Local poultry farming plays a key role in improving the socio-economic status of many communities in most parts of Africa.
However, poor housing, lack of coordinated disease control mechanisms, poor feeding and the absence of conservation strategies are some of the challenges facing local chicken production systems in Africa.
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Most African countries consist of the following indigenous chicken breeds: the Naked Neck, the Ovambo chicken, Venda chicken, the Potchefstroom Koekoek, and the Boschveld.
However, in Vietnam, to celebrate the Lunar New Year, people gorge on the Dragon Chicken’s thick legs and the lumpy legs of the Dong Tao chicken which are a delicacy there. The chicken was named after the commune in Northern Vietnam where it is bred.
Speaking to the AFP, a poultry farmer named Le Van Hien says a dragon chicken with legs as thick as a brick can fetch up to US$2,000 per head.
Hien’s prized four-kilogramme bird, whose massive legs account for roughly a fifth of its body weight, was sold for around US$150. Large pedigree chickens have been valued at more than that. Some even compete in beauty pageants.
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Hien told AFP that the bird’s diet of corn and rice, as well as its freedom to roam, are crucial to its taste. Although the laying hens are kept in battery cages, which are prohibited in some countries around the world, the meat chickens are released into a small garden.
“The more the chicken walks, the stronger and bigger their muscles are,” Hien, who has been breeding chickens for over 15 years, explained. The meat of the Dong Tao chicken, which can weigh up to 10 kg, is prized for its tough and chewy texture, as well as its low-fat content. It is sometimes boiled, but it can also be fried, stewed, or served with lemongrass.
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