When I shared some pictures of my indian game cockerels on twitter the other day we got talking about how they had been used in developing the modern meat birds.
This lead us to talk bout "The Chicken Of Tomorrow" competition. Amazing to think that the development of a strain of chickens was a national effort in America and how they were worried at after the second world war people might not bother to eat chicken if birds with more meat couldn't be developed, switching back to just eating red meat.
Incredible that the Ross Cobb birds we grow each year are descendant from these birds (the same type if birds tend to be called cornish crosses in America). But it also shows that by selling a hybrid like this the hatcheries make people dependant on buying from then. Much the same as the big seed companies have done with hybrid corns and grains.
One reason why I've been interested in developing my own meat flock and trying different crosses with the indian game I have already.
The video above is quite long but I watched it with my eldest and we both found it fascinating and a bit of food history that as people that produce our own meat should knwo about.
Kev, this (in my humble opinion) is why preserving traditional breeds is so important. They not only represent a genetic pool that is becoming scarcer and scarcer, they also represent (in some cases) breeds that were specifically created for situations from which we might benefit now (for example, bantams that can live on scraps and forage).
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree! One reason I'm starting my breeding flocks. Hopefully getting some fresian chickens which are supposed to be the ultimate free rangers. A good small bantam for foraging would be Great though. One that would roost high and kind of look after itself!
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