Dragon chicken: why does it cost 2 thousand dollars apiece (6 photos)

This is approximately how much you need to pay for a purebred Dong Tao chicken. These rare breeds of birds are in great demand, but there are critically few of them.





Horror as it is, chickens from nightmares

The Dong Tao chicken breed is popularly called simply "dragon chicken". This famous Vietnamese breed is the most expensive poultry in the world. It is valued for its meat, well, and for its unique appearance. Although the origin of this rare breed of chicken is unknown, most of the birds are raised exclusively in the Khoai Chau region on the outskirts of Hanoi.

A very strange bird

Dong Tao chickens have large heads with short and curved beaks. Their legs are terribly deformed and unusually bulky, like a dragon monster. Personally, they remind me of a monitor lizard.



They say they were bred for fighting, but they are so capricious

Their enlarged legs make up almost a fifth of their body weight. They are as thick as a human wrist and are covered with peculiar reddish scales.

They are highly valued for their lean meat.

Originally bred exclusively for the royal family, Dong Tao chickens are now served in expensive restaurants catering to the elite. This Vietnamese delicacy can be prepared in a variety of ways: boiled, fried, stewed, or served with lemongrass.

Why is Dong Tao chicken so expensive?

Not all Dong Tao chickens are commercially viable. In fact, out of 500 chickens, less than 5% are suitable for sale.





Is it worth the money

In order for them to pass the "market criteria", the chickens must meet many criteria. They must have enlarged thick legs, black feathers, sideburns must be symmetrical and beautiful.

And these birds are also very capricious when breeding. They are very sensitive to weather changes. And as soon as the weather changes, Dong Tao chickens lay fewer eggs than other breeds. And when they lay eggs, they accidentally break most of the eggs because of their uncomfortable legs. And those that survived are not guaranteed to hatch on their own with such legs, so the breeder must help them hatch in time.



It doesn't look as impressive when cut up

And it takes 8-10 months to grow from a chick to an adult for sale. By the way, ordinary chicken breeds grow into an adult in 50 days, and an ordinary hen starts laying eggs at 4-5 months.

That's why one kilogram of purebred Dong Tao chicken costs about 350,000-400,000 dong. Live chickens are tens of times more expensive.

Why is Dong Tao chicken meat so tasty?



To be honest, it looks pretty nasty. It's really a bit like a reptile

An adult male Dong Tao chicken weighs about 5-6 kilograms. The birds are fed a special high-protein diet of corn and rice. Their feet are carefully washed in a mixture of salt and tea (I still don't understand why tea, maybe tannins?).

The taste of the meat largely depends on the physical activity of the chicken during its life. So the more the chicken walks, the tastier the meat.



The legs look like those of a giant lizard up close, which is why the chicken is a descendant of a dragon

Dong Tao chickens are believed to have been bred for cockfighting to entertain the king, given their strong legs. Today, they are bought as gifts for special occasions, such as the Vietnamese New Year. If a farmer has even one of these chickens, he will definitely enter it into the chicken beauty contest that is held all over Vietnam.