As the earliest Bronze Age culture in the West Liao River valley, the Lower Xiajiadian (LXJD) (ca. 2000–1300 BCE) occupies a pivotal position in discussions of the formation of early Chinese civilization. In this study, stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses were conducted on 114 animal (including pigs, dogs, cattle, sheep, Equus, Caprinae, hares, deer, birds, and bears) and 5 human bone samples from Xiaotangshan, a LXJD site, to reconstruct management practices of domesticates and explore the underlying drivers. The results reveal species-specific husbandry regimes adapted to different domesticates. Dogs, serving as companions and hunting assistants, relied heavily on C4-based foods provisioned by humans, as indicated by their high δ¹³C values. Pigs, the primary meat source for Xiaotangshan inhabitants, were intensively fed on millet-derived resources. In contrast, cattle and sheep exhibit mixed C3/C4 diets, suggesting a relatively extensive management strategy combining grazing with limited foddering, with cattle consuming slightly more C4 resources than sheep. Equus show minor inputs of C4 components, implying some degree of human intervention in the diets, although their domesticated status remains uncertain. Inter-regional comparison indicates that intensive management strategies for pigs and dogs in the West Liao River valley were similar to those practiced in the Central Plains. By contrast, the husbandry of cattle at Xiaotangshan was less intensive than that of their counterparts in the Central Plains, where cattle received greater investment for their higher socio-economic and ritual status. These regional differences demonstrate that the husbandry practices of different livestock are not solely determined by their physiological traits; they are more closely related to their specific socio-economic status and the structure of the society in which they are kept.
