Taste the Farmland during the Solar Terms | The first chicken for late autumn tonic may come from this family

In autumn, many people choose to eat chicken to nourish their body. There are many ways to cook it, such as stewing in iron pot, braising, and making soup. Among the many ways to eat it, it is very likely that the Ward series broiler family is used as the ingredient.

If you are unfamiliar with the "Ward" broiler chicken family, you must listen to what I am saying next.

Let you achieve the freedom of "eating chicken"

For a long time in the past, my country's fast-growing large-scale white-feathered broiler chicken breeds were 100% dependent on imports, posing a potential threat to the healthy and orderly development of my country's broiler industry.

In order to break through the "bottleneck" problem of the core seed sources of white-feathered broiler chickens, ensure the supply of chicken, and achieve national strategic security, Yukou Poultry, a subsidiary of Shounong Food Group, in conjunction with Professor Yang Ning's team from China Agricultural University, has embarked on a broiler breeding journey with Chinese characteristics with the support of national and Beijing government policies and funds.

As we all know, breeding new breeds is not a matter of a day or a night. Every successfully bred new breed must have a unique skill, and there must be a legend behind it. What are the members of the "Ward Series" broiler family? Let's unveil their mystery together:

Four members chicken

China is a country of gourmet food, and the demand for chicken consumption is diverse. The four members of the Ward family, "chicken-eating" and "meat-eating", are bred specifically for the Chinese. "Ward 168" and "Ward 158" are high-quality chicken varieties that meet the consumption needs of whole chickens in families. They fully meet the differentiated consumption needs and are a must-have for a country of gourmet food.

Ward 188: As one of the first three domestic white-feathered broiler breeds approved in my country, it is a caged broiler specially bred for Chinese people, filling the gap in domestic fast-growing large white-feathered broiler independent breeding. The commercial generation is marketed at 42 days old, with an average weight of more than 3.0kg, a feed-to-meat ratio of less than 1.55:1, and a survival rate of more than 97%, which can effectively meet the market demand for cut chickens.

Ward 178: The "Ward 178" that is about to be approved has the characteristics of large body and high wing-to-leg ratio. The commercial chicken weighs 2.0 kg at 42 days old, with a feed-to-meat ratio of 1.68:1 and a survival rate of more than 99%, meeting the needs of the fast food market; the weight reaches 3.5 kg at 63 days old, with a feed-to-meat ratio of 1.85:1 and a survival rate of more than 98.5%, meeting the market demand for large broilers in the northwest region.

Ward 168: It has the superior genes of "high egg production, low mortality rate and high efficiency" of laying hens and "fast growth, low feed consumption and high meat production" of white-feathered broilers. Its body weight can reach 1.5kg in 42 days, with a feed-to-meat ratio of 1.63:1 and a survival rate of over 99%. It is a disruptive achievement of broiler innovation in China and even in the world. It was certified by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in 2018, and opened the precedent for independent breeding of white-feathered broilers in my country. It can be subdivided into four market specifications of 0.85~1.75 kg, which can meet the market demand for braised chicken, smoked chicken, roast chicken, frozen white-striped chicken, etc.

Ward 158: Fills the market gap of small-sized high-quality white-feathered broilers in my country. It fills the market gap of small-sized high-quality white-feathered broilers in my country. It is a unique meat-egg dual-purpose variety. The black chickens of the parent generation produce small pink eggs. At 72 weeks of age, it can produce 308 small pink eggs of 50g. It can produce high-quality small white-feathered broilers and can be sold as branded eggs and high-quality eggs. The commercial generation is both delicious and efficient. After 50 days of feeding, with a feed-to-meat ratio of 2.0:1, you can get a high-quality broiler weighing 3.0 catties. It is an excellent material for chilled chickens.

Ward broiler family meets China's diversified consumer needs

Ward 188: On December 3, 2021, broiler Ward 188 obtained the National New Livestock and Poultry Variety Certificate, breaking the monopoly of foreign white-feathered broiler breeds.

"Ward 188" went abroad, the first order was sold on the spot

On June 16, 2023, Ward broiler 188 was successfully exported to Tanzania for the first time, achieving a breakthrough in China's breeding chicken exports.

Customs staff carefully checking the condition of the chickens

Ward 168: Using Ward 168 broiler chicken as the source, Smart Poultry chicken brand is shaped, leading a chicken revolution. Ten minutes, boiled in water, without adding other seasonings, you can eat the feeling of childhood.

Cultivation Secrets

The "Ward Series" broiler breeding team cleverly used 20 pure line materials such as laying hens, white-feathered broilers, and yellow-feathered broilers, integrated the essence of three types of breeding technologies, and innovatively applied the "Phoenix Heart No. 1" genome breeding technology. Finally, they successfully bred the "Ward Series" broiler breed that meets the different needs of the Chinese people, and realized the cross-border integration from laying hen breeding to broiler breeding.

On December 3, 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued Announcement No. 498, stating that 18 new livestock and poultry varieties (supporting systems) and 18 livestock and poultry genetic resources have been approved and identified by the National Committee for Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources. Among them, the "Ward 158" and "Ward 188" broiler new varieties (supporting systems) jointly bred by Beijing Huadu Yukou Poultry Co., Ltd., China Agricultural University, and Smart (Beijing) Food Co., Ltd. are listed and issued certificates.

Together with the "Ward 168" that passed the national approval in 2018 and the "Ward 178" that is currently being cultivated, they form the "Ward Series" broiler family.

Some people may ask, "Why add the 'Ward' series?" Ward, which means "my" and "World", is not only the name of the broiler series, but also represents a series of identities and symbols, carefully interpreting the infinite meaning of "based in China, facing the world". The successful breeding of the "Ward Series" broiler breed has sounded the clarion call for the revitalization of my country's poultry breeding industry and opened the curtain of modern poultry welfare breeding.

Is this the first chicken we eat as a tonic in late autumn?

Produced by: Science Popularization China Smart Farmers Beijing Color Agriculture

Produced by: Beijing Agricultural and Rural Publicity Center

Editor: Wu Yuetong Zhang Mengfan

Scientific review: Wang Liang, Beijing Animal Husbandry Station