Animal feeding in Chinese traditional agriculture

As early as the pre-Qin period, horses, cows, sheep, pigs, dogs and chickens were the main domestic animals. Donkeys, mules and camels raised by nomadic people in the north and northwest China were introduced into the Central Plains in large quantities after the Han Dynasty and became important livestock species. After the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, except nomads, large livestock developed to service; Pigs, sheep and poultry are mainly used for meat; Horses are mainly used in the military and are regarded as the first of the six livestock; With the popularization of ploughing, the importance of cattle farming is increasing; Pigs have been the main domestic animals of the people since ancient times, and their status has lasted for a long time; Dogs were originally used for hunting. Before the Western Han Dynasty, they were important food animals, and their importance as food animals declined day by day. Goose and duck were raised in the pre-Qin period, and their status with chickens gradually increased. Some ethnic minorities keep elephants, deer and eagles. Artificial fish farming is not later than the Zhou Dynasty. Silkworm and bees are the first to be promoted in economic insect breeding. Silkworm reeling is a unique invention of China and has become an important project of ancient agriculture.