Taihu
The Taihu chicken is a Chinese local chicken associated with the Lake Tai region of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. It belongs to the country's diverse native poultry resources and is generally treated as a regional utility bird rather than an international exhibition breed. Local chickens from this area may be valued for meat quality, egg production, and adaptation to humid lowland farming conditions.
Taihu chickens should be managed with attention to dampness, ventilation, and clean footing, since humid conditions can stress any flock when housing is poor. Breeders should select for vigor, fertility, productive hens, and the traits recognized in their source line. If the flock is maintained for conservation, origin records are important. The name should not be applied casually to any chicken from eastern China unless the breeder can explain the population and breeding history.
Colors: Barred, Birchen, Black, Blue, Brown, Buff, Columbian, Crele, Cuckoo, Duckwing, Gold, Gold Laced, Laced, Lavender, Mille Fleur, Mottled, Partridge, Penciled, Porcelain, Red, Silver, Silver Laced, Spangled, Splash, Wheaten, White
