Using carefully selected breeding stock, many households in Van Linh commune have developed effective farming models, creating sustainable livelihoods and contributing to the preservation of the local specialty chicken breed.
Van Linh golden chickens are highly nutritious and have a long history in Van Linh commune. Compared to other common chicken breeds, what makes Van Linh chickens unique are their short legs, glossy golden skin, firm meat, and distinctive aroma.
Previously, due to a lack of proper attention and selective breeding, Van Linh chickens were mainly raised by households using free-range methods, leading to crossbreeding with other local chicken breeds and a serious decline in their valuable genetic resources. In 2022, the Department of Science and Technology implemented a project to restore, sustainably develop, and preserve the valuable Van Linh chicken breed in order to safeguard this precious indigenous genetic resource.
As one of the first households to participate in the project, Mr. Mai Van Phan from Van Linh commune proactively collaborated with experts from the Department of Science and Technology to develop his chicken breeding flock. He believes that participating in the project not only helps preserve the valuable products of his homeland but also opens up promising economic development opportunities for his family. From this model, he hopes to expand his chicken breeding flock, create sustainable livelihoods, and increase income for local people.
The breeding selection process is very rigorous. From thousands of chickens owned by local people, experts and scientists select 200 healthy chickens with the best characteristics to form the "nucleus" flock. These chickens are raised on Mr. Phan's family farm.
According to Master's degree holder Nguyen Khanh Toan from the Center for Applied Science and Technology, Department of Science and Technology of Lang Son province: "This 'nucleus' flock of chickens is the foundation for developing high-quality parent chickens. If the genetic source is not accurate at this stage, all subsequent breeding efforts will be largely meaningless."
Like many other households, Mr. Phan's family used to raise chickens in the traditional way, mainly relying on experience and leaving it to the weather and diseases. Since participating in the Van Linh chicken breed conservation project, his family has had to strictly adhere to biosecurity farming procedures.
Following expert guidance, Mr. Phan proactively developed a plan to administer all necessary vaccinations on a regular basis; kept a daily farming log to monitor the chickens' diets and health; and established a suitable nutritional regimen, combining natural feed with systematic farming techniques to ensure healthy chicken growth.
"When I started raising chickens using scientific and technical methods, I was quite unfamiliar with everything. But thanks to the dedicated guidance from the officials, I found that raising them systematically resulted in fewer diseases and more uniform growth," Mr. Phan shared.
Unlike many other chicken breeds, one of the factors that contributes to the value of Van Linh chickens is their long rearing time. While industrial chickens only take about 2-3 months to be ready for market, Van Linh chickens need 7-8 months. This extended rearing time helps the chicken meat achieve the right firmness, crispy skin, and a rich, sweet flavor.
Furthermore, the application of science to poultry farming has helped to continuously improve the quality of the chicken flock. With a market price of 150-200 thousand VND/kg, Van Linh chickens currently command a better price than many common chicken breeds. The price of chicks also fluctuates around 15 thousand VND/chick, creating favorable conditions for people to restock, maintain, and expand their production scale.
Having successfully preserved the native chicken breed, Mr. Phan and many households in the commune have expanded the farming model and established the Van Linh Chicken Farming Cooperative with a scale of over 2,000 chickens. After establishing the cooperative, Mr. Phan boldly invested in a synchronized system of chicken coops, high-tech egg incubators to control hatching rates, and applied biological bedding and ventilation systems to ensure a clean farming environment, reducing odors and diseases.
Besides Van Linh chicken products, the cooperative also develops Van Linh chicken eggs, which have been recognized as meeting OCOP 3-star standards, thereby contributing to increasing the value and affirming the brand of the product.
Mr. Hoang Van Truong, a member of the Van Linh Chicken Farming Cooperative, said: “Currently, my family is also following Mr. Phan's example to develop our Van Linh yellow chicken flock. I raise two batches a year, each batch with about 800 chickens, totaling over 1,500 chickens, generating an income of about 250 million VND.”
Van Linh commune is undergoing a strong transformation thanks to the support of various departments and agencies, working hand in hand with farmers, thereby helping to preserve valuable, indigenous products and create stable livelihoods. The model of preserving and developing the Van Linh golden chicken can open up new avenues for sustainable agricultural economic development.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/bao-ton-giong-ga-quy-van-linh-post964112.html
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