Kang Le Yellow Chicken

Kang Le Yellow Chicken

　　Breeding History

　　 The Kang Le Yellow Chicken, originally known as Kang Le San Huang Chicken, is a specialty of Wanzi County with over 1,700 years of free-range breeding history in rural areas. Known for its yellow appearance, tender meat, and richly flavored broth, it was favored by Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty, who bestowed it with its name and designated it as an imperial tribute. During the 1950s and 1960s, the Kang Le Yellow Chicken was exported to Hong Kong, where it became a highly sought-after product among residents, selling for over 20 Hong Kong dollars per kilogram.

　　 The Kang Le Yellow Chicken is primarily characterized by its yellow beak, feathers, feet, and skin. It has a delicate head, bright eyes with orange irises, and a single upright comb that is bright red with 6–11 “V” shaped notches. Its wattles are moderate in size and bright red, and its earlobes are red. Roosters are robust with loud crowing, sporting brown or reddish-brown feathers and an upright tail. Hens have a graceful build, move lightly, feature orange-yellow feathers, and have rounded tail feathers.

　　 Breeding Methods

　　 During the incubation stage, farmers traditionally rely on broody hens to hatch eggs, mostly in early spring (February to March). It is believed that spring chicks are more disease-resistant, grow faster, mature earlier, and lay more eggs. Many also hatch chicks in May to June (new rice season), August to September (osmanthus season), and October (winter). Each clutch typically consists of about 20 eggs, taking 21 days to hatch. Due to the presence of infertile eggs—commonly called “widow eggs”—the hatching rate is around 90%. Since the 1990s, the county’s livestock and poultry breeding farm has introduced advanced equipment, using incubators capable of hatching thousands or even tens of thousands of eggs at once, solving the issue of large-scale breeding. Brooding and Rearing Stage For the first 2–7 days after hatching, due to their sparse down and sensitivity to cold, farmers often place the broody hen and chicks together in wooden basins or baskets padded with straw. The chicks are fed soaked, finely ground rice water 5–6 times a day. To prevent diarrhea, chopped garlic, chili, or antibacterial agents may be mixed in. After about half a month, the chicks begin foraging freely with the mother hen, consuming plant and animal feed along with trace minerals. In autumn and winter, farmers often drive the Kang Le Yellow Chickens to harvested rice fields early in the morning to forage, ensuring “not a single grain goes to waste.” By evening, the chickens return to their coops well-fed. Around the Winter Solstice, the fattening phase begins. Farmers commonly supplement the chickens’ diet with grains, raw rice, or cooked sweet potatoes mixed with bran, feeding them 1–2 times daily. After a month, the fattening effect becomes evident, with visibly plump chests. Large-scale breeders combine free-range with coop feeding and use some complete pelleted feed, selling commercial chickens after 3–4 months.

　　 Development of the Kang Le Yellow Chicken The period from 1997 to 2000 marked the fastest development of the Kang Le Yellow Chicken in Wanzi County’s history. In 2000 alone, the county produced 1.4 million Kang Le Yellow Chickens. To further confirm the breed’s quality and development potential, and to transform resource advantages into economic benefits, on May 6, 1997, provincial and regional livestock experts were invited to Wanzi County to evaluate the breed, assess its quality, and analyze market prospects. Experts concluded that developing the Kang Le Yellow Chicken offered significant economic and social benefits, and accelerating the establishment of commercial production bases could make it a pillar industry for the county’s livestock sector. That year, under the leadership of top officials, breeding bases were established at both county and township levels. To improve breeding management skills, County Party Secretary Li Bingsheng personally invited three groups of provincial and regional veterinary professors and experts to conduct training sessions on breeding techniques and disease prevention. The attention from top leadership sparked a strong enthusiasm for breeding across the region, leading to widespread adoption of scientific methods and high participation among local farmers. In subsequent years, non-purebred roosters were largely phased out, with the replacement rate of purebred Kang Le Yellow Chickens exceeding 92%. That year, chick rearing success rates improved significantly, with survival rates surpassing 90%, and total county production reached 800,000 chickens. In 1998, an integrated production system of “production, processing, and sales” for the Kang Le Yellow Chicken was largely formed, focusing on five key aspects: 1. Base construction, establishing main production areas in 10 townships including Luocheng, Kang Le, and Huangmao. 2. Breeding system development, with the county livestock and poultry breeding farm leading and 10 township hatcheries contributing, bringing the total breeder flock to 53,000 sets. 3. Demonstration farms, with 303 households raising over 1,000 chickens each. 4. Key enterprises, with the Gongpin Kang Le Yellow Chicken processing plant in Kang Le Town forming the core of initial intensive production operations, beginning small-batch production. 5. Service network enhancement, covering pre-production breeding, mid-production technical support and disease control, and post-production processing and sales. Total production reached 2.08 million chickens. In early 1999, the County Kang Le Yellow Chicken Development Corporation was established to oversee market development, production planning, inspections, and performance evaluations. By 2000, the marketing team had expanded, with sales channels reaching 18 domestic and regional markets including Changsha, Nanchang, Jiujiang, Guangdong, Shanghai, and Ji’an. That year, the county produced 3.6 million chickens, including 1.38 million Kang Le Yellow Chickens. To further expand the market, the County Party Committee issued Document Wanfa [2000] No. 14, outlining specific guidelines on strategy, targets, and measures. Party Secretary Li Bingsheng and Deputy Secretary Wang Jingen personally led delegations to Shanghai to negotiate with Wanlin Kang Le Yellow Chicken Sales Co., Ltd. regarding market expansion. The company also conducted multiple site visits to Wanzi County before finalizing responsibilities and obligations, and remitted 300,000 yuan as working capital to support large-scale chicken farmers. As a local premium breed, the Kang Le Yellow Chicken has specific breeding standards. On November 2, 1998, the Jiangxi Provincial Technical Supervision Bureau issued Local Standard DB36/T333-1998, which defined breed characteristics, grading criteria for breeders, and quality standards for hatching eggs and chicks. This standard applies to breed identification, selection, production, and classification, playing a regulatory role in the development of the Kang Le Yellow Chicken. Starting in 1998, the county livestock and poultry breeding farm applied feather-sexing gene research to develop a new line capable of distinguishing gender with 95% accuracy. Female line fertility increased by 15%, male growth rate by 15%, and commercial offspring growth rate by 10%. This achievement passed inspection by a national agricultural expert panel in 2002 and received the National Agricultural, Forestry, and Fisheries Harvest Award. In recent years, production of the Kang Le Yellow Chicken in Wanzi County has stagnated in some areas, affected by rising poultry diseases and challenges in new disease control, impacting overall annual output. However, the rise of large-scale chicken farms has injected new energy into the industry. For example, Long Qinan from Quantang Village, Mabu Township, has raised over 8,000 free-range Kang Le Yellow Chickens annually for the past three years, earning more than 30,000 yuan per year. The Kang Le Yellow Chicken is a premium local product and a flagship breed in Jiangxi Province, with strong development potential. Transforming its resource advantages into economic gains remains essential for the past, present, and future.

　　 County-Level “133” Project Demonstration and Service Base In early 1998, the county implemented the “133” Project (each person to develop 1 mu of fruit trees, raise 3 pigs, and produce 30 Kang Le Yellow Chickens). Sixty-one county-level administrative and public institutions dispatched 138 cadres and employees to Matian to establish demonstration and service bases. That year, these units invested over 800,000 yuan in fixed assets and more than 1.4 million yuan in working capital (including individual contributions of 300–500 yuan per cadre). The Matian base constructed 17 pigsties, 18 chicken coops (totaling 5,400 square meters), 1,600 square meters of living facilities, and achieved road, water, and electricity access. Additionally, 15 biogas pits were built, enabling a “pig–biogas–fruit (vegetable)” cycle. The base raised 5,110 pigs (820 above target), with 3,940 sold, generating over 110,000 yuan in taxes, keeping 1,170 in stock, and raising 46,000 Kang Le Yellow Chickens (2,900 above target). A total of 1,437 cadres participated in planting and breeding activities at the Matian base.

　　 Township (Town) Demonstration and Service Bases In 1998, 412 reassigned officials from 20 township governments (34.8% of total) established 65 bases, including 13 pig demonstration bases and 12 Kang Le Yellow Chicken bases. These bases housed 4,322 pigs, sold 3,185, generated 93,000 yuan in taxes, raised 95,000 Kang Le Yellow Chickens, sold 58,000, and kept 37,000. Towns such as Luocheng, Kang Le, E Feng, Sanxing, Bailiang, and Huangmao collectively hatched 441,900 chicks and reared 556,000.

　　 From 1998 to 2000, chicken farming was a hot topic, frequently discussed among officials, with profitability being the central concern. Indeed, cost analyses showed that mortality rates exceeding 20% and low market prices for commercial chickens often resulted in losses. Some agencies experienced mortality rates over 50%, losing even the pooled investment funds. Moreover, there was a tendency to rush development, such as the ill-advised decision for “every township to build a breeder farm and hatchery,” leading to losses of tens of thousands of yuan in most areas. Some townships also defaulted on payments to the county breeder farm (livestock and poultry breeding farm), leaving nearly 170,000 yuan unrecoverable. However, many units and large-scale farmers turned profits. For instance, the County People’s Congress, County Government, Livestock and Aquatic Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, and Grain Bureau each earned 1–3 yuan per chicken due to survival rates over 90% and selling prices exceeding 15 yuan per kilogram. Pan Fengchu from Sanxing raised 3,000 chickens using a combination of free-range foraging in orchards and supplemental feeding, earning over 12,000 yuan in four months. The Kang Le Yellow Chicken is a premium local product and a flagship breed in Jiangxi, with strong development potential. Transforming its resource advantages into economic gains remains essential for the past, present, and future.