Shimen Free-Range Chicken

Shimen Free-Range Chicken

Shimen Free-Range Chicken is a geographical indication protected product.

　　Shimen Free-Range Chicken is a specialty of Shimen County in Changde City, Hunan Province. Shimen free-range chickens are robust, with slender claws, glossy and shiny feathers, and large red combs, all characteristic features of the breed. The meat is tender and rich in protein, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins.

　　Shimen free-range chicken has a long history. According to "Explanation of Current County Names," the breeding of Shimen free-range chickens began when the Shimen Commandery was established during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, dating back over 1,400 years. The 1934 "China Industrial Records" noted that "chicken farming in Hunan Province is as developed as pig farming, with households raising anywhere from two or three to seven or eight chickens. ... Due to geographical and climatic factors, the size of chickens varies by region."

　　Shimen free-range chickens are raised in areas with abundant grassland resources within the county’s protected zones at altitudes between 150 and 1,200 meters, including natural meadows, improved pasture, woodland pastures, and orchard grasslands. They are watered by streams in the Xieshui, Daoshui, Lishui, and Tuoshui river basins.

　　Quality characteristics of Shimen free-range chicken:

　　Sensory characteristics: Live birds are robust, with slender claws, glossy and shiny feathers, and large red combs, displaying the typical traits of the breed.

　　Quality traits: The chickens are of high quality, unique in flavor, and offer tender and delicious meat. Research by the Animal Nutrition Institute of Hunan Agricultural University on key meat quality parameters of Shimen free-range chickens shows that their breast and leg muscles have high brightness and redness but low yellowness. Post-slaughter pH decline is slow, and indicators such as aroma, tenderness, juiciness, and degree of doneness are all high.

　　Physicochemical traits: Shimen free-range chicken is tender and rich in protein, minerals, trace elements, and vitamins. It has a high protein content, and is abundant in beneficial minerals and trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, and zinc, while being low in fat and cholesterol, with a high level of unsaturated fatty acids.

　　Shimen County is one of the main poultry-producing regions in Hunan, consistently ranking among the top in the province for free-range chicken production. By 2012, approximately 5.1 million free-range chickens were produced, with 3.5 million from contract farming. Cold fresh carcass chickens processed from Shimen free-range chickens are highly popular among consumers and have become a well-known product of Hunan Province. They are well received in major cities such as Wuhan, Changsha, Nanchang, Chongqing, and Shanghai, steadily increasing in brand recognition. In 2004, "Shimen Free-Range Chicken" won a gold award at the "Sixth (International) China Hunan Agricultural Expo."

　　The production area of Shimen free-range chicken includes the current administrative regions of 17 towns and districts in Shimen County, Hunan Province: Nanbeizhen, Dongshanfeng Management Area, Hupingshan Town, Suojie Township, Yanchi Township, Mishi Town, Luoping Township, Baiyun Township, Xinguan Town, Zaozhen Town, Weixin Town, Sansheng Township, Xinpu Township, Taiping Town, Ziliang Township, Mengquan Town, and Jiashan Town.