The growth rate and feed efficiency of the broiler chicken has improved tremendously and is still improving with the genetic research and development of the primary breeding companies. The 2kg slaughter age of the broiler has come down from 45 days to 35days during the last 10 years. Many countries rear the broilers up to 3.5kilograms and above to harvest one kilo gram breast used in deboned meat preparations. The meat of these heavy broilers is compact and hard. Complaints like Woody Breasts, white muscle stripes of dead tissue problems are seen. The genetic improvement is still being pursued and the slaughter age may still go down. The price of chicken is moving up much slowly compared to other food in the consumer market and the chicken is becoming more popular animal food source for the growing population of the world.
The rich and welfare conscious society is looking for better food and are ready to spend more on the preferred food. Animal welfare activists are recommending slow growing birds with more movement. Free moving fighter type birds are being bred as alternate breeds for this nitch market in countries like India.
The slowing of growth is being achieved through dwarf gene broilers, low-density feeds and rearing with more space to roam around. Most of these broilers are coloured and look different. Different combination of bird strains are used to produce tasty and healthy food by few companies. Indbro Research & Breeding Farms Pvt.ltd. in India has developed one such slow growing coloured broilers and got it compared through the National Meat Research Institute of India.
Meat Research comparing the fast and slow growing broilers found more gaps in the muscle tissue of the slow growing birds and this meat absorbs the cooking additives better and the taste is added. The muscles are also more tender. The fatty acid analysis showed more favourable ratio between saturated, unsaturated and poly unsaturated fatty acids of the slow growing broilers. The direct organoleptic evaluation of untrained panelists at the National Meat Research Institute showed a distinct appreciation of the taste by 75% of the people in favour of the slow growing Broilers.
Indbro chicken is a slow growing coloured broiler sold as an alternative to regular white broiler. The marketing groups record more number of customers repeating the purchase of the slow growing chicken even at a higher price.
The country chicken which roam around freely is commanding more demand and price in urban markets.
This chicken is being sold at a higher price. Indbro Aseel involving fighter type genes are getting more popular in the urban retail stores.
The author can be contacted on drkotaiah@indbropoultry.com or +919848090087
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