Lingshan Fragrant Chicken

Lingshan Fragrant Chicken

Lingshan Fragrant Chicken is a product with a geographical indication.

　　 Lingshan Fragrant Chicken is distributed across various towns in Lingshan, raised by local farmers with a long history, making it a genetic treasure trove of relatively primitive native chicken breeds in China. According to experts, fossilized bird bones have also been found at Cuibi Peak, 4 kilometers west of Ma'anshan Mountain—the site where the fossilized remains of "Lingshan Man" were discovered. Thousands of native chickens are found throughout the towns of Lingshan County, leading researchers to believe that Lingshan may be one of the origins of domesticated chickens. The Lingshan Fragrant Chicken is the result of ancient domestication of these native birds and further selective breeding by modern farmers.

　　Lingshan Fragrant Chicken is a premium meat chicken breed, known for its tender meat, thin and shiny skin, fine bones, and fragrant taste, offering the authentic flavor of traditional chicken. It is suitable for home consumption and banquet dishes, and is an excellent choice for preparing signature chicken dishes such as white-cut chicken and steamed chicken. In August 2004, during the Guangxi "Hundred Chicken Banquet" tasting event held in Yulin City by the Guangxi Poultry Industry Association, Lingshan Fragrant Chicken won the honor of Guangxi Premium Brand Chicken due to its superior quality.

　　The selectively bred Lingshan Fragrant Chicken adapts well to natural environments and has strong disease resistance. Physical characteristics include a tall, bright red comb, slender yellow legs, and feathers primarily in yellow-mottled or brown-mottled patterns. Adult weight: roosters weigh 2.1–2.3 kg, hens 1.5–1.85 kg. Hens begin laying eggs at 19 weeks, averaging 120–130 eggs by 66 weeks, with each egg weighing 39–41 grams. Fertilization rate of breeding eggs is 91–93%, hatchability of fertilized eggs is 92–94%, and healthy chick survival rate is 98%. Meat chickens reach weights of 1.3–1.4 kg for roosters and 1.2–1.25 kg for hens after 100–110 days of feeding, with feed conversion ratios of 3.0–3.3:1 and 3.5–3.8:1, respectively. After 120–130 days, hens weigh 1.3–1.6 kg with a feed conversion ratio of 3.9–4.1:1. Capon chickens are sold at 180–200 days old, weighing 2.1–2.3 kg with a feed conversion ratio of 4.4–4.7:1.

　　The "Lingshan Fragrant Chicken" from Shalu Village has become a focal point for many merchants, with several signing purchase contracts with major chicken farmers in the village, helping the "Lingshan Fragrant Chicken" brand take flight beyond Shalu. "Shalu Village is close to the county seat, with many hillside orchards, and villagers have long had the habit of raising chickens. But the rapid development of the chicken farming industry in recent years—and the establishment of the 'Lingshan Fragrant Chicken' brand—has been inseparable from Lao Jian, a representative of our county's People's Congress and a leading figure in chicken farming," said Huang Zhenheng, chair of the town’s People's Congress, as he introduced us to the story of how Lao Jian, a county representative, led villagers to prosperity through chicken farming.

　　To transform Shalu Village into a model for scientific chicken farming and lead villagers to wealth, Lao Jian leveraged her expertise in chick incubation to vigorously encourage the village to develop its poultry industry. For those struggling with cash flow, she provided advances or sold chicks on credit to support growth. For instance, Yao Lanjuan, a local farmer, built a farm with an investment of over 300,000 yuan early last year but couldn’t afford to buy chicks due to a funding shortfall. Just as she was at her wit’s end, Lao Jian stepped in and unhesitatingly supplied her with over 5,000 chicks on credit. Additionally, leveraging the county women’s federation’s microloan policies to support women’s economic development, she helped village women secure loans to grow their poultry businesses. Through Lao Jian’s leadership, Shalu Village saw a wave of “women-led entrepreneurship,” rapidly expanding its poultry industry. Today, over 20 farmers in the village earn more than 1 million yuan annually from chicken farming, making poultry farming a pillar industry for villagers’ income and truly establishing Shalu as a professional chicken farming village.

　　Geographic Scope

　　The core production areas are in Bolaoshi Town, Lushi Town, and Yandun Town, extending across 18 towns including Bolaoshi, Lushi, Yandun, Lingcheng, Xinxu, Tanwei, Nalong, Sanlong, Jiuzhou, Taiping, Shaping, Pingnan, Fozhi, Pingshan, Shitang, Fengtang, and Wuli Town. The geographical coordinates are: longitude 108°44′ to 109°35′, latitude 21°51′ to 22°38′, spanning 88 km east-west and 84 km north-south, covering a protected area of 3,559 square kilometers, with an annual production exceeding 20 million chickens.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　(1) External Sensory Features: Lingshan Fragrant Chicken has a compact body, red wattles and earlobes, a yellow beak with a mostly millet-colored base, and yellow skin and shanks. Roosters mainly have brownish-red feathers, followed by brown-yellow or reddish-brown. Hens are primarily brown-mottled or yellow-mottled, with black tail feathers and predominantly black primary and secondary wing feathers. Key features include “one mottle” (mottled feathers), “two slendernesses” (slender head and shanks), and “three shortnesses” (short neck, short body, short shanks). After slaughtering, the skin is light yellow, the muscle is white and glossy, firm and elastic to the touch, with the inherent aroma of chicken and no off-odors, and the cooked meat is richly flavorful. (2) Internal Quality Indicators: Testing shows that the main nutritional components of fresh Lingshan Fragrant Chicken meat are: protein 22.3–24.7%; total fat 1.19–1.3%; ash 1.28–1.42%; total amino acids 19.67–21.78. (3) Safety Requirements: Strict compliance with the standards of pollution-free meat chicken including “NY5034-2005 Pollution-Free Food Poultry Meat and By-products,” “NY5030-2006 Pollution-Free Food Veterinary Drug Use Guidelines for Livestock and Poultry,” “NY5036-2001 Pollution-Free Food Broiler Rearing Veterinary Epidemic Prevention Guidelines,” and “NY/T5038-2006 Pollution-Free Food Poultry Farming Production Management Standards.”