The "kingdom" of Quy ducks

(Baonghean) -The Quỳ duck is a breed of duck that is currently rated by the National Institute of Animal Husbandry as having the best meat and is also considered by the local people as a specialty that is only served to honorable guests when they visit their home. In the near future, this specialty duck breed will open up a new direction of economic development to improve the lives of many households in Que Phong.

Noble duck to treat noble guests

Quy gourd duck - a precious specialty duck breed found only in the western districts of Nghe An. People remember Quy gourd duck for its delicious, sweet meat. Therefore, researchers from the National Institute of Animal Husbandry consider this to be the best duck breed in Vietnam today.

We traveled more than 30 km to Quang Phong commune to learn about the origin of this special duck. Talking about Quy duck, Chairman of Quang Phong commune People's Committee, Vi Thai Diep exclaimed: This is a "traditional" duck breed of Thai people living in Quang Phong and Cam Muon communes. Since we were born, this breed of duck has existed. Each family only raises about 5-10 ducks in the house as the main food. Whenever there are important guests, people slaughter them to entertain them. Asked why this type of duck can be so delicious? Mr. Binh explained: Because people raise ducks in a free-range manner, eating fish and shrimp from streams, only rarely, some households feed the ducks with a little rice husks, rice, and cassava. Moreover, the soil here is the most ideal environment for this breed of duck to develop and produce delicious meat quality.

Mr. Binh led us to the house of Mr. Lang Van Sam, in Ca village, one of the long-time duck breeders. Mr. Sam seemed interested when someone came to learn about the "traditional" duck breed passed down from his ancestors. He said that for many generations, his family has been attached to this breed of duck. There are always at least 3-5 ducks in the house to entertain distant friends when they come to visit. But one year, the flock of ducks suddenly fell ill, while this breed of duck is very difficult to incubate eggs, so there is a risk of being wiped out. He said that fortunately, this breed of duck has high resistance, so the commune's duck flock is still intact. Currently, the total flock of ducks in Quang Phong commune is about 5,000. Although there are many, buying a duck to eat is not an easy thing. To buy a duck, sometimes you have to search all over the village, ordering a week in advance. Its selling price is also sky-high, from 120,000 to 150,000 VND/kg.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Chin's family's duck flock provides income every year.
over 100 million dong

Leaving Quang Phong, we returned to Cam Muon. This is also considered the cradle of the Quy duck breed. Mr. Lu Thanh Binh, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, knowing that there were journalists coming, immediately invited us to stay and enjoy this special duck dish. He said, if you come here but do not eat this duck dish, it is considered that you have not fully felt the love and affection of the people here. The goodwill of the Commune Chairman made it difficult for us to refuse. And indeed, those who have been honored guests in Que Phong had to nod in agreement that few people were not satisfied with that flavor. "In the local economic development project, we are mobilizing people to turn this duck breed into a commodity. Because this is a sustainable direction to increase income and develop the economy for the people of the commune. Currently, the commune has 2 incubators, with a total flock of up to 12,000 ducks" - Mr. Binh said.

The "king" of ducks Quy

When talking about Quy ducks, we cannot help but mention Mr. Thai Dieu. He is known as the person who “saved” this precious duck breed from the risk of extinction.

The reason is that small-scale family farming, with each family having only 5-10 ducks, when specialty restaurants rushed to hunt for them, has pushed this famous precious duck breed to the risk of being wiped out. The price of Quy ducks at times reached 250-300 thousand VND/duck, but it was still very difficult to buy. Luckily, at that time, Mr. Thai Dieu appeared. Mr. Dieu is not a native but his hometown is in Lien Thanh commune, Yen Thanh. He was one of the good duck breeders in the rice fields. Then, the times he took his wife to visit his grandmother in Que Phong, he had the opportunity to learn about the Quy duck breed. "At that time, I thought to myself, there is such a strange and delicious duck breed here, why don't people raise more of it? Moreover, this type of duck has a high economic value and can be built into a commodity," Mr. Dieu shared.

From the above situation, Mr. Thai Dieu came up with the idea of ​​finding a way to restore the Quy duck breed himself to protect and preserve it for the locality. In 1993, he decided to take his wife to Dan village, Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district to start a business raising ducks. The couple had to travel to each village, each house, and even went to Laos to collect eggs to incubate. But the most they could get was only 10 eggs a day. After nearly 2 years of perseverance, he had nearly 200 purebred ducks. This was the first brood of parent ducks that he had raised. At the same time, the People's Committee of Que Phong district had a policy to restore the Quy duck breed. The Department of Settlement and Resettlement (now the Department of Rural and Mountainous Development) of Que Phong district supported Mr. Dieu with 20 million VND to help him invest in expanding the farm and buying an incubator. From here, Mr. Dieu can provide people with better quality duck breeds.

In 2011, with the support of the livestock component, the agricultural competitiveness project in Nghe An, Dieu Chau enterprise formed the "Union for production and consumption of Quy ducks between the enterprise and the livestock cooperative of Tien Phong commune - Que Phong" with the participation of 100 households, with a scale of 200 breeding ducks/batch/household, 2 batches per year. In this alliance, the two sides signed an agreement: Dieu Chau private enterprise supports farmers with livestock breeding techniques, disease prevention, provides breeds and food to ensure quality, and consumes all products for farmers at agreed prices within 2 years. This is truly a lifesaver for many households to have the opportunity to develop the economy and increase family income.

The family of Nguyen Dinh Chin (Hamlet 2, Que Son Commune, Que Phong District) is one of 100 households benefiting from the project. Initially, his family was supported with 100 ducklings and food. After more than 6 months of care, he sold the first batch of ducks and earned nearly 20 million VND. He continued to invest this money to restore the flock. Up to now, the family's total flock has reached 2,000 laying ducks and the family's average monthly income is more than 100 million VND. "Raising Quy ducks is healthier than other duck breeds because Quy ducks have a higher disease resistance and can easily adapt to sudden weather conditions. Currently, the family's flock of ducks lays more than 1,200 eggs per day. All of these eggs are purchased by Dieu Chau private enterprise, so people are not afraid of unsold eggs," said Mr. Chin.

In 2008, Mr. Dieu established Dieu Chau private enterprise specializing in producing and supplying purebred, high-quality Quy duck breeds. Each month, he exports about 24,000 purebred duck breeds. In addition to households in the district, many customers in neighboring districts such as Quy Chau, Quy Hop, Con Cuong, Tuong Duong, Ky Son also come to buy duck breeds. Because people know him as a "king" of this famous Quy duck breed. A large number of his duck breeds are provided for projects or models of policy programs in neighboring districts. According to Mr. Dieu, his incubator operates day and night but is still not enough to meet the demand. Mr. Thai Dieu has been granted a certificate of ownership of the Quy duck brand by the Intellectual Property Office. Currently, Quy ducks have "entered" restaurants and eateries in Vinh City. And in the near future, this duck breed will become a famous brand not only in the province but also spread throughout the country, so that everyone will know about a specialty of the Que land that is changing the face and flesh of this highland region every day.

The Quy duck has delicious meat quality, the thigh meat has a crude protein ratio of 21.23-21.50%; crude fat ratio of 1.18-1.68%; water ratio of 75.09-75.6%. The fat ratio of the Quy duck meat is higher than other duck breeds and the Quy duck has a suitable protein and fat ratio, which is the basis for the Quy duck to have a more delicious taste than other duck breeds.

Article and photos: Pham Bang