Raising specialty animals to supply the Tet market.

(Baonghean.vn) - With only about a month left until the 2017 Lunar New Year, livestock farmers in Nghe An are currently busy preparing "specialty" livestock products to supply the Tet market.

As the first person to introduce pheasant breeding to Quynh Luu, Mr. Vo Hong Tham's farm in Hamlet 4, Quynh Hoa Commune currently houses nearly 300 pheasants. Of these, approximately 250 will be sold during the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. Mr. Tham explains that pheasants begin breeding after 4-5 months of raising (between February and August in the lunar calendar), with each female laying 250-300 eggs per clutch. Starting in July of the lunar calendar, he selects about 300-400 good breeding birds to raise for meat during Tet.

Pheasant meat is a rather unusual dish for customers, priced at 150-170 thousand VND/kg. In the photo: Mr. Vo Hong Tham's farm in Hamlet 4, Quynh Hoa Commune.

"Raising pheasants is healthier than raising chickens; they are less susceptible to disease, grow faster, and yield higher profits. In particular, pheasant meat is very flavorful and can be used to prepare many delicious dishes," Mr. Tham shared.

Commercial pheasant meat currently sells for 150-170 thousand VND/kg, and during Tet (Lunar New Year), the price can rise to 200-250 thousand VND/kg; especially if transported to southern provinces, the price will be even higher. From raising pheasants for breeding and meat, his family earns 300 million VND per year.

Crispy fried roasted pheasant meat with lemongrass and chili is very fragrant and delicious.

Besides pheasants, Mr. Nguyen Cong Chi in Block 13, Quynh Xuan Ward (Hoang Mai town) has invested in raising free-range guinea fowl to sell during Tet (Lunar New Year). Mr. Cong said that guinea fowl originate from wild chickens and have the scientific name Bam busicola; through the domestication process, guinea fowl are raised at home.

This is a relatively new type of livestock, becoming a specialty dish for customers, especially during traditional holidays and festivals.

Guinea fowl is a specialty dish that has become increasingly popular with customers in recent years.

Currently, there are about 200 guinea fowl in the garden, raised for meat. The family is carefully tending to them and estimates they will have 4 tons of chicken meat to sell during Tet (Lunar New Year). With a selling price of 120-140 thousand VND/kg, Mr. Cong's family will earn nearly 80 million VND.

A flock of guinea fowl.

Heading up to Ngoc Son commune in the mountainous region of Quynh Luu district, we visited the largest wild duck farming model in the western part of the district, run by Mr. Bui Van Hung, originally from Cau Giat town, who came here to start his business. It is known that in 2014, he developed a commercial wild duck farming model with 2,000 ducks per year. Thanks to good care and natural farming conditions, the wild ducks grow quickly, are healthy, and are favored by customers. When the ducks reach a weight of about 1.5 kg/each, he sells them at an average price of 100,000 VND/each. From wild duck farming, he earns nearly 200 million VND in additional income each year.

“Starting from the eighth lunar month, our family increases the flock to 600-700 wild ducks to sell during Tet (Lunar New Year). Besides taking good care of the animals to ensure they grow quickly, we contact various distributors to sell the product. Currently, all the wild ducks ready for sale have already been reserved,” Mr. Hung said.

Mr. Ho Chi Thang in Quynh Luong commune checks the weight of his rabbits to supplement their feed.

Wild duck is also a rather appealing dish for those who enjoy drinking and socializing.

In Quynh Luu district, there are currently dozens of households raising wild ducks, with a total of 2,500-3,000 birds per year; over 500 commercial rabbits; 400 guinea fowl; 450 pheasants; and more than 1,000 French and American pigeons. These are "specialty" livestock that people are investing in and developing. Due to their novelty and high quality, they are increasingly attracting the attention of customers during the Tet holiday shopping season.

Viet Hung