The MAC editorial team is constantly surfing the web in search of interesting news from scientists, researchers and practitioners. We found a paper by Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, a cooperating professor in the field of animal genomics and biotechnology at the Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis. From this paper we appreciated the lateral thinking observations that are not easy to find in this field. These include ‘It does not take a rocket scientist to realise that slow-growing chickens require more feed per kg of weight (the feed conversion ratio (FCR) is 2.2 for slow-growing birds, compared to 1.6 for the industry average). Overall, the impact (http://www.nationalchickencouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Slow-Grow-Broiler-Policy-Sustainability-Impacts-07Oct16.pdf) of adopting slow-growing breeds is a 34% increase in feed consumption, a 40% increase in water litres, a 53% increase in manure and a 49% increase in costs per marketed chicken. And for what purpose is this big step backwards in terms of sustainability being taken? Theoretically for animal welfare. But what is absent from this discussion is the demonstration that slower growth = better welfare…”
We therefore believe it is useful for those following MAC to facilitate the link to the original article:
Are slow growing chickens better.pdf
MAC editorial team