Chapter 91: Advice on Free‑Range Chicken Farming

Chen Yang originally thought Luo Hongjun's chicken farm was built encircling the mountain, with the chickens inside just like those in some online video, descending in a dark mass from the mountain at mealtime. Upon arriving, he realized he had overthought it; they were simply cage‑raised laying hens kept in the chicken house.

As someone who grew up in the countryside, Chen Yang clearly knew that the meat quality of cage‑raised chickens was markedly inferior to that of free‑range chickens. Because cage‑raised chickens grow and live in a relatively cramped, confined space, lacking sufficient exercise, their muscles cannot be fully exercised, so their meat tends to be loose and not firm, lacking chewiness and elasticity when eaten.

Moreover, the eggs produced by cage‑raised chickens are far inferior in taste to those of free‑range chickens. Free‑range chickens have a varied diet and absorb rich nutrition, so their eggs have a darker yolk and thicker egg white. Cage‑raised chickens receive a single‑type diet; their eggs taste relatively bland and monotonous compared to free‑range eggs, lacking the unique savory flavor and rich aroma of free‑range eggs.

This explains why Luo Hongjun's eggs won't sell. Besides the poor location, they have absolutely no market competitiveness.

For eggs of the same quality, Chen Yang would also prioritize purchasing from the lower‑cost channel.

However, Luo Hongjun's chicken farm had just been expanded, and the costs had not yet been recovered, so changing his farming method was not realistic.

Chen Yang had considered investing in his own free‑range chicken farm, but the idea flashed through his mind and was quickly snuffed out.

Human nature is selfish. Doing things for oneself versus for others are entirely different mindsets. Without reliable supervision, Chen Yang dares to say that any amount of money he invests would go down the drain.

Therefore, after leaving Luo Hongjun's chicken farm, Chen Yang gave him a suggestion: to switch to raising free‑range chickens, if conditions allowed.

Luo Hongjun wasn't particularly concerned after hearing it; he felt that having Chen Yang as a major client was enough and saw no need to change.

Chen Yang immediately splashed a basin of water on him. "Boss Luo, I'm a businessman, not a philanthropist. If someone had already raised free‑range chickens before you, I would certainly give them more orders."

Luo Hongjun immediately panicked. He basically had no sales channels; if Chen Yang walked away, the chicken farm would go under. "Mr. Chen, even if I want to change, I first need to recoup my costs."

Chen Yang said: "The market is ruthless; it won't give you time to prepare. If everyone else is improving egg quality, to survive you can only keep cutting prices. How low can you go? If even price cuts can't capture the market, what then?"

Luo Hongjun fell silent; what Chen Yang said was not impossible. In fact, before Chen Yang arrived, many wholesalers had approached him, pressing prices very low. The reason was that his eggs had no advantage over others' and the location was remote.

However, Luo Hongjun also had his own difficulties. He complained to Chen Yang: "Chen Yang, all my money is tied up in this chicken farm; I have no spare funds to build a new one!"

Chen Yang thought for a moment and said: "I can sign you a long‑term cooperation order. Take this order to the bank to get a loan for building a new chicken farm. I'll buy all the eggs from the old farm as long as they meet quality standards. How does that sound?"

Luo Hongjun calculated that if Chen Yang could purchase all the eggs from this batch of laying hens, he would not only break even but also make a profit. After returning to the farm and discussing it with his family, he finally agreed to Chen Yang's suggestion.

Chen Yang then called the company's legal officer, Qin Qin, asking her to draft a purchase contract for free‑range eggs and send it to his email.

Since Luo Hongjun needed time to arrange people to pack the eggs, Chen Yang took his camera and wandered around Double Willow Village.

Clear Water County is a poor county, and Coiling Dragon Town is also a poor town. Although there are many government‑supported individuals who have become wealthy through assistance, the overall living standard at the grassroots level remains low.

As Chen Yang walked deeper into the village, most of what he passed were dilapidated earth‑brick houses. The villagers' attire was also simple, consisting of mended and repeatedly altered old clothes. Seeing Chen Yang taking photos, they would curiously gather around to watch.

Chen Yang not only photographed the village scenery but also captured the villagers' daily lives. He wanted to record the true situation here and post it on Liu Qingqing's website forum, so more people could join the poverty‑relief and aid‑farming activities.

Upon hearing that Chen Yang had come to Double Willow Village to collect agricultural products, many people brought out their stored mountain goods: dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, cured meat, cured fish, dried small fish and shrimp, as well as pickled vegetables and jarred vegetables. They all wanted to trade them with Chen Yang for some pocket money.

Chen Yang had brought neither a scale nor small change, so he could only have them deliver the goods to Luo Hongjun's chicken farm to be weighed, then settle the payment uniformly. In the end he spent four hundred yuan, filling the rear seat and trunk completely.

By the time Zhou Zhengyang finished his work and came over to check the situation, he felt a bit embarrassed.

"Mr. Chen, it's my fault for not doing my job properly and causing you extra expense."

"It's fine; I also come from a rural background, so I know nobody's life is easy." Chen Yang bore no grudge against the villagers of Double Willow Village. As the saying goes, poor mountains and wicked waters produce troublemakers, but at least the villagers of Double Willow Village were engaging in fair trade with him.

In his previous life, Chen Yang had heard and seen news reports that many places in Clear Water County had deliberately set up roadblocks to extort protection fees from passing merchants. Their behavior severely damaged the county's development environment. It was only after Lin Wei was transferred in and launched a large‑scale anti‑crime campaign that the situation gradually improved.

"Mr. Chen, I heard you had Luo Pangzi switch to raising free‑range chickens—are you optimistic about the free‑range chicken market?"

"Secretary Zhou, any industry is valuable when scarce and cheap when oversupplied. The fact that free‑range chickens are in demand now doesn't guarantee they will be later." Chen Yang guessed Zhou Zhengyang's thoughts. If he admitted optimism about the free‑range chicken market, the other side would surely promote it vigorously across Coiling Dragon Town. Then, if free‑range chickens flooded the market, the poultry market throughout Clear Water County would be affected.

Zhou Zhengyang felt a bit regretful and then asked Chen Yang: "Then what does your company need in the second half of the year?"

Chen Yang thought for a moment and said: "Radishes, cabbage, scallions, ginger, garlic—these high‑volume daily agricultural products can be grown on a large scale. If cultivated in greenhouses, we can also grow some off‑season vegetables."

Zhou Zhengyang pondered a while and then asked: "Is there any demand for meat products?"

Chen Yang shook his head. Meat products are subject to strict inspection; even if we wanted to handle them, we would have to cooperate with a meat‑processing plant rather than purchase directly from rural farmers. An ordinary farmer who profits 180 yuan from slaughtering a single sheep can be fined 100,000 yuan. No amount of Chen Yang's assets could cover such penalties from the authorities.

To ensure a stable supply of goods for the second half of the year, Chen Yang signed several more purchase contracts for agricultural products with Zhou Zhengyang. He wanted a steady supply; the other side wanted political achievements—this kind of cooperation is solid and lasting.