烏雞在國外成為一種新潮寵物

雞肉是中國人餐桌上最常見的食材之一，其中，烏雞因營養(yǎng)價值高于普通雞肉，有很好的滋補功效而備受歡迎，被稱為“舌尖上的黑色傳說”。

用烏雞煲湯、做菜我們熟悉，但是把烏雞當(dāng)寵物養(yǎng)還是比較少見。但如今在國外，烏雞卻成為了一種新潮寵物。

據(jù)Vice網(wǎng)站報道，除了遛貓遛狗，新加坡年輕人最近還流行遛烏雞。當(dāng)鐘亞倫（音譯）和妹妹帶著他們的新寵——烏雞在街區(qū)散步時，路人經(jīng)常會把毛茸茸的烏雞誤看成小狗。

When Aaron Chong and his sister Angelique take their offbeat pet out for walks around their neighborhood in Singapore, they receive friendly comments from strangers who mistake it for a small dog. Then, intrigued stares ensue when people realize that it isn’t a furry dog but an ultra fluffy chicken. For the siblings though, they’re almost the same thing.

身在新加坡的亞倫和妹妹安吉麗帶著他們的寵物在他們居住的社區(qū)附近散步時，路人經(jīng)常把把烏雞誤認(rèn)為小狗，然后送上贊美。當(dāng)人們發(fā)現(xiàn)這不是一只毛茸茸的狗狗，而是一只毛茸茸的雞時，好奇的目光隨之而來。不過，對于這對兄妹來說，兩者沒什么差別。

"I think, generally, they are very well-natured and easy to take care of, and they bond quite well with humans," said Aaron of his pet Silkie chickens. “They have a lot of nonhuman charisma, and it's enjoyable to be around them.”

談到寵物烏雞，亞倫說：“我認(rèn)為它們一般都性格溫順，容易照顧，也很親近人類。它們的動物魅力爆棚，和它們在一起很開心。”

亞倫和妹妹之所以選擇如此另類的寵物，都是被烏雞可愛的外表所吸引。如今他們家四個兄弟姐妹人手一只寵物烏雞，一起成為快樂養(yǎng)雞人。

Aaron, 24, and Angelique, 13, first got their Silkie chickens in November last year, after watching tons of farm videos on YouTube featuring the fluffy pets. They are now the proud owners of four Silkies.

去年11月，24歲的亞倫和13歲的安吉麗在油管上觀看了大量在農(nóng)場拍攝的關(guān)于烏雞的視頻后，第一次擁有了自己的烏雞。他們現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)養(yǎng)了四只烏雞，并為此感到驕傲。

With more people working from home and having their social lives stripped down to a fraction of what it used to be, pets appeared to be attractive home companions to combat COVID loneliness.

隨著越來越多的人在家辦公，社交生活大幅縮減，寵物似乎成為了受歡迎的家庭伴侶，幫助人們抵御新冠疫情帶來的孤獨感。

Ng, who works in the pet food industry, saw chicken keeping as a good way to educate his children about pet nutrition and ecosystems. For example, he demonstrated to his children how chicken manure can be used as fertilizer, while fruits grown from the plant can then be fed to the chicken.

從事寵物食品行業(yè)的Ng認(rèn)為，養(yǎng)雞是教育孩子寵物營養(yǎng)和生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的好方式。例如，他向自己的孩子們演示了如何將雞糞用作肥料，而植物生長出來的果實可以喂雞。

運動按摩治療師Gloria Sharp雖然是第一次養(yǎng)雞，但她表示自己得到了新加坡養(yǎng)雞者社區(qū)的大力支持。

From how to handle roosters’ crowing to common ailments like bumblefoot, Silkie owners often discuss and share tips for raising Silkies in online community groups. Experienced chicken owners are also generous in guiding newbies who are dealing with chicken-related issues.

從如何處理公雞的啼叫到常見的疾病，比如雞趾瘤癥，烏雞的主人經(jīng)常在網(wǎng)絡(luò)論壇上討論和分享飼養(yǎng)烏雞的技巧。經(jīng)驗豐富的養(yǎng)雞人也慷慨地指導(dǎo)新手處理與雞有關(guān)的問題。

Like other pets, Silkie chickens are a long-term commitment that many, enchanted by their fluffiness, may forget. With a life span of about nine years, Silkie chickens come with quirks and responsibilities that some may not be ready for.

和養(yǎng)其他寵物一樣，養(yǎng)烏雞也是一種長期的承諾。許多人被它們毛茸茸的樣子吸引，可能會忘記這點。烏骨雞的壽命約為9年，有些人可能還沒有準(zhǔn)備好接受烏雞的怪癖和飼養(yǎng)的責(zé)任。

Having long been domesticated as ornamental pets, Silkies are prone to sickness if not taken care of properly. If abandoned recklessly, they’re basically defenseless against natural elements and predators like cats, snakes, and monkeys.

由于長期被當(dāng)作觀賞性寵物馴養(yǎng)，如果不加以妥善照顧，烏雞很容易生病。如果隨意遺棄，它們基本上無法抵御自然因素和天敵，如貓、蛇和猴子。

如果你正在飼養(yǎng)寵物，或者有此打算，無論他們是小貓、小狗、小烏龜，或是一只小雞，請記住養(yǎng)寵不拋棄！