SIMPLY BUSINESS

The dangers of modern chicken production

Modern chicken production strives to provide a constant supply of chickens and eggs to the consumers. The demand for both has led to the development of technologies for efficient production, from genetics to feeding, to disease control and to the inclusion of growth hormones in the diet or directly injected to the bodies of chickens. To enable layers to lay consistently and for more number of days per year, hormones are also included in the diets.

When antibiotics were first found to help fight disease in humans, animal scientists studied its applications in chicken and livestock production. By the 1950s, it was standard procedure to include antibiotics in commercial feeds and as a prevention measure, veterinary companies were selling soluble antibiotics coupled to vitamin-minerals as a standard supplement allegedly to boost immune systems and as a disease prevention mechanism.

The widespread use of antibiotics however has sown a wave of disease resistant bacteria where scientists scrambled to find new generation antibiotics just to check in resistant strains that do not anymore respond to the present types of antibiotics being added to the ration or to the water of chickens. These new antibiotics have also become more expensive that they have added to the production cost of both meat and egg type of chickens.

The need for efficient feed conversion and more eggs laid also led to the research of hormones and their use in livestock. By the late 1950s, the use of hormones became standard in the livestock industry and by the early part of the 1970s, a widely used synthetic hormone, DES (diethylstilboestrol)  had been banned due to findings that it increases the risk of cancer. The efficiency brought about by hormone use however has encouraged producers to continue the use of hormones in other forms and research in this line even intensified.

While the use of hormones is still widespread in large livestock like feeder or finisher cattle, poultry industry insiders contend that there is no need for hormones use in poultry, especially broilers which are harvested in less than 30 days now. They claim that the truth is that no hormones are used in poultry production. This is according to Dr Tom Tabler (Extension Professor), Jessica Wells (Extension Instructor) and Dr Wei Zhai (Assistant Research Professor, Poultry Science) of Mississippi State University Extension Service.

There are several reasons why broilers now. First is genetics: due to the competition, breeding companies breed the fastest growing strains and usually use hybridization which had been tested to produce fast growing and more resistant chickens. Geneticists now have produced chickens which grow to at least 1.2 kilograms in just 28 days.

Second is the new findings in nutrition that allow feed companies to produce the best quality feeds at the least possible cost without the use of additives. Each type or strain of chickens are also studied to determine their exact nutritional requirements so that there is no waste and that optimal growth is attained.

Third is that housing and other environmental requirements are now studied and the best possible growing environment for chickens are given. Concerns such as floor space requirements, ventilation, and other aspects are well taken cared of in the design of housing so that the chickens can grow at their fastest rate.

This new information should serve to somehow allay the fears of consumers on eating broilers or fast growing chickens. However, native chickens which are grown for a longer period tends to be more flavorful due to well developed tissues where glutamine, an amino acid that gives flavor had been fully developed. This is also the reason why for soups, older chickens are preferred while for fried chickens, the fast growing broilers are used.