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're hearing wrong, because that spacious sound could very well come from the jungle fowl "farms" of urban players...

Jungle fowl, or as connoisseurs do not hesitate to proudly call it "king of chickens", has 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 jungle fowl leisurely lounging 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 jungle fowl fighting. The tall figure of the chicken, the curved wings fluttering in the arena, the 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 jungle fowl to play with. He said: “Wild chickens have more attractive features than domestic chickens, beautiful body, crowing like the master of 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. When

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 enthusiasts 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 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, but Mr. Ty also shook his head and refused to sell it. He shared: "I ordered this chicken from Laos for several months, it's not easy to get, and I've taken care of it for a long time, how could 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 breed of chicken 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 and fat, so that the chickens can keep their shiny, colorful feathers as well as their hearty crowing and heroic appearance. The price of a wild chicken today ranges from 400,000 VND to 800,000 VND/chicken, and 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, players also have to spend a lot of money to invest in a large-scale barn system and waste treatment system. In addition, to maintain the nature of wild chickens, owners sometimes have to pay attention to the "competition" schedule, which means bringing chickens to compete with 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 profiteers 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