have light yellow feathers, golden-yellow neck feathers, black primary wing feathers and tail feathers, or feathers with half-black vanes. They have yellow shanks and yellow claws, with slender shank bones and dense shank feathers. Adult roosters are robust and majestic, with a saddle-shaped body; their shank bones are 11.6±1.3 cm long, and there are 10–12 feathered segments 3 cm below the ankle joint on the outer side of the shank. Adult hens have a plump body, with shank bones 10.8±0.7 cm long and 8–10 feathered segments 2.5 cm below the ankle joint on the outer side of the shank. Chicks have light yellow or grayish-yellow feathers, with downy feathers distributed on the shanks. (2) Poultry Meat Internal Indicators: The meat is delicious and tender, with a pleasant flavor. Testing shows glutamic acid content ≥3.3%, cystine content ≥0.08%, lysine content ≥2.0%, and proline content ≥0.4%; muscle protein content is ≥21%, and total amino acid content is ≥21.2%. (3) Safety Requirements: The production of Guangde Maotui Chicken strictly complies with laws, regulations, and industry standards such as the "Animal Epidemic Prevention Law of the People's Republic of China," the "Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Law of the People's Republic of China," and the "GB/T18406.3—2001 Safety Requirements for Pollution-Free Livestock and Poultry Meat Products," ensuring product quality and safety.