Chicken, the most
common poultry, is in demand all over the world. According to a survey conducted by Rural
Industries Research and Development Corporation, 94% of the population favors
chicken consumption. It is ranked
as the highest consumed protein source. Due to high popularity of meat and eggs
in daily meals, chickens are bred both at personal as well as corporate level. Chickens
that come from small family farms are called free- range or organic chickens
while those that are produced in large industries are called factory farmed
chickens. There are concerns about proper growth, development and health of the
chickens that are raised in factory farms. There are certain myths about
organic farming that has led to protests against factory farming. Factory
farmed chicken should be encouraged because it provides a major and an
inexpensive source of protein as well as helps in boosting the local economy.
Factory farmed chicken breeding provides a large and a
commercial source of food. According to Thomas Robert Malthus, an English
scholar well known for his theories about population and the factors affecting
it, population increases at a geometric rate while food resources increases at
an arithmetic rate. This means that human population outnumbers
the natural food resources that are available. More food needs to be produced
with least stress to the environment. Factory farms, with the use of advanced
technology, are able to produce a large number of chickens in a more proficient
manner. They are able to eliminate the natural limitations needed for survival
and growth and hence, have a greater output. Unlike free-range farming that is
done in a more manual manner, a factory farm utilizes technology that results
in greater output. They hence, are able to fulfill the demands of their local
communities as well as of places that are far away.
Another
advantage of factory farms is that they provide cheaper chicken produce when
compared to free- range farms. Factory farms operate on large scale where chickens
are raised in smaller areas with proper regulations on different breeding
stages such as waste collection, disposal and food intake of the birds. This makes the farms very efficient to operate
since it reduces the time and cost invested in raising chickens. That is why
factory farmed chickens are cheaper to buy in market stores.
Factory
farming of chickens also improves the economy of the local community. Factory
farming is beneficial due to scale economies. Scale economies exist when the industry makes a profit on its growth
and development The cost to rear one chicken reduces as more and more chickens
are raised. This in addition to proper and firm restrictions on the use of
resources makes the industrial farms far more efficient and competitive than
small scale family farms.
People
have expressed a lot of concerns about factory farming. The major downside
pointed out is that a large number of chickens are confined in a small area. Such
cramped areas foster unhygienic conditions and risks spread of diseases. Small,
restricted areas are utilized to be able to monitor an efficient use of
resources. In order to combat diseases, chickens are injected with antibiotics.
People are still anxious that antibiotics might result in development of
antibiotic resistant bacterial strains that might eventually cause diseases in
human beings. According to a recent small-scale study conducted by researchers
at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, there were no significant
differences observed between the health of people who ate organic chicken and the
people who ate factory farmed chicken. People were examined
based on any occurrences of allergies and food poisoning incurred due to
consumption of chickens. It can not be
concluded with certainty whether it is the antibiotic injected chickens or
increased consumption of antibiotics by humans themselves that risks their
health. Factory farm chickens are also said to be less nutritional than free
range chickens. So far no significant differences are found in the vitamin and
mineral content of organically and factory farm produced chickens. Although
organic chicken and eggs are said to contain more omega-3 fatty acids but this needs
to be confirmed by more large-scale studies.
Despite this ongoing debate, factory farmed chickens
continue to feed the growing population all over the world. It is affordable
and easily available. It also provides the required nutrition as well as helps
in boosting the economy of the local community. More research is required to
properly differentiate between the pros and cons of factory farmed and organic
chicken. Until then, proper awareness should be spread to help people recognize
the myths and benefits of factory farmed chicken.
