Opportunity to get rich from raising Dong Tao chickens

(Baonghean) - Having been fascinated by Dong Tao chickens on Dong Ho do paper paintings, through the media, I learned that this is a precious chicken breed that scientists have painstakingly researched to preserve the gene pool, but I have never seen this chicken breed with my own eyes. Recently, on an early spring day of Giap Ngo, I visited two veterans in Vinh city and saw Dong Tao chickens, suddenly thinking, why doesn't the agricultural extension sector research to replicate this model...

Two veterans raise Dong Tao chickens

Veterans in Vinh City who raise Dong Tao chickens are Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Sy Lap (Xuan Trung block, Hung Dung ward), Colonel Nguyen Ba Dan (Mau Don hamlet, Hung Loc commune).

Mr. Nguyen Sy Lap's story of raising Dong Tao chickens is quite special. Previously, he and his wife raised black chickens and bantam chickens. One day, his daughter and her husband in Hanoi came to visit. Visiting his father-in-law's breeding area, the son-in-law laughed and said: "You and your wife raise this thing for only a few dozen clean eggs for the grandchildren, but the profit is probably not worth much...". Hearing his son-in-law say that, Mr. Lap said: "I raise chickens for fun in my old age, not to make money." Seeing his father-in-law seem offended, the son-in-law immediately said: "Well, anyway, the elders invest effort. Let me see if there is a suitable breed and I will bring it back...". Not long after, the son-in-law called and said: "Dad, come to the capital to visit us for a few days and then I will ask my roommate to take me to Khoai Chau, Hung Yen to see how people raise Dong Tao chickens." Hearing that, he went to Google to find information about this breed of chicken and immediately after that he took a bus to Hanoi. "Oh my gosh. You can't imagine how I felt when I saw people raising Dong Tao chickens with my own eyes. These are the kings of chickens. No wonder people call them royal chickens. Some are raised for 5-7 years, weigh 7-8 kg, and cost tens of millions of dong. Looking at their legs is truly terrifying, they weigh up to 1 kg, with shiny horny scales layered like pangolin scales...".

Mr. Lap with a Dong Tao rooster weighing over 4kg.

He was passionate and determined to raise Dong Tao chickens from then on. He saved up all his money to buy 12 chickens, including 5 males and 7 females, weighing from 0.5 to 1 kg, for 350,000 VND/chicken. At the same time, he did not forget to ask and take detailed notes on how to raise them, from disease prevention to how to take care of the chickens. With good care, Mr. Lap's Dong Tao chickens grew very quickly. After nearly 9 months, they weighed from 3.5 to 4.4 kg. Each chicken was large, with a majestic appearance, bright red skin, and sturdy legs. The roosters had two basic feather colors: black and ripe plum, with large, rough legs surrounded by scales, thick feet, and 4 toes spread out and balanced. The combs were also very unique. The short sun comb was purple red, compact and strong. The female Dong Tao chickens had feathers that were completely different from the roosters. The feathers are pale yellow, mixed with milky white, the neck and wings have yellow, dark brown feathers. The rest is exactly like a rooster, from the red skin, sun comb and especially the sturdy, strong legs.

Mr. Lap said that after 4 months, the hens gave eggs, each month each hen laid 7-8 eggs. Because he was determined to multiply the number of breeding chickens to make it worth the effort of going all the way to Hung Yen, each time the hens laid eggs, he was as happy as if he had found gold. The first incubation batch he suffered from lack of experience, so it was not successful. The thing is, Dong Tao chicken eggs have thicker shells than normal chicken eggs, the incubator owner did not know and set the temperature inappropriately, the eggshells did not open, so all the chicks suffocated in the eggs. Learning from experience, the second time, he divided the eggs in half, half sent to the incubator, half left at home for the hens to hatch. This time, he was quite successful. From 30 eggs, he gave birth to 18 Dong Tao chickens with opaque white feathers, weighing 38-40 grams.

He said: "It turns out that using local chickens to hatch is better. The hatching rate is much higher than in an incubator...". Up to now, after 9 months, Mr. Lap has a total flock of nearly 70 Dong Tao chickens. Is it economical? I haven't calculated yet so I can't say. It'll be clearer when I go to my friend's house. Colonel Dan's house in Mau Don hamlet is like a livestock farm. Along with Dong Tao chickens, Mr. Dan also raises porcupines, pheasants, French pigeons, Peking chickens, local chickens... He said he has been raising Dong Tao chickens for five years. In the beginning, he also went to Khoai Chau, Hung Yen to buy breeding chickens. It's definitely economical. Dong Tao chicken meat is delicious, sweet, the breast meat is thick and red, the thigh muscles with bundles of muscles overlap each other without tendons, not tough. The price of commercial chicken used to be 600 - 700 thousand VND/kg. Currently, it's about 350 thousand VND/kg but there's nothing to sell. During Tet, I met customers who bought chickens as gifts. There were 9 kg roosters that cost up to 32 million VND...

Open the way to get rich

The economics are clear, but is raising them complicated? According to Mr. Lap, Dong Tao chickens are very gentle, not destructive, jumping around like local chickens, have small crops, eat little so they produce little waste. They only like to eat grains such as corn, rice and some types of water spinach, amaranth..., absolutely do not eat industrial feed, so raising them is not too difficult. However, breeding and raising a flock is a lot of work. Mr. Dan said that raising Dong Tao chickens was also somewhat complicated at first. Like him and his wife, the first time they brought the chickens home, almost all of them died. "It was also because we did not have experience. After learning, we found out that chickens moving from new regions to new water got sick, and had to be carefully treated to be able to raise them" - Mr. Dan said. Mr. Dan's family also bred and expanded the flock, even crossbred Dong Tao chickens with other chicken breeds. He said: Dong Tao chickens crossbred F1, F2 also give much better meat than local chickens. Now my breeding stock is too old, so I am persuading Mr. Lap to leave some purebred stock to continue breeding.

When asked about chicken breeding, according to Mr. Lap, from the incubation to raising the chicks is very elaborate. Dong Tao chicks are very strange. The layer of down feathers will fall out after a few days to grow another layer of feathers. At the same time, their feathers are less than those of local chickens, so they are very sensitive to cold weather. The coop must be airy but must be warm enough. Otherwise, the chicks will die immediately. Mr. Lap and his wife roofed the entire backyard to protect against rain, and built small coops, about 1m2 wide each, high, sealed on 3 sides, only airy on the south side. In each coop, there is an additional 100W light bulb. Another experience of Mr. Lap is: "You must know how to prevent diseases, from nasal drops, oral administration, and injections according to the correct procedure. At the same time, you must listen to the weather forecast. When the weather is cold, I have to use 200W light bulbs to warm the chicks all day long...".

I went to Google to learn about Dong Tao chickens. Currently, raising Dong Tao chickens is not only in Khoai Chau, Hung Yen but has also spread to many areas across the country. From Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Vinh Yen to the southern provinces such as Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai, even Ho Chi Minh City. And, there are many families that have become rich thanks to raising Dong Tao chickens. However, Nghe An is not on that list. Researching Mr. Nguyen Sy Lap and Mr. Nguyen Ba Dan, in Nghe An there are also some families raising Dong Tao chickens, but they are still small, mainly raising them for family use or for fun. "Like us, raising Dong Tao chickens is a hobby for the elderly, being able to exercise and work according to their strength..." - Mr. Lap expressed. However, with what he has heard and seen, Dong Tao chickens are indeed a precious breed of chicken, and can be a suitable business direction for farming families. Through your breeding, it is clear that Dong Tao chickens can stand in Nghe An if they are properly cared for. Moreover, our province has plenty of grains such as corn and rice to feed the chickens. Why doesn't the Agricultural Extension Department research to bring another breed of chickens back for farmers to do household economy?

Article and photos:Nhat Lan