From the News Archives...

Another high tech solution to a bad situation

"Chickens are at the limit of their cardio-pulmonary capacity," begins an article at Meatingplace.com, an internet site for commercial poultry and beef producers. "Just supplying blood and oxygen to all of the muscles and organs takes most of the ability of the heart and lungs. Added environmental stress can bring on problems, including ascites. Under this condition, the body cavity fills with liquid and the bird literally drowns in its own juices."

The reason for this horrendous situation is that our commercial broilers have been bred and fed to grow so quickly that they outstrip their own oxygen and blood supply. Any additional stress and they can sicken or die. These abnormal, disease-prone chickens were created in order to increase industry profit and provide a supply of cheap chicken for consumers.

The solution to this man-made problem, according to industry experts, is to scrutinize chicken DNA to identify those birds that are able to withstand this "huge insult" and use them as breeding stock. In other words, keep the system the same but devote their time and money to finding the rare birds that can survive it.

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