What kind of chicken is Wenchang chicken? Characteristics and pictures of Wenchang chicken breeds

What kind of chicken is Wenchang chicken? Hainan Wenchang chicken is named Wenchang chicken because it is produced in Wenchang. It is an excellent local broiler breed in Hainan Province and has been a traditional product for more than 400 years. It is known for its round body shape, short shanks, thin skin and crisp bones, sweet and tender meat, and nutritional value. It is rich in color, aroma, taste, shape and nutrition, and you can never get tired of eating it. It ranks first among Hainan's "Four Famous Dishes". What are the characteristics of Wenchang chicken breed?

Natural ecological conditions of the production area

Wenchang City is located at 19o20'～20o10' north latitude and 110o28'～111o03' east longitude. It is located in the northeastern part of Hainan Province and belongs to the low hilly platform plain area. The terrain slopes from the southwest inland to the northeast coast, with an average altitude of 42.5m. The annual average temperature is 23.9℃, with a temperature of 38℃ and a temperature of 0.3℃; there is no frost throughout the year. The annual precipitation ranges from 1529 to 1948 mm, and the average annual sunshine hours are 1953 hours. It has a tropical monsoon island climate. The main crops include rice, sugarcane and oil crops.

Body and appearance characteristics

Wenchang chicken is compact, well-proportioned and wedge-shaped. Feather colors include yellow, white, black and reed flowers. The head is small, the beak is short and curved, and it is light yellow or light gray. The single crown is upright and has 6 to 8 crown teeth. The crown and beard are red. The ear leaves are mostly red, and a few are white. The iridescence is orange. The skin is white or light yellow. The shank is yellow.

The rooster's feathers are maroon red, with a golden ring-shaped feather band on the neck. The main and aileron feathers are maroon red or dark green, and the tail feathers are black with a dark green luster. The feathers of hens are mostly yellowish brown, with some individuals having light twists on their backs, white chest feathers, and black markings on their wing feathers. A few chickens have ring-shaped black spots on their necks. The down color of chicks is mixed, most of which are light yellow, and a few have blue and black stripes on their heads or backs.

Production performance

1. The meat performance of Wenchang chickens at different growth stages is shown in Table 2, the slaughtering performance is shown in Table 3, and the main chemical components of the muscles are shown in Table 4.

2． Egg quality The results of Wenchang egg quality measurement are shown in Table 5.

3. Reproductive performance According to statistics from Hainan Luoniushan Wenchang Chicken Breeding Co., Ltd. in 2006, Wenchang chickens start laying at an average age of 120 to 126 days and lay 120 to 150 eggs at 500 days of age. The fertilization rate of breeding eggs is 94.2, and the hatching rate of fertilized eggs is 94.9. The nesting ability of hens is strong under flat conditions, and the nesting ability of hens is about 2.3 under cage conditions.

Evaluation

Wenchang chicken has strong foraging ability, resistance to rough feeding, heat resistance, early maturity, and the meat is fresh and tender, with rich meat flavor, especially the carcass has thin skin, fine pores, and strong muscles. The internal fat content is high and the subcutaneous fat content is moderate. However, the feather color of this breed is mixed, the feed conversion ratio is low, and the differences between individuals are large. In the future, the selection and breeding of this breed should be strengthened to improve the genetic stability and population uniformity.