Wild chicken hobby

(Baonghean) - In the middle of the urban space, every early morning suddenly echoes somewhere the loud crowing of a young rooster signaling the start of a new day; don't think you heard wrong, because that spacious sound could very well come from the wild chicken "farms" of urban players...

Wild chickens, or as connoisseurs do not hesitate to proudly call them "king chickens" - the king of chickens, have become a healthy hobby of many city dwellers in recent years. I met Mr. Bui Cong Minh (No. 46, Ngo Van So Street, Vinh City) while he was busy with a tray of food for a flock of wild chickens leisurely strolling under the shade of a tree. For the past few years, he has been diligently taking care of his hobby every day as a way to relax after the busy work of a person working in the financial sector. He said that the opportunity arose from a business trip to the highlands, while walking around the mountain town, he was attracted by some wild chickens fighting. The tall chickens, curved wings fluttering in the arena, colorful feathers and especially the gray legs typical of the species made Mr. Minh captivated. After that, he was determined to find and buy a pair of wild chickens to play with. He said: “Wild chickens have more attractive features than domestic chickens, beautiful body, crowing sound like dominating the space, especially very good resistance. Because they grow in the natural environment, they are very bold with people, the more I play with them, the more I get “addicted” to these chickens.”

Mr. Ty takes care of the wild chickens.

Another difference compared to regular domestic chickens is that jungle fowl can still fly and fly quite high.

Mr. Cao Van Ty - the owner of a restaurant in the city is also attracted by the wild beauty of wild chickens. Mr. Ty currently owns a wild chicken that is considered by many connoisseurs to be a "king of chickens", because of its smooth, shiny feathers, high, thick, bright red crest and most especially its white ears. For wild chicken players, chickens with white ears are very rare because these are usually chickens that are hunted and trapped in wild mountains and forests, with few human footprints, very difficult to find. In addition, this type of chicken is very "picky about the hen", to breed this male, not every hen is accepted by it, sometimes even keeping it together for a month is not successful. Many people have asked to buy it at a price ten times higher than the price of a normal chicken, Mr. Ty also shook his head and refused to sell it, he shared: "I ordered this chicken from Laos for several months, it is not easy to get, and I have taken care of it for a long time, how can I sell my hobby for a few million dong".

Connoisseurs of wild chickens share that good wild chickens are often trapped from remote mountainous districts in the province such as Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Con Cuong... even southern provinces such as Long An, Tien Giang... The most popular chicken breed is chicken from the mountainous areas of Cambodia or from ethnic minorities caught in the forest because of its purity and strong instincts. Taking care of wild chickens is not simple, in addition to the main food of rice, sometimes the owner has to feed them with creatures such as insects, worms, crickets, grasshoppers... to supplement protein, fat, so that the chicken can keep its shiny, colorful feathers as well as its hearty crowing and heroic appearance. The price of a wild chicken today ranges from 400,000 VND to 800,000 VND/bird, and sometimes when it is scarce, it can reach millions or many millions of VND, which is normal. On the other hand, in order for wild chickens to live and develop well in urban conditions, without much space to roam, the player must also spend a lot of money to invest in a large-scale system of cages and waste treatment systems. In addition, to maintain the nature of wild chickens, occasionally, the owner must also pay attention to the "competition" schedule, which means bringing the chickens to fight each other to train their claws, health and endurance...

Currently in Vinh City, the wild chicken club has reached several dozen people. It cannot be denied that, amidst the movement of wild chicken as a healthy, natural entertainment, there are still people who take advantage of pets as a means of betting and gambling. Those profiteering groups believe that they will gradually be boycotted by genuine players, stemming from their passion for the inherent heroic vitality of this familiar animal.

Hoang Vu