SHIJIAZHUANG - Chickens roam on a vast farm in Hebei province, occasionally fluttering up into the trees.

Unlike other free-range fowl, each wears an electronic anklet that count steps to determine when they are ready for market.

"We don't sell them until they have taken more than 1 million steps, roughly 160 days," said He Xiaofei, manager of the chicken farm in Wuyi county. Walking around tightens chickens' muscles and makes their meat more tasty. Some 10,000 chickens are currently strolling around the farm's 14 hectares. All of them eat only natural food.

The chicken farm is a poverty alleviation project supported by the county government and shopping site JD.com.

Wuyi is one of the poorest counties in China, with most of the farmland barren and alkaline. More than 60 percent of the residents in poverty are elderly, sick or unable to support themselves.

With small interest-free loans provided by JD.com, villagers are able to claim some chickens and receive a dividend when they are sold. Some also have part-time jobs on the farm.

The government insures the chickens, guaranteeing the incomes of the resident "investors".

Li Xisheng, 76, borrowed 4,500 yuan ($716) to claim 100 chickens last year. When they were ready for market, JD.com paid him 10,000 yuan. After deducting loan repayment and farm management fees - water, electricity and slaughtering - Li was left with a net 3,000 yuan.

"The chickens have changed my life," Li said, adding that he has just bought an electric tricycle.

The free-range chickens sell well online and are shipped ready-to-cook. They cost 168 yuan to 188 yuan, three or four times the price of a normal chicken. Buyers have left more than 14,000 comments on JD.com, mostly expressing awe about the taste.

China's expanding middle-income group has created a lucrative market for high-quality agricultural products, attracting investors that include internet giants Alibaba and NetEase. Both companies have free-range pig farms.

Liu Wei, deputy head of Wuyi county, said the chicken farm benefited poor villagers while bringing profits to big business, Liu said. It has helped lift more than 400 households out of poverty since March 2016 and will be expanded this year with facilities catering to tourists.

"With more income expected, more people will cast off poverty this year," Liu said.

Xinhua