This is the VOA Special EnglishAGRICULTURE REPORT.
Humans have long wanted to change animals to meet their needs.Now, an Israeli scientist is developing chickens without thefeathers that cover a bird’s body.
The new chickens have red skins.They look unusual. Yet the scientist says they have less fat and maygrow faster than other chickens. He adds that the lack of featherswill keep the birds cool in the Middle East and other warm climates.
Avigdor Cahaner (AH-vig-dor cah-HA-ner) is a genetic scientist atHebrew University in Jerusalem. He also is a vice president of theWorld Poultry Science Association, an industry trade group. MisterCahaner hopes to create what he believes the world needs — a meaty,low-fat chicken.
Other scientists have developed chickens that gain weightquickly. These large birds are called broiler chickens. MisterCahaner notes that broiler chickens must eat a lot of food in orderto grow quickly. This means they also produce a lot of body heat.The birds will die if their body temperatures rise too high.
In warm climates, farmers who raise chickens often are requiredto use air-cooling systems in buildings where the birds live. MisterCahaner says poor farmers in developing countries often do not havethe money needed for the cooling equipment.
The Israeli scientist has already produced a number of chickenswithout feathers. He started with a natural version of a featherlesschicken discovered fifty years ago. He has been mating these birdswith normal chickens.
Mister Cahaner says the new chickens will save money inprocessing costs because they do not need to have their feathersremoved. He notes that feather removal requires the use of largeamounts of water and electric power. He says the birds are betterfor the environment because they produce less waste in the form offeathers. He also says the chicken meat is more nutritious.
Animal rights activists have criticized his experiments. Theactivists say chickens without feathers suffer more than otherbirds. They say feathers help protect chickens from harmfulorganisms and sunburn.
Mister Cahaner says his featherless birds are not designed forcooler climates. Currently, his birds are smaller than otherchickens. He hopes that additional experiments will help increasetheir size.
This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by GeorgeGrow.