Jianghan Chicken

Jianghan Chicken

　　The Jianghan Chicken is an excellent breed developed over three hundred years in Hanchuan. This chicken is small and compact, with a moderately sized head, mostly single comb, well-developed and bright red comb tips, short toes, long body, well-developed hindquarters, lively temperament, tolerance to coarse feed, strong foraging ability, stable heredity, and high egg production. Scientific measurements show that the "Jianghan Chicken" takes 215–250 days from hatching to the start of laying eggs. A three-year-old hen lays an average of 164.9 eggs per year, each weighing an average of 42.92 grams. The hatching rate of these eggs is 92%, and the survival rate of chicks is 84.76%. An eight-month-old hen weighs an average of 932.86 grams, while a rooster weighs 1140.29 grams. The annual population of Hanchuan "Jianghan Chickens" is around 2 million, with an annual egg production of 14 million jin. The incubation of Jianghan Chicken chicks has a history of over three hundred years in Donggangling Village, Mah River. As early as before 1700 AD, Donggangling Village in Mahhe Town, Hanchuan, began operating hatcheries. In the early years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, there were eight hatcheries here, and later the incubation techniques spread to Jiugang, Banghukou, Erhe, Xinyan, FenShui, Sanxingyan, and other areas in the city, forming a production base for Jianghan Chicken chicks.

Raising chickens has always been a major sideline for farmers in Hanchuan. Through long-term chicken-raising practices, Hanchuan has accumulated rich experience in breeding selection. The Ma Chicken has a high egg yield, and there is a folk saying: "A thousand black ones, ten thousand speckled ones—pink and white chickens don’t lay eggs." Hatcheries are quite strict in selecting breeding eggs. The chicks are mainly sold domestically, creating a cycle of eggs → chickens → eggs → chicks, which is why the Ma Chicken population has been preserved in Hanchuan to this day.

The "Jianghan Chicken" is known as a "local chicken," with tender and delicious meat. Stewing it makes an especially flavorful soup, making it a premium tonic. Its eggs are also called "local chicken eggs" and are highly favored by locals. (Hanchuan)