Choosing slow-growing, standard-bred poultry means better taste, but also healthier, happier chickens
By Frances Figart | Photos by Joye Ardyn Durham
When you buy a chicken at the local grocery store or market, do you know where it came from, what environment it was grown in and how it was bred? Not all chickens are alike and more and more people are becoming aware of their differences.
In the late 1940s, poultry geneticists engineered a fast-growing chicken known throughout the world as a Cornish Cross. Before long, this bird completely consumed the marketplace. It is served today in most restaurants and even has “USDA Certified Organic” on its package.
“This bird grows at an unnatural, abnormally fast rate,” says Jim Adkins, founder and president of Sustainable Poultry Network–USA. “If we humans grew at the same rate, we would weigh 360 pounds by the time we were two years old!”
As a result, these fast-growing chickens suffer from constant physical complications and are not able to reproduce. But the purveyors of this meat bird don’t see this as a problem: It is specifically designed not to live very long!
“The genetics of these birds are ‘owned’ by the largest, commercial poultry producers in the world,” says Adkins. “Their goal is to produce a bird that farmers cannot reproduce, which requires them to continuously go back to the breeding source for more birds.”
This is why many feel it’s important to choose standard-bred heritage chickens. When poultry grows at a normal rate, it means strong skeletal structure, normal organ development, more muscle and texture to the meat and more genetic strength with strong immunities.
Adkins says most heritage breeds of poultry were developed for a specific climate and a specific purpose. Take for example the Wyandotte. A native of upstate New York, this short-bodied chicken was bred to thrive in cold weather and developed as a dual-purpose bird for meat and winter egg production.
Unlike the fast-growing, genetically engineered chickens, standard-bred poultry is genetically sustainable for the local farmer. With these birds, a farmer can develop his own strain of breeders and market his own fowls without depending on an outside resource for baby chicks.
“Our industrialized food system is founded on a narrow genetic base,” says Adkins. “As new diseases and climate change affect our food sources, we need variety to turn to for security.”
Traditional breeds of chickens provide genetic diversity. They have been raised on small farms throughout North America and, as such, carry with them our iconic agricultural heritage. In addition, by eating a standard-bred, heritage chicken and creating a market for these breeds, you help to ensure they are saved from extinction and passed on to the next generation.
Not only do standard-bred chickens live longer, happier, healthier lives, the longer a chicken is alive, the better it will taste. This means that these traditional breeds have to be cooked differently. “When you buy a local, ready-to-eat chicken, make sure you ask for instructions on how to cook it,” says Adkins. “The general rule is ‘low and slow.’ A slow-growing bird needs to be cooked longer at a lower temperature.”
The national Sustainable Poultry Network–USA conference will be held in Asheville November 10–13. Attendees can benefit from the knowledge of instructors, veterinarians, breeders and other experts. Learn more at spnusa.com.
Photographer Joye Ardyn Durham owns the Ginkgo Tree Gallery in Black Mountain.
