Liyang Chicken

Liyang Chicken

The Liyang Chicken is a product with geographical indication.

　　The Liyang Chicken is a meat-type breed. It has a relatively large body size with a square-shaped physique, and its feathers, beak, and feet are mostly yellow. However, there are also many with hemp-yellow or hemp-chestnut coloration. Roosters have a single upright comb with usually five comb teeth and deep serrations. Hens have either upright or drooping single combs, with orange-red irises. Adult weight is 3850 grams for roosters and 2600 grams for hens. Slaughter measurements: roosters have 87.5% semi-eviscerated yield and 79.3% eviscerated yield; hens have 85.4% semi-eviscerated yield and 72.9% eviscerated yield. The age at first egg is 243±39 days, with 145.4±25 eggs laid by 500 days of age, weighing 57.2±4.9 grams per egg, with brown shells.

　　The Liyang Chicken is a renowned breed in the southwestern hilly regions of Jiangsu Province, also locally referred to as "Three-Yellow Chicken" or "Nine-Jin Yellow." Liyang County is located west of Taihu Lake, on the "northern slope" of the mountainous ridge bordering Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces. The central production area of the Liyang Chicken is in the southwestern hilly region of the county, particularly abundant in areas such as Chating, Daibu, and Shezhu, with the chickens from Xintang in Chating being the most famous. The breed is distributed in the surrounding areas of the central production zone. Currently, the Liyang Yanshan Breeding Chicken Farm specializes in its selective breeding and sells it to other provinces. According to the 1980 Jiangsu Province livestock and poultry breed resource survey, the central production area had a population of 200,000. The breed formation area is characterized by hilly terrain with lush vegetation and abundant live insects. Local chicken flocks are mostly free-range, with households typically raising dozens of chickens that roam and forage in fields all day, thereby developing strong muscle tendons. This contributes to the Liyang Chicken’s traits such as thick and long shanks, broad chests, full muscles, strong foraging ability, and high egg production. On the other hand, rural families in the mountainous areas have a tradition of curing chickens for consumption during the Spring Festival, and a large rooster is often slaughtered to celebrate a baby’s one-month birthday. These long-standing customs have encouraged the preference and selection for larger chickens. Physical Characteristics

　　The Liyang Chicken is relatively large with a slightly square-shaped body, belonging to the meat-type category. Its feathers, beak, and feet are mostly yellow, but there are also many with hemp-yellow or hemp-chestnut coloration. Chicks mainly have fast-feathering plumage. Upon hatching, their feather color is beige, with some having striped black down feathers. Roosters have a single upright comb with usually five comb teeth and deep serrations. Their earlobes and wattles are relatively large and bright red. Feather colors are yellow or orange-yellow, with primary wing feathers ranging from black to half yellow and half black, secondary wing feathers being yellow or half black, main tail feathers black, and breast, saddle, and cape feathers golden yellow or orange-yellow, some with black edging. Hens may have either upright or drooping single combs. They have large eyes with orange-red irises. Their feathers lie flat against the body, with tightly fitted wing feathers, and the vast majority of feathers are grass-yellow, with a few being yellow-hemp colored.

　　Egg Production Performance

　　Based on statistics from 147 hens, the average age at first egg is 243±39 days, with 39±2.7 eggs by 300 days of age and 145.4±25 eggs by 500 days of age. Egg weight is 57.2±4.9 grams, with brown shells.

　　Breeding Performance

　　The male-to-female breeding ratio is 1:13, with a fertilization rate of 95.3% for breeding eggs. The hatching rate of fertilized eggs is 85.6%. Liyang Chickens have a strong brooding tendency. Statistics show that out of 202 hens raised to 500 days of age, 53 (26.24%) exhibited broodiness. Typically, if not allowed to brood, they come out of broodiness after about 10 days. The chick survival rate at 5 weeks is 96%. Evaluation and Outlook The Liyang Chicken is a large-sized, yellow-feathered breed with delicious meat, characterized by thick shanks, broad chests, full muscles, strong foraging ability, and suitability for free-range rearing. It also has relatively fast feather growth, higher reproductive and slaughter rates among local breeds, and performs well in meat chicken crossbreeding trials. Therefore, the Liyang Chicken is suitable for use as genetic material in meat chicken breeding.

　　Purebred Liyang Chickens, known for their yellow feathers, yellow beaks, and yellow shanks, are commonly called "Three-Yellow Chicken" or "Nine-Jin Yellow." The central production area is in the southwestern hilly regions of Liyang, particularly in Chating, Daibu, and Shezhu. Most are free-range by farming households, foraging for insects in fields. In the 1980s, the Liyang Chicken gained national fame for its tender, fragrant, and delicious meat. While it has strong reproductive ability and adaptability, it is not suited for intensive production, grows slower than ordinary chickens, and offers lower economic returns. As foreign poultry breeds were introduced into Jiangsu, many farming households that raised them as a side business abandoned the breed. After the 1990s, it became rare to find Liyang Chickens among farmers. Due to insufficient conservation funding and rising breeding costs, purebred Liyang Chickens also disappeared from some breeding farms and were listed by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Forestry in the provincial-level protected livestock and poultry genetic resources catalog.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The distribution range of the Liyang Chicken is relatively wide, with the central production area located in the southwestern hilly region of Liyang City, particularly abundant in areas such as Tianmuhu, Daibu, Shezhu, and Hengjian. The total production area covers approximately 1,535 square kilometers. Liyang City is situated at the junction of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces in the Yangtze River Delta, between 119°08′–119°63′ east longitude and 31°09′–31°41′ north latitude. It borders Yixing of Wuxi to the east, Gaochun and Lishui of Nanjing to the west, Guangde and Langxi of Anhui Province to the south, and Jurong of Zhenjiang and Jintan of Changzhou to the north. The city spans 59.06 kilometers from north to south and 45.14 kilometers from east to west. The annual population of Liyang Chickens is about 3 million.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　The Liyang Chicken is a local meat-type poultry breed, characterized by its large size, thick shanks, broad chest, full muscles, strong adaptability, foraging ability, suitability for free-range rearing, and delicious meat. 1. Product Appearance Characteristics The roosters have yellow or orange-yellow feathers, with primary wing feathers that are either entirely black or half black and half yellow. Secondary wing feathers are yellow or half black, main tail feathers are black, and breast, neck, and saddle feathers are golden yellow or orange-yellow, with some feathers having black edges. Hens are predominantly grass-yellow, with a few being yellow-hemp colored. Their skin is yellow and bones are white. Roosters have a single upright comb with 5–7 comb teeth and deep serrations, and their wattles and earlobes are large and bright red. Hens have a single comb, which may be upright or drooping, and large eyes. Their pupils are black, irises are yellow-red, beaks are large and orange-yellow. 2. Weight and Body Size Performance Liyang Chickens are relatively large in size, with adult roosters weighing 3550–4250 grams and hens 2450–2950 grams. Their bodies are slightly square-shaped, with well-developed chests, broad and straight backs, and long, thick shanks. 3. Egg Production and Breeding Performance One of the main characteristics of the Liyang Chicken is its relatively high breeding performance. The average age at first egg is 152–165 days. By 500 days of age, the average number of eggs laid is 132–155. Average egg weight is 52–61 grams. The feed conversion rate during the laying period is 1:3.7–3.9. In large natural flocks, the male-to-female breeding ratio is 1:12–1:14. The fertilization rate of breeding eggs is 90%, and the hatching rate of fertilized eggs is 92%. Hens exhibit broodiness. 4. Slaughter Performance At 90 days of age, the average live weight of Liyang Chickens is 1950.0 grams, with a slaughter rate of 89–91%, semi-eviscerated rate of 81–83%, eviscerated rate of 71–73%, breast muscle rate of 15–17%, leg muscle rate of 19–21%, and abdominal fat rate of 1.5–2.5%. 5. Meat Quality Performance The meat quality of the Liyang Chicken is excellent, with tender texture and rich juiciness. The chicken contains abundant amino acids, trace elements, and vitamins. The pH value, water loss rate, and shear force of breast muscle are 5.93, 38.06%, and 2.35 kg respectively; those of leg muscle are 6.40, 28.18%, and 3.05 kg respectively. Moisture, crude fat, and crude protein content are: breast muscle 71.64%, 1.74%, 22.81%; leg muscle 73.61%, 2.78%, 22.39%; amino acid content is ≥20510 mg/100g, essential amino acid content ≥6260 mg/100g, and glutamic acid content ≥3360 mg/100g.