All that's left is time. After all, even if they've been castrated, these piglets will still need at least eight months to reach market weight. (In reality, six months is enough. But in the Tang Dynasty, there was no concentrated feed, and the breed of domestic pigs wasn't optimized, so it would take at least eight months.)
Having secured the pork, Lu Xuan set his sights on another improvement plan: hens laying eggs...
Don't underestimate something as seemingly ordinary as a hen laying eggs. The low life expectancy of this era is largely due to inadequate nutrition from childhood. Because of limited productivity, meat was a luxury. Therefore, most ordinary people couldn't get enough protein.
Eggs provide a very comprehensive supplement. While they cannot completely replace meat, they can still provide a significant portion of a diet. On a larger scale, a sufficient supply of eggs could greatly improve the physical fitness of the Tang Dynasty's population. In the long run, this could be considered a matter of national destiny. For example, Japan launched a nationwide milk-drinking campaign in the last century to improve the physical fitness of its citizens and increase average height. The results were undeniably positive.
In this era, chickens were naturally free-range. Most ordinary people raised chickens at home, but they didn't even feed them; they just let the chickens find their own food. As for laying eggs, that was entirely up to chance. If they laid eggs, it was a harvest; if they didn't, there was no loss, since they weren't fed at all.
Lu Xuan grew up in a rural area and knew that there were many factors that could increase a chicken's egg production. Although in later generations people began to favor free-range chickens, believing that their meat was more delicious and their eggs more nutritious, free-range chickens actually did have an impact on egg production.
If chickens exercise too much, their muscles will become tight, which will affect their egg-laying rate. A method similar to castration can be used to address this.
Lu Xuan recalled that it seemed to involve cutting off a section of the chicken's wing to weaken its mobility at the source. However, this technique required a high level of expertise; where to cut the wing and the subsequent infection control were both highly specialized, no less so than the issue of castrating pigs.
Besides these factors, the most significant impact comes from their diet. Chickens are omnivorous, eating all sorts of insects and other unhealthy things. These insects are rich in protein and can provide a lot of nutrition. However, the key issue is that their diet is highly unpredictable.
Domestic chickens are typically fed with grain bran mixed with feed. Some lower-quality grains may even be added. It's also essential to ensure the chickens receive adequate calcium. Otherwise, even if they lay eggs, they will have soft shells.
You can supplement calcium by crushing shellfish shells into granules and mixing them into chicken feed. This way, sufficient calcium will be provided during the egg formation process.
Because people in that era rarely had access to real grains to feed chickens, and even bran was often scarce, they would mix wild vegetable leaves into the chicken feed. They would also collect chicken or bird feathers, grind them into powder, and add them to the feed. Additionally, fly larvae, rapeseed, and other such items could increase egg production.
Besides these dietary methods, controlling the temperature and feeding with cold water in summer are all techniques that can be implemented in the Tang Dynasty and are effective in increasing egg-laying rates. Lu Xuan organized his thoughts and wrote these down, preparing to conduct systematic experiments when he had time.
Just then, the old man walked in.
“Master, someone has come from outside and says they want to see you.”
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Chapter Thirty-Six: The Bearfire Gang
Lu Xuan stared at the gift before him, lost in thought for a moment.
It was a sword, a sword worthy of being called a treasure. It was about a meter long, which was considered long for that era. Most horizontal swords and shield swords were only about seventy to eighty centimeters long.
Reaching out to lift the knife, it was noticeably heavier than a normal horizontal sword. But for Lu Xuan, it was just right, even a little light.
bass......
A steady, sharp metallic scraping sound rang out. Lu Xuan gently pulled out the knife, and a wavy, flowing pattern came into view. The entire room seemed to flicker. This caused Lu Xuan's expression to change slightly.
"A fine knife... Please thank His Highness the Crown Prince for me," he said softly.
The person nodded slightly, but did not leave.
At this moment, the old man came over and admired the knife with him.
"My goodness, I've never seen such a beautiful knife in my life. How could anyone bear to use such a knife to kill someone?"
Lu Xuan didn't answer, his fingers gently tracing the blade. A cool, delicate sensation traveled from his fingers to his brain.
He hadn't actually handled this kind of combat knife in his previous life, but he had read some information. He felt that the material was probably Damascus steel. He remembered that Wootz steel existed many years before the Tang Dynasty. However, he wasn't sure about its mature application. But since he had transmigrated, a slight deviation was entirely understandable.
Regardless, the knife in his hand was the best knife Lu Xuan had ever seen since his transmigration. It was certainly worthy of being called a treasured knife.
Seeing that the servant had not left, Lu Xuan thought for a moment and said to him.
"Go back and tell His Highness the Crown Prince that I have accepted the gifts. However... the time is not yet right."
The servant then turned and left without a word. He seemed to be waiting for a response from Lu Xuan.
After the Crown Prince's men left, the old man looked at Lu Xuan with a strange expression.
"My old man's eye for talent is truly remarkable. The Crown Prince has already come to recruit him. You're still hesitating? What do you mean the timing isn't right? He's the Crown Prince, the future Emperor of the Tang Dynasty! Shouldn't you hurry up and fawn over him?"
The old man had learned a lot of modern vocabulary from Lu Xuan, and he could rattle off a lot of sarcastic remarks. Lu Xuan gave him a disgruntled look.
"You don't understand, the time isn't right yet. It's not the right time."
"No, I did hear you say that the Crown Prince is in a bad situation right now. It's better to offer help in times of need than to add to his already good fortune. Once the Crown Prince gains power, he might not even look at a lowly county magistrate like you."
"Of course he wouldn't consider that a good match, but the Crown Prince is still far from turning the tide. In fact, without a momentous event that provides an opportunity to reshuffle the deck, his chances are really slim. (Historically, the Crown Prince only successfully ascended to the throne during the An Lushan Rebellion.)"
"So you're so sure that such a big thing will happen?"
"Of course I can't be sure, so if that doesn't happen, then we'll create one..."
Old man: "......"
A few days later, the Crown Prince's residence received a letter.
"Changyuan, look, this is the reply from that County Magistrate Lu."
When Changyuan opened the letter, he found that it contained a detailed procedure for castrating piglets, and even included a prescription to prevent the castrated piglets from getting sick and dying.
"Last time, he accepted the knife, but said the time wasn't right. It seems this is how he repays the favor for the knife."
Changyuan returned the paper to the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, the castration of pigs may seem crude, but it is actually of great benefit to the country and its people. If this is promoted in the name of the Crown Prince’s residence, it can win you a lot of popular support among the people.”
“I’m not some spoiled brat who doesn’t know anything about agriculture. Of course I know these things. What I’m worried about is whether such an obvious attempt to win over the people will arouse my father’s suspicion.”
Changyuan sighed softly. This crown prince is good in every way, except that he is somewhat indecisive.
"Your Highness, doing nothing is certainly not wrong. But it also means you won't have the opportunity. Your Highness needs to make a decision soon."