Nomadic Chicken Farming - Preserving and Promoting the Multi-Claw Chicken Breed of Tan Son

Born and raised in the mountainous region, closely connected with the multi-claw chicken since his childhood, Muong ethnic man Nguyen Van Duc (born in 1985 in Tan Son commune, Phu Tho province) takes great pride in the fact that his locality is home to the legendary “nine-claw” chicken breed, which is part of the “Son Tinh, Thuy Tinh” myth dating back to the time of the Hung Kings.

The multi-claw chicken is a valuable asset that helps the local people develop their economy, increase their income, and improve their living standards. Particularly, Duc has successfully bred and raised the rare “nine-claw” chicken, which is unique to the region, generating millions of VND in revenue each year. Not only does he raise chickens on his farm, but he also practices nomadic chicken farming—transporting the chickens by car to free-range in natural environments, which helps the chickens stay healthy and produce better-tasting meat.

A typical day of nomadic chicken farming for Duc starts early at 6 a.m., when he prepares corn, water for the chickens, and checks the oil, fuel, and battery of his vehicle before heading out at 8 a.m.

In 2013, Duc started his business with the multi-claw chicken farming model, after traveling through various villages and knocking on doors of local households in the core and peripheral areas of Xuan Son National Park to find and purchase purebred multi-claw chickens, with the goal of preserving and protecting the breed.

In 2021, Nguyen Van Duc established the Nang Trung Du One Member Limited Liability Company, determined to revive the legendary chicken breed. Currently, the company is collaborating with over 10 households in the communes of Tan Son, Lai Dong, Minh Dai, Xuan Dai, and others, helping local ethnic minorities escape poverty through chicken farming.

In early 2025, Duc purchased an old car and transformed it into a mobile chicken coop, which can house up to 50 chickens.

Initially, he parked the car in his garden, confining the chickens inside at night and releasing them during the day. Later, he began transporting the chickens to locations such as riverbanks and streams with sandy or rocky areas, allowing them to engage in natural behaviors like dust bathing, eating gravel, and foraging for insects.

Today, Duc’s nomadic multi-claw chicken farming model has gained widespread attention. His short videos on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok consistently attract large viewership, with some videos reaching 1 to 2.5 million views.

Many international visitors, including from Japan and China, have come to observe and experience the chicken farming process, and to taste dishes made from the multi-claw chickens, such as boiled or salted chicken, praising the flavor and expressing interest in selling them in high-end stores abroad.

Ngoc Lam