Luxi Fighting Cocks

Luxi Fighting Cocks

The Luxi fighting cock is a product with geographical indication status.

　　The fighting cock is an ancient breed in China, with a history of about 2,000 years, and is a valuable poultry breed resource. The Luxi fighting cock is one of China’s four major fighting cock breeds, making up over 80% of the nation’s total. The protection of Luxi fighting cocks in Juancheng County began in the early 1960s. Through the efforts of several generations of livestock professionals such as senior animal husbandry expert Lu Jianda from Juancheng County and fighting cock enthusiasts, the breed has undergone purification, rejuvenation, propagation, and cultivation to develop a new Luxi fighting cock strain with regional characteristics. Currently, the core group of Luxi fighting cocks at Juancheng Hongxiang Animal Husbandry Co., Ltd. numbers 20,000, capable of supplying 500,000 breeding chicks, 300,000 commercial fighting cocks, and 10,000 ornamental fighting cocks to the market annually. Luxi fighting cocks grow quickly, have a high slaughter rate, tender meat, low fat content, and high lean meat ratio. Tests show that their meat is rich in various amino acids and trace elements, and the SOD and GSH-PX activity levels in their blood serum are 20 times higher than those of ordinary chickens. It is a premium, high-protein, low-fat meat variety that is highly favored by consumers. In July 2013, the Luxi fighting cock received pollution-free agricultural product origin certification from the Shandong Provincial Bureau of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, and in October 2013, it obtained a pollution-free agricultural product certificate from the National Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center.

　　The Luxi fighting cock, anciently called the “Calling Cock” and commonly known as the “Biting Cock,” is a unique ornamental and precious chicken breed in China. It has a robust physique, well-developed muscles, agile movements, and a naturally combative temperament. When fighting, it uses biting, clawing, and wing strikes, demonstrating an indomitable spirit. Historical records indicate that fighting cocks in Heze have a history of 2,300 years.

　　[Luxi Fighting Cocks] Cockfighting is popular in the Luxi region. The chickens used in cockfighting are a special ornamental and precious breed, locally referred to as the Biting Cock. These male chickens are naturally aggressive and fight fiercely without yielding. Their crowing is deep and resonant, resembling the vocal style of black-faced roles in Yu Opera, which makes them very popular among locals. As a result, raising them has been widely practiced and has continued through the ages.

　　The Biting Cock has a sturdy build and well-developed muscles, with a typical body shape characterized by an eagle-like beak, goose-like neck, long legs, and an ostrich-like body. Its feathers are sparse, with a small head and flat comb, and a single hanging wattle. The most common feather colors are bluish-black, purplish-red, and others, but the best are those with “five whites and one black” (white beak, white eyes, white legs, white-edged wings, white tail base, and black feathers).

　　The Biting Cock is omnivorous, tolerant of coarse feed, loves meaty foods, grows quickly, but matures sexually later. Adult roosters typically weigh between 3.5–5.5 kg, while hens weigh 3–4 kg. They lay around 30 eggs per year, each weighing 55–65 grams, but have a relatively low hatching rate.

　　Cockfighting is an ancient form of entertainment. It was especially popular during the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, and Tang dynasties. Legend has it that in 681 BC, Duke Huan of Qi summoned feudal lords to attack the State of Song and reached an agreement at Beixing. To celebrate the victory, he built a platform for cockfighting. The 1839 edition of the Chengwu County Annals records that this cockfighting platform was located about one li behind Wen Ting Mountain, northwest of the county town. Folklore in Luxi includes various legends about cockfighting and the melody of the song “Nostalgia at the Cockfighting Platform.” After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, cockfighting was once regarded as a pastime of the leisure class and was discontinued, leading to a sharp decline in the number of fighting cocks, nearly driving the breed to extinction. The activity resumed after 1978. In 1981, the Shandong Provincial Animal Husbandry Bureau decided that Juancheng County would take on the protection and breeding of the Luxi fighting cock breed, establishing the “Juancheng County Luxi Fighting Cock Conservation Farm.” The farm bred Biting Cocks with robust physiques, well-developed muscles, fast growth rates—reaching about 5 kg within a year—and producing over 80 eggs annually. Three strains of fighting cocks were developed: black, white, and yellow. By 1988, the number of Biting Cocks in Juancheng County had reached over 2,000, with some superior breeds also supplied to Chengwu, Heze, and other areas.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The protected production area of Luxi fighting cocks is within Heze City, Shandong Province. The geographical coordinates are: 34°39′–35°52′ north latitude, 114°45′–116°25′ east longitude. It spans 157 km from north to south and 140 km from east to west, covering a total area of 12,238.62 square kilometers. It extends east to Juye, west to Dongming, south to Shanxian, and north to Yuncheng, encompassing 1 district and 8 counties under the jurisdiction of Heze City: Mudan District, Cao County, Dingtao, Chengwu, Shanxian, Juye, Yuncheng, Juancheng, and Dongming, as well as the Heze Economic Development Zone and Heze High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. There are 168 townships, towns, and subdistrict offices (26 townships, 113 towns, and 29 urban subdistrict offices), 292 urban community committees, 5,755 village committees, and 14,017 natural villages. The Luxi fighting cock production area has a current inventory of 150,000 fighting cocks. Among them, the core group at the Shandong China Fighting Cock Original Breed Farm has reached 10,000 pairs.