Yunlong Bantam Chicken

Yunlong Bantam Chicken

Yunlong Bantam Chicken is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Yunlong Bantam Chicken is a specialty of Yunlong County in Dali Prefecture, Yunnan Province. The bantam chickens from Yunlong are known for their strong disease resistance, high egg production, tender meat, gentle temperament, and adaptability to harsh climates and extensive rearing conditions. The Yunlong Bantam Chicken is a nationally protected geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Originally named Tiandeng Chicken (comprising three breeds—the bantam chicken, the red-legged chicken, and the black-bone chicken, accounting for 55%, 30%, and 15% respectively), the chicken is now officially named Yunlong Bantam Chicken based on its place of origin and breed characteristics. It is a dual-purpose local breed for both meat and eggs. Listed in the "Chinese Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources Directory," it was designated as a national livestock and poultry genetic resource protection breed on June 2, 2006.

　　The original habitat of the Yunlong Bantam Chicken is Nodeng Town in Yunlong County, with the central production area in Jiuzhou Town. The breed is also distributed across 11 townships in Yunlong County: Guanping, Tuanjie, Nodeng, Baofeng, Jiancao, Changxin, Baishi, Jiuzhou, Biaocun, Caojian, and Minjian. The bantam chickens are mostly found in areas inhabited by the Lisu, Yi, and Bai ethnic groups. The original habitat, Tiandeng Village in Nodeng Town, is adjacent to Haicang and Shuijing villages in Jiuzhou Town. With the boom in market trade, Jiuzhou Town became the central production area. Currently, Jiuzhou Town accounts for 40% of the total population of Yunlong Bantam Chickens, Nodeng Town for 25%, and the other nine townships for 35%.

　　The Yunlong Bantam Chicken is small in size, with a well-proportioned and nearly oval-shaped body. It has a single comb, with the comb, wattles, and earlobes being purplish-red, an odd number of comb teeth, green earlobes, yellow iris, and often a hooked beak. Roosters are mainly reddish-yellow in feather color, with some white feathers, while hens are yellowish-brown. They lack crests, beards, silky feathers, or abdominal folds. Roosters have five toes, and hens have four. The breed features short shanks, black skin color, and grayish-black shanks, beaks, and skin.

　　In 2014, the "Yunlong Bantam Chicken" application submitted by the Yunlong County Animal Husbandry Workstation passed the review of the Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and expert evaluation, leading to its registration and protection as a national geographical indication agricultural product.

　　Geographical Scope

　　Yunlong Bantam Chicken is produced within Yunlong County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, covering 11 townships: Gongguoqiao, Caojian, Nodeng, Tuanjie, Guanping, Baofeng, Minjian, Miaowei, Jiancao, Changxin, and Baishi. The geographical coordinates are between 98°52′ to 99°46′ east longitude and 25°28′ to 26°23′ north latitude, spanning 109 kilometers from north to south and 91.8 kilometers from east to west. The breeding area covers 4,400 square kilometers, with an annual inventory of 200,000 chickens.