Heilongjiang White Chicken

Heilongjiang White Chicken

　　The Heilongjiang White Chicken is produced in eight cities including Harbin, Qiqihar, Mudanjiang, and Jiamusi, as well as in various cities, counties, and state-owned farms along the Binzhou, Binsui, Binbei, and Muji railways. With a population of around 5 million, it is a major breed raised by specialized households, state-owned, and collective poultry farms.

The Heilongjiang White Chicken originated from Leghorn chickens left over from the Japanese puppet regime. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, due to the government’s strong emphasis on developing the poultry industry, through the careful breeding efforts of Heilongjiang Province’s animal husbandry technicians and the general laboring people, both its quality and quantity continued to improve, eventually being officially named the Heilongjiang White Chicken.

The Heilongjiang White Chicken has a high egg-laying rate, is cold-resistant, tolerant of coarse feed, and highly adaptable. It has a small body size, with pure white, tightly feathered plumage, a sleek appearance, a long body, relatively high legs, and a well-developed hindquarter. The hens have a single comb with 4–5 comb points that tilt to the side. The comb, wattles, and face are bright red, the back is straight, the chest is wide and deep, the abdomen is large and soft, the wings lie close to the body, and the tail feathers are very well developed. The skin, beak, and feet are yellow, while the earlobes are white. The roosters have large, upright combs, wide and deep chests, glossy neck, shoulder, and saddle feathers, thick and tall legs, and a robust body.

Under normal breeding conditions, the Heilongjiang White Chicken produces about 160 eggs per year. Under better conditions, the annual egg yield can exceed 200 eggs. The eggs weigh between 54–60 grams, and the shells are white. They reach sexual maturity at 180–240 days and exhibit good production performance.