The Growing Pains of a Selectively Bred Chicken

Thinking of the good old chicken we love to eat, has anyone bought a chicken breast? I have been around home grown chickens. From little Road Island Reds to California giants and I have never seen a chicken, male or female with Breast meat that large. It makes one wonder what they are doing to those poor chickens they raise for the people to eat. Is it genetic modifying or Selective breeding?

Well in the article I read recreantly it said selective breeding for the chickens raise in Britain. This is where they will breed the chickens with most muscle mass and breed them together. That way their offspring should have more muscle mass than other chicks who were bred from normal chickens, and that means more meat. Now selective breeding isn’t just for chickens. It is done with many animals. Goats and dairy cows will often be bred so they will have a higher milk production or maybe butterfat content(cream often used for butter, cheese and often other dairy products).Animals that we like to eat, chickens, cows, pigs ect... will often be bred to have better muscles. Scientist even go as far artificial insemination so they can pick the best of sperm to get the modification they want. Some people believe that this process is wrong. That nature would never naturally breed like this or at least not over such a short period of time. Another concern people have is that many time it is over done. These chickens are a good examples that I read about. They weigh so much at 6 weeks it would be like a child who weighs 286lb at the age of six. The chickens have growing pains and even heart problems. Many people think this is wrong that these chickens are kept in a dark cage their whole life suffering and then get slaughtered. Now a few chickens die before they are harvested do to the problem they have but not too many. There are now companies advocating for these chickens say it is wrong and trying to get help.

Now I think it is wrong to, but there are allot of people who eat chicken. I would rather eat a home raised chicken myself though. That way I know what they have been fed and if they are healthy or not I also think that these factories would do better breeding more instead of just making one bigger or let them reach full maturity so they have grown all the way. Either way what they are doing now I believe is animal cruelty.