雞肉是中國人餐桌上最常見的食材之一，其中，烏雞因營養價值高於普通雞肉，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，但是把烏雞當寵物養還是比較少見。但如今在國外，烏雞卻成為了一種新潮寵物。
圖源：Aaron Chong
據Vice網站報道，除了遛貓遛狗，新加坡年輕人最近還流行遛烏雞。當鐘亞倫（音譯）和妹妹帶著他們的新寵——烏雞在街區散步時，路人經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附近散步時，路人經常把把烏雞誤認為小狗，然後送上贊美。當人們發現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，對於這對兄妹來說，兩者沒什麼差別。
圖源：Ins
“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場拍攝的關於烏雞的視頻後，第一次擁有了自己的烏雞。他們現在已經養了四只烏雞，並為此感到驕傲。
圖源：Ins
【科普小知識】
烏雞，又稱烏骨雞，英文翻譯為“silkie chicken”。
Silkie chickens are instantly recognizable by their fluffy feathers and black or bluish skin. Also known as “black bone chicken” in Chinese cuisine, Silkies have long been used in herbal soup due to their nourishing properties.
烏雞的羽毛蓬松，皮膚呈黑色或淡藍色，辨識度頗高。因其滋補功效，長期以來在中餐中被用於藥膳湯中。
烏雞內含豐富的蛋白質，B族維生素等18種氨基酸和18種微量元素，其中煙酸、維生素E、磷、鐵、鉀、鈉的含量均高於普通雞肉，膽固醇和脂肪含量卻很低，是營養價值極高的滋補品。
烏雞變身網紅萌寵
烏雞的羽毛長到會遮住眼睛和整個臉部，這樣呆萌憨憨的外表俘獲了不少養雞人的心。過去的一年裏，烏雞似乎已經成為新加坡最流行的寵物。
在歐美也有不少人把烏雞當寵物，就連卡戴珊家族的金小妹凱莉也養過一只叫艾迪的烏雞。
從社交媒體上湧現的各種關於寵物烏雞的照片就可以看出它們的受歡迎程度。
“主人，我是你的小可愛嗎？”
稍微裝扮一下，就是整條街最美的小烏雞~
變身小兔子：
“三個蝴蝶結更能襯托出我的美貌”
“Blingbling的小裙子才配得上本公主”
“歡迎來到我的生日派對”
超豪華雞窩，你酸了嗎？
Noel Tan, a 23-year-old student at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, was a Silkie chicken owner early on. When he first started raising chickens about four years ago, the Facebook community group for local chicken owners, Backyard Chickens Singapore, only had 500 to 600 members, he recalled. The group has since grown to comprise over 3,000 members, many of them Silkie owners.
23歲的譚諾爾（音譯）是新加坡科技設計大學學生，他早就開始養寵物烏雞了。譚說，大約四年前，他初次開始養雞時，當地的寵物雞主人臉書社群“Backyard Chickens Singapore”只有五六百人。此後，這個社群已經發展到3000多名成員，其中許多人是養烏雞的。
現在，譚諾爾擁有10只烏雞，並且已經成為新加坡養雞界最傑出的養雞人之一。談到養雞的原因，他說，對烏雞的喜愛是一見鐘情，當他在朋友家第一次看到烏雞時，立即就被它們可愛的外表迷住了。
He co-founded a chicken supplies company as well as Chicken Adoption Rescue SG, a local chicken shelter; since the shelter was set up last year, during Singapore’s COVID lockdown, Tan said his team has rescued nearly 200 chickens around Singapore.
譚諾爾和人合夥開辦了一家寵物雞用品公司以及一家本地的小雞收容所“Chicken Adoption Rescue SG”；這個收容所是去年新加坡因新冠疫情封城時成立的，自那以來，他們已經在新加坡各地救助了近200只雞。
社交隔離催生寵物熱潮
據Vice報道，疫情期間的社交隔離是最近烏雞寵物熱潮的主要原因。隨著越來越多的人在家辦公，他們的社交生活變少了，而寵物也就成為了他們對抗孤獨感的家庭伴侶。
圖源：Ins
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，幫助人們抵禦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.
從事寵物食品行業的Ng認為，養雞是教育孩子寵物營養和生態系統的好方式。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餵雞。
運動按摩治療師Gloria Sharp雖然是第一次養雞，但她表示自己得到了新加坡養雞者社區的大力支持。
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，烏雞的主人經常在網絡論壇上討論和分享飼養烏雞的技巧。經驗豐富的養雞人也慷慨地指導新手處理與雞有關的問題。
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.
和養其他寵物一樣，養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備好接受烏雞的怪癖和飼養的責任。
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.
由於長期被當作觀賞性寵物馴養，如果不加以妥善照顧，烏雞很容易生病。如果隨意遺棄，它們基本上無法抵禦自然因素和天敵，如貓、蛇和猴子。
如果你正在飼養寵物，或者有此打算，無論他們是小貓、小狗、小烏龜，或是一只小雞，請記住養寵不拋棄！
來源：Vice，Instagram
編輯：董靜
來源：chinadaily.com.cn