The improvement in the growth rate of broilers was made with selection for higher body weight over the last 100 years. At the start, the parents of broilers had the same genetic potential as our desi birds today, but the scientists working in the breeding companies selected the best birds, based on their weight, from each generation and make them the parents of the next one. By this, now the broiler gains more than 2 kg body weight within 35 days. A table describing how genetic selection improved the performance of broiler over the last 100 years has been mentioned below. The pictures below showing comparison of growth performance of 1950’s and 2020’s broiler.

1950 vs 2020 broiler at 7 days age	1950 vs 2020 broiler at 14 days age
1950 vs 2020 broiler at 21 days age	1950 vs 2020 broiler at 28 days age
1950 vs 2020 broiler at 35 days age (Pic Courtesy: University of Georgia)

Yes, the Department of Poultry Production, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore has followed the protocol of selective breeding to improve the 4-week bodyweight of Japanese Quail (Batair). The product is available with the brand name “UVAS Jumbo Quail”. At the start of the experiment, the average weight of the quail was 100-120 grams, but at the end of the experiment, we achieved an average weight of 240-g in 4-weeks. Anyone can repeat these experiments on their farm with proper record keeping for improving their birds.

No, Chickens are not genetically modified organisms. All the improvements in the growth rate, feed efficiency, and egg production of modern commercial chickens are due to selective breeding. In selective breeding, only superior birds are kept which would be the parents of next generation. By this, the next generation will be better than the previous one. The same process is repeated time to time. In the case of commercial chickens, the breeding companies are doing these experiments for over 100 years.

No. The broilers are neither injected with any kind of steroids and hormones nor does their meat contain any residue of these. It is a baseless myth that broiler gains weight due to injection of hormones. Broilers have the genetic potential to gain weight rapidly. They just need balanced nutrition and environment to show their potential. These birds are fed diets having 20-22% protein, which even most humans are unable to get, which makes broiler grow so fast. There are many reasons which can be narrated in support:

1. Broilers have the genetic potential to grow. Neither they need hormones nor there are any hormones sold in the market for broilers.
2. Hormones are too expensive to be used and they need to administer regularly to be effective. For example, insulin used by diabetic patients in humans is both expensive and needs to be administered on daily basis.
3. Growth hormones of chickens have pulsated production they peak after every 90 minutes. So, if we have to give hormones, we have to inject them many times a day. In a broiler farm, having more than 25000 birds on average, it is very difficult to manage each bird to be injected time to time again.

Some people think that steroids and hormones are being supplemented in feed as a growth enhancer. It is important to know that the growth hormones of broilers are protein in nature. If we add them to feed, the gastric juice of their stomach will break these proteins making them useless. Hormones only act when they are injected into the bloodstream. It is not possible to inject each broiler repeatedly in a broiler farm where we have 30,000 birds. Similarly, in the case of anabolic steroids, muscular activity and high proteins are required for growth whereas the broiler does not have a higher activity profile that makes steroids useless in broiler farming. Many researchers have tried to give oral steroids (used for humans) to broilers and all these experiments resulted in no improvement or negative growth of the birds. As an experiment, the broiler feed can be given to desi birds to check whether they gain weight like the broiler or not. If there are hormones, then the desi birds will improve their weight, but in reality, they will not gain weight because they do not have the potential to do so.

No injection can enhance the growth rate of the broiler. This is a baseless myth. The broiler already has the genetic potential to grow rapidly and only needs optimum temperature and a high protein diet to express its potential.

Broilers and other poultry birds are injected with vaccines (killed vaccine) under the skin (sub-cut) or in muscles once or twice in life. It takes almost 02 days to vaccinate the whole flock. The vaccines build immunity in birds against disease-causing agents and do not have any residue that affects human beings. Injection of vaccine should not be confused with the injections of hormones, as in the case of hormones, we need to inject the hormone multiple times in a day which is practically impossible in flocks where we have more than 30,000 birds in a single shed.

.No. These are baseless myths based on the perception that broilers are injected or fed with growth hormones. The broiler industry does not use hormones, so there is no chance of any kind of hormone residue in the meat. This fact has already been proven in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Anyone can conduct the test on meat samples for any hormone residue and will find nothing in the meat or feed of the birds. According to scientific studies, factors causing the irregularities in the menstrual cycle are stress, obesity, low daily nutrient intake, poor eating, and low workout behavior of human females. This irregularity affects the production of androgens which ultimately results in growth of facial hairs (Hirsutism). Most of us know that these factors are disturbed in our current population, so there is a high incidence of such problems these days. These are not due to eating broiler meat.

This myth has been linked with poultry due to its faster growth rate. People believe that the broiler gains weight due to the injection or addition of hormones in their feed. The residues of these hormones then come in meat and result in hormonal imbalance in human females. However, in reality, both these facts are wrong. Chicken broilers are neither injected with hormones nor they are fed. So, if they are not being injected or fed with hormones then there is no chance that their meat has any of such residue. This was also proven in the Supreme Court of Pakistan. As per scientific studies, stress, poor sleep-wake cycle, irregular diet patterns, and poor activity profile are among the major factors that can results in hormonal imbalance in humans.

This myth is based on a wrong assumption that the chickens are fed with hormones that cause early puberty in teenagers. According to scientific studies, factors such as family genetics, nutrition, endocrine regulation, physical activity, ethnicity, and their interaction are among the major factors affecting early maturity. People now a days have better knowledge and availably of nutrients. There is an overall decrease in age of maturity all over the world. Moreover, broilers meat is a source of high-quality proteins and helping the human population in combating protein deficiency.

No, there is no scientific evidence about this myth. The consumption of chicken will provide your body with high protein contents. Scientist claims that intake of high protein in diet will have the following effects on our body:

1. Reduce hunger and give a feeling of satiety under less food intake.
2. Increase the metabolism of the body and energy expenditure, thus breaking the extra fats in the body (if we eat a less caloric diet with high proteins).
3. A high protein intake in diet will increase muscle mass and reduce the production of fats in our body (i.e., fat-free body mass).

Due to these factors, high protein intake is usually recommended to bodybuilders (to build muscle mass) and those who want to reduce their body weight (Dieting). A person can become obese if he/ she eats chicken Shawarma, Pizza, Burgers, and other such fast foods. In this case, obesity is not due to chicken intake but higher intake of carbohydrates in these foods. Higher intake of carbohydrates will result in more energy in the body which the body will process in the formation of fat.

No, all scientific research declines this statement. The meat is a source of protein, and the protein contents of broiler and desi birds are the same or have negligible differences. There might be a difference in minerals and vitamin contents which are usually higher in desi birds than broilers because they eat insects, green leaves, and other such materials. Many people consider that the toughness of meat is associated with the nutritional profile, but that’s not true. The meat of the desi bird is tough due to more collagen contents. Moreover, the protein (gram) per rupee will be much costly from desi birds than broilers.

Yes, the desi chicken’s meat has different taste and smell than broilers, but no-one can claim that one has better taste than others. For some people, the flavor of desi chicken is better while for others, broilers have a better flavor. It varies from person to person. Scientists have concluded that the amino acids, peptides, organic acids, salts, and nucleotides produce taste qualities in meat which are affected by genotype, age, and gender of the birds. The desi birds are older, grown slowly, have a different diet (carotenoid enriched), and differ in muscle fat contents from broilers. The number of carotenoids in meat plays a vital role in development of aroma. The production of these compounds may vary in desi birds than broiler. Desi chicken's meat needs more cooking time due to its tough texture, which may also lead to increase production of these compounds as well as volatile compounds, which develop the aroma of the meat. Thus, the desi birds have slight differences in meat fatty acid contents than broilers and have a stronger aroma of meat than broilers. However, the differences in smell and taste do not affect the nutritional profile of both sources of meat. In experiments, it has been observed that keeping broilers for extended periods and under foraging conditions can also increase their flavor and aroma

The meat of desi chicken is hard due to the presence of more collagen fibers which is an age-dependent process. Keeping the broilers for longer periods will also increase the collagen in them and make the meat less tender to eat. Moreover, desi chickens have higher movements compared to broilers which also makes meat tougher. This does not add value to the nutritional profile of the meat.

The higher costs are not due to nutritional benefits. A desi chicken is costly than broiler because we keep them for longer period before selling them in the market. They consume more feed, have more time on the farm, and higher resources utilization, and ultimately produce less meat than broilers which make their cost of production much higher than broiler.

No, there is no such compound that can make people love broiler chicken. The development of taste in humans is a very complex process and mainly depends on the things we eat at the start of our life. Some people love to eat very spicy foods while others cannot eat, same is the case with sugar and salt contents. The upper generations (parents and grandparents) are those who ate desi chickens in their early life and later converted to broiler meat that is why they always like and prefer desi chicken while the today’s generation have more consumption of broiler, so their taste buds developed in such a way to like chicken. For example, many of today’s generation kids do not like to eat vegetables.

The bones of desi chickens are stronger because of their age and slow growth rate. The calcification of bones is an age-dependent process. Moreover, the desi birds are always on the move, so their bones are stronger. We eat broiler after 05 weeks that is why their bones are weaker, but it does not add anything to meat’s nutritional profile as we do not eat bones.

It is not about more bone weight rather we can say less meat in desi chickens. Broilers are grown for a higher meat-to-bone ratio, so they have more meat than bones, while, in desi chicken, there is less meat compared to broilers and they have a lower meat-to-bone ratio.

Free-range chickens are those birds that are reared in an open field area with foraging space. These birds are fed with green leafy and leguminous plants along with the commercial feed. As they are given low nutrients diets, thus these birds will grow relatively slowly and have higher production costs. Organic chickens farming is a slightly advanced form of free-range farming. In this type of production, we increase the criteria to more natural things. In organic farming, the birds should not be given any vaccine or medicine and should be reared on land and fed with feed without any fertilizer, insecticide, pesticide spray for the last 3-5 years. This practice will further slowdown their growth and increase the cost of production.

The organic production system has some mandatory requirements such as no use of medicine, fertilizer, insecticide, and pesticide for birds or for their feed ingredients. Although the real desi chickens do eat natural ingredients, we cannot ensure any use of fertilizer, insecticide, and pesticide in those ingredients. Moreover, we often gave medicine to these birds when they get sick. However, such types of desi birds are hard to find now. Most of the birds sold as desi birds, now a days, are reared in commercial farms on commercial feeds just like broiler farming.

Organic chickens are grown slowly under natural conditions. The nutritional composition of organic chickens and broilers is comparable, but there are some little variations in minerals, vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acid contents due to differences in the bird's diet. These chickens are grown without any antibiotic, fertilizer, insecticide, and pesticide residue and can benefit our overall health on continuous use. Eating only organic chicken and other non-organic products will have no benefit. It should also be kept in mind the price of such meat is very high than broilers.

Yes, broiler chickens are given antibiotics, but not huge quantities for growth promotion rather as a medicine. For growth, these birds are given a well-balanced protein-rich diet. Antibiotics are costly and their continuous use in huge quantities will make the cost of production higher. Moreover, most of the antibiotics used for poultry are not used in humans, for example neomycin is one of the most common antibiotics used in poultry and it is not used to treat humans.

Yes, there are some cases where antibiotic residues are present in meat, but not all the time. Every antibiotic has a withdrawal time (3-5 days), in which its residues end in meat, and most of the poultry farmers follow the practices to ensure this withdrawal time. Most poultry-producing companies ensure proper antibiotic withdrawal time. However, some farmers are not following the instructions and use antibiotics up till the last few days, but these are in a very limited number. Keeping in view, the Poultry industry is shifting towards use of antibiotic alternatives such as prebiotics, probiotics, organic acids and phytochemicals.

There are very few residues in meat but most of them accumulate in the liver and kidney of the birds. However, the levels of these accumulated compounds are too low (exceptions can be there) to harm the body and they will also denature during cooking. The negative effect mostly includes antibiotic resistance in microorganisms and change in the microflora of the human body. According to World Health Organization, the major reason for antibiotic resistance of microbes is unchecked and unprescribed use of antibiotics by humans.

Poultry companies do not use any kind of animal product in manufacturing feed and even claim that their chicken is grown on a vegetarian diet. However, there are a few feed mills that use 1-2% of the processed poultry by-products (feathers, intestines, and heads) in their feed. These ingredients are not added as such but processed under high temperature to form a protein-enriched meal (powder) that is then mixed in feed. These ingredients cannot be used at a higher level as they can result in deterioration of the feed due to oxidation and affect chicken health.

Yes, the poultry feed can be formulated easily at home with little knowledge of poultry nutrition. The major ingredients that make poultry feed include Corn (50-70%), Soyabean meal (15-30%), Rice Tips (5-15%), Rice Polish (5-15%), Wheat bran (5-10%), Corn gluten (3-5%), Molasses (1-3%), and other grains that are used in various combinations to make feed having more than 20% protein and 2800 kcal/kg energy.

No, there is no use of pig fat and blood in poultry feed at any level in Pakistan. Pakistan does not have commercial pig production. Thus, the assumption that pig fat is added in poultry feed is totally baseless.

No, broiler meat does not have heavy metals in it. However, they can accumulate in meat if birds are given heavy metals in feed or water throughout their life, which is impossible, as both feed and water has been tested before offering to birds. Almost all poultry farms have Reverse osmosis (RO) plants that filter out heavy metals. So, heavy metals do not come in meat or eggs.

No. The Poultry Industry of Pakistan does not use any medicine or ingredient in their feed or farms which contains arsenic. In the international market, there were compounds named “3-Nitro” and “Roxarsone” that were used in the American poultry industry since 1940. Later, the use of these compounds was banned when the researchers found that these compounds are leaving arsenic residues in meat. However, these were neither imported nor used in Pakistan ever.

FDA is an organization responsible for protecting public health by ensuring the safety of America’s food supply. Last year, FDA did an experiment to assess the mode of action and deposition pattern of arsenic, if added in broiler diets, and reported that when we add arsenic in the diet, most of the arsenic was found to be stored in the liver and then the skin of the bird. However, this experiment was a need-based trial to understand its deposition and they themselves added arsenic in diets. It is not a field study that they collected the samples from the market and found arsenic. So, news on media channels is fake, misinterpreted, and highly exaggerated. They misquoted this news as "Eating chicken liver and skin can cause cancer as they have arsenic", which was totally wrong.

Yes, insecticide or pesticide residues can accumulate in meat if the birds are fed with feed that is made up of crops having insecticide or pesticide residues. However, under normal conditions, there are very rare chances for such contamination of crops and the accumulation of these residues in meat is also a very slow and rare process.

In the case of raw meat, the meat of a dead bird will be reddish (as blood is still present in the bird's body) as compared to the meat that was slaughtered. The dead bird’s meat may have yellowish patches inside the reddish area and smells very bad after some time even in the fridge. However, there is no specific difference once the meat has been cooked. Some people claim that the meat of the dead birds will be juicier and softer than normal meat, but this observation lacks any scientific evidence.

No, chicken meat itself has no bacteria or viruses. Scientists have concluded that the internal muscles of healthy animals are generally sterile at the time of slaughter. But, under normal processing conditions, equipment, workers, butchers, and any surface which meat comes in contact, can be the source of contamination and spread bacteria to the meat. So, it is all about our handling and management that can contaminate chicken’s meat and determines the level of contamination; otherwise, the meat itself is sterile and clean. Once contaminated, it is difficult to kill these bacteria unless we cook the meat.

Yes, the outlook of broiler sometimes feels very cringy and sick in the markets but not in the farms. The reason is that these birds are kept at 24-28°C in the farms, but, in the market, they have to stay for many hours in harsh conditions (more than 35°C) without feed and water which make them stressed, lazy, exhausted, and even sick (they aren’t sick, but they seem to be sick due to poor environment). During traveling from farm to shop and even in the shops, these birds are kept in cages, and many times the feces of upper story birds fall on the body of the lower side causing a dirty appearance. Some shopkeepers also shower these birds, during the summer season, with water to reduce heat stress. This practice also makes them look dirty as the feces will stick with the wet body. In most of the shops, these birds are being kept at very high stocking density and many birds will do feces in the shops, which results in smell from the shop. Moreover, biochemical and microbial degradation of the drums having waste materials of these birds also results in the development of foul smell.

Broilers are lazy but not as lazy as most people thinks. This concept develops in the mind of people when they visit the butcher shop and see the sitting broiler. These birds are lazy due to stressful environment of the shop as they use to live at 25-27oC of the poultry farm while in chicken shops the temperature is too high which makes them uncomfortable and lazy. Moreover, there are three more reasons:

1. They are kept under intensive housing at very little space which makes them unable to move freely and ultimately makes them lazy. If we give the broilers open space, then they will run, just like desi birds but they will have less weight which can result in less profit.
2. They have a very high meat growth rate than their bones that makes them unable to withstand their weight.
3. Thirdly, a farmer also does not want that the birds move more often, as it will waste the energy of feeding in the movement of birds and not in developing the meat on the body. Therefore, for economic reasons, their energies are preserved.

However, the argument that eating broiler make you lazy is totally wrong and illogical.

It's possible for properly cooked chicken drumsticks to appear red, or even bleed. This blood comes from the femoral artery, which carries blood through the chicken's leg. The poor handling and management of chicken before slaughtering can cause bleeding from that artery and blood remains there even after cooking. It's unsightly, but not a food safety risk under proper cooking conditions.

It's also common for properly cooked chicken, especially young fryers, to be a deep pink or even red at the bone. This is because pigments in the bone marrow seep through the thin bones of these juvenile birds, tinting the meat with a heat-stable pigment. Again, this is not a food safety concern.

Broilers can stand, walk, and run. However, they are reluctant to do so due to their fast growth rate and higher bodyweight. Broiler farming aimed to get maximum meat, not the bones, as only meat can be sold in the market. Therefore, the scientists breed them for higher meat production. The calcification and strengthening of bones are an age-dependent process, and we slaughter these birds before this phase. Therefore, when they gain too much weight, their bones do not withstand the pressure. However, for humans, only the protein of the meat is important not the bones, as we do not eat them. So, it will not affect the nutritional benefits of the meat.

They are unable to jump due to their heavy weight. They do not waste their energy in movement, but the only objective is their fast growth. Details are given in the previous answer.

Yes, we give medicines to the chicken broilers but not “always”. They get sick because they are kept at a very high stocking density (16-20 birds in m2), which is stressful for the birds. Recently, many farmers grew their birds in more space and comparatively less birds get sick their birds get less sick, but profit margins are reduced many folds. It is a scientific fact that the diseases of animals cannot be transferred to humans unless they are zoonotic. Chicken meat consumption boost our immunity, as they provide us with proteins that are converted into that then convert to immunoglobulins and support other protection systems.

Yes, broilers are vaccinated regularly to protect them against diseases. These vaccines produce immunity in birds. However, there is no evidence that these vaccines affect human health as they do not have residues in meat. Moreover, the viruses in these vaccines will be dead during cooking.

Yes, we can say that the broilers are sensitive birds, particularly to heat stress. The reason for their sensitiveness is their very fast growth rate. They use most of their energy in developing body mass, rather than their immunity and regulatory systems, that is why they are sensitive to environmental stress. However, their sensitivity to stress cannot be transferred to humans as our immune system is entirely different.

Yes, the poultry farms smell stinky for others. The commercial poultry farms are intensive farming units where 30,000 to 50,000 birds live in a closed area. This high number of birds produce huge quantities of feces daily. The breakdown of these feces and other organic matter generates certain gases such as NH3, H2S, and SO2, which combine to create an unpleasant smell. However, these gases do not affect the health of people living outside as they have very little exposure to them that’s why poultry farms are usually built far from human living areas.

No, the air from a poultry farm cannot make humans sick. The 99% of bacteria and viruses that can cause sickness in the chicken are those that cannot cause sickness in humans. However, continuous exposure to such air can cause the respiratory issue in sensitive people as air coming out from poultry farms have feather particles and dust of farm and many people have dust allergies, but it only happens in long-term exposure.

Yes, processing plants in Pakistan have butchers that slaughter all the birds manually with knife reciting takbeer. Moreover, they have Halal Zabiha certification from famous religious organizations and there is very strict monitoring of the slaughtering process.

Yes, cleaning and disinfection of meat is an integral part of the processing plant’s operation. All processing plants in Pakistan wash the birds after complete processing and then disinfect them with food-grade disinfectant to remove any kind of bacteria in the very hygienic environment of a processing plant.

Yes, many organizations regularly monitor processing plant. On the government level, the Punjab Food Authority is working vigilantly to monitor all the processing plants regularly. Moreover, all certification organizations (HACCP, HALAL, ISO) and restaurant brands that purchase meat from processing plants routinely visit and monitor the processes of a chicken processing plant.

Yes, broiler meat is very safe and full of nutrients, and consuming a balanced diet with chickens makes us healthy and strong. Human doctors lack knowledge about poultry production so, most of them believe in myths that the broiler is given hormones for growth. They then link this hormone addition (myth) with facial hair growth in females, hormonal imbalance, early maturity, skin problems, cancer, hepatitis, osteoporosis, arthritis, and many such problems. In reality, the broilers are never fed any kind of hormones, so all these allegations are baseless. If you ask for scientific proof from doctors for their statements, they will answer that most of the information they had about chickens was based only on rumors and public discussion. Pakistan Poultry Association and the Department of Poultry Production are working towards the education of these doctors and trying to guide them to the reality of poultry production.

No, chicken meat cannot cause cardiovascular disease. There is no scientific evidence to support this claim. Heart associations in different developed world countries have work on factors affecting this disease, and they never doubted broiler meat as a causative agent for these problems. In fact, Chicken meat has very little fat (3-4%) compared to beef and mutton and does not increase cholesterol or fat in the body.

No. All the scientific studies in this regard have shown almost equal nutrient levels in both types of meats. The proteins, energy, vitamins, and minerals are comparable in desi and broiler meat. Some scientists have reported relatively higher vitamins and minerals in the desi chicken due to the type of feed they eat. This, however, does not affect the nutritional value of the meat. Furthermore, the desi birds have higher collagen contents in their meat than the broilers, which makes its meat tougher than broilers and many people misinterpret it as the nutritional value of the meat. The broiler meat is more economical, easily available, and easy to eat than desi chicken which gives it an advantage over the others.

Commercial broiler chickens have complete ancestors. They have parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents and have separate farms for each generation due to the intensive farming system. Moreover, they are not a product of electricity as claimed by some clerics. Yes, broilers are incubated in machines (Incubators) that run on electricity, but these machines work on the principles of natural incubation (as done by broody hen). These machines provide heat, oxygen, water to the eggs just like a hen, and ultimately chicks hatch after 21-days. These machines are important to produce billions of chickens which will be impossible if we try to hatch eggs under hens. So, artificial incubation machines were developed to increase the production of chicks that support large poultry facilities. In these machines, more than 1 Lac chicks can hatch in a single day in a hatchery.

No, all the medical research proves that keeping chicken or eating chicken meat and eggs has no relation with the transmission of the COVID-19 virus. All possible causative agents and routes of transmission of this deadly disease are already very well described by health authorities. It should also be kept in mind that the coronavirus is very common in human beings and animals for hundreds of years causing flu and colds. A member of this virus family causes Infectious bronchitis disease in chickens (first reported in the 1920s), but that virus strain has no relation with the one causing COVID-19. There is no scientific evidence to date that the virus that affects chickens can transmit disease in humans and vice versa. So, chicken meat is safe to eat has no role in developing sickness in humans.

According to World Health Organization (WHO), Nipah virus infection is a zoonotic illness that is transmitted to people from animals such as pigs and bats and can also be transmitted through contaminated food or directly from person to person. This virus is mainly present in bats which transmit it through pigs (intermediate host) or urinating on fruits which then transmit the virus to humans. Moreover, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC) of the USA had clearly denied the existence of the Nipah virus in any animal except pig and fruit bat.

There is no compound in broiler meat that can affect blood pressure. The fat contents of the broiler meat are also too low to cause blood pressure problems. However, higher consumption of chicken as fast food or junk food can cause blood pressure problems due to their high salt contents and bad quality oil used in the fryer.

No, there are no carcinogenic compounds in the liver of the chickens. However, just remember that the basic function of the liver of any animal is detoxification and there are so many chemical processes that occur in that organ. It converts drugs, hormones, and waste produced inside our/ chicken’s body into water-soluble forms for excretion, so it is better to consume them in a limited amount. The broiler has a very high growth rate that makes their liver more susceptible to stress and ultimately lowers their quality than desi chicken. Overall, the liver has more than 15% protein and is rich in vitamin A, selenium, and iron.

The price of chicken depends on the supply and demand balance of the market. It has no connection with any political party (a common perception). In the periods of higher demand (i.e., marriage season, Rabi ul Awal, Ramzan, Eid ul Fitr) and low supply (i.e., low production, disease attack), the prices increase. On the other hand, in the periods where the demand is less (i.e., Eid ul Azha, Muharram, hot and humid summer season), and supply is higher (i.e., overproduction), the prices of chicken fall. There is no controlling authority for over or underproduction of chicken. Therefore, chicken prices fluctuate several times a year.

This is a baseless myth. Broilers are improved using genetic selection mechanisms keeping in view nature’s principle of Survival of the fittest. These improved broilers are kept under very ideal environment and fed diets having more than 20% proteins. These are the conditions that help them grow large. There is no relation between pigs and poultry production.

A broiler needs optimum temperature and a high-quality protein-rich diet to gain weight. These conditions are usually difficult to achieve when we grow birds at home or even in open-sided poultry houses. Therefore, these birds grow slowly in such an environment.

Yes, there are many incidences of broken/ disjointed wings in broilers. These happen due to poor handling of birds during catching, transportation, and handling of birds. It is better to remove such part as it is contaminated with blood at the time of slaughtering.

1. The birds to be selected for slaughtering should be healthy and active. Try to purchase meat in the early morning or till noon. The birds in the later phase of the day will be stressed and have a poor quality of meat.
2. Always ask the shopkeeper to slaughter the bird in front of you. Never trust a shopkeeper to purchase meat from the birds already slaughtered. Some shopkeepers may keep dead birds already slaughtered to avoid losses. Make sure that the butcher does not have any dead birds already present in the bleeding drum. 
3. Purchasing meat from butcher shops may pose a threat of bacterial contamination due to the poor hygienic status of equipment present in the shop.
4. Try to lower the temperature of the meat as soon as possible after reaching home. For this, try to keep the meat in a chiller rather than a freezer. Too much cooling just after slaughtering can increase the toughness of the meat. 
5. It is usually recommended not to wash meat before placing it in the fridge. The water will not remove the bacteria rather increase the chances of cross-contamination.
6. If meat is needed to be stored, first keep the meat in the chiller for 4-6 hours, then move it to the freezer. The same process shall be repeated in a reverse manner before using the frozen meat.

7. For proper cooking of meat, a core temperature of 72°C is recommended. Cooking below this temperature may cause food poisoning and other such issues. 

The ideal temperature of cooking is that where the internal temperature of the meat reaches 72°C. Improper barbecuing (at a high temperature) will make a crust on the surface of the meat and hinder the transfer of meat to the inner side of the meat. This will result in uncooked meat on the inner side of the meat. Uncooked meat can result in food poisoning and other such issues.

Yes, eating eggs will increase the body temperature, whether it is in summer or winter. However, in summer, we will feel it more because the ambient temperature is already higher. It is not a harmful or disturbing phenomenon. The reason for body heat-up is that the eggs are rich in proteins and scientists say whenever you have a higher protein intake, it will increase your metabolism. Higher body metabolism is linked with higher metabolic heat production that will heat the body. It does not have any kind of negative effect on human health.

The difference in eggshell color is due to the origin of the chicken breed. Over the thousands of years, the chickens have spread throughout the globe changing themselves according to that specific region and developing into new breeds. Presently, we can classify chickens in four major geographical classes including Asiatic, English, American, and Mediterranean. Among these classes, only the birds of the Mediterranean class lay white eggs while all other classes lay brown eggs

No, the color of the shell has no relation with the internal contents of the egg. The color of the shell is a genetically determined trait that can vary among breeds however the nutritional profile has no major differences. There can be differences in the minerals, vitamins, and certain fatty acid contents if the chickens are fed with green leafy vegetables, but it has no relation with shell color.

No, it is just a baseless myth. Many scientific studies compared the egg nutritional profile of the several types of chickens and found no variations in the internal contents of the eggs. Moreover, the eggs from desi chicken are much smaller than those from commercial hens. Thus, they provide lesser total protein and other nutrient contents than desi eggs.

The commercial layers were selected, for higher egg weight, over the decades. The selection of better birds resulted in the production of more eggs per hen with higher egg weight than typical desi chicken. However, the desi chickens have lower genetic potential, thus produces small size eggs.

Laying of the egg, by a female hen, is a natural process that starts as the bird reach their sexual maturity (Normally 17-28 weeks of age in different breeds), just like a menstrual cycle in human females. It only requires good nutrition and specific light duration for a hen to start egg production. Males just fertilize these eggs for the propagation of next-generation. Otherwise, the layer lays the infertile eggs. There is not any sort of hormones that are being injected for the production of eggs.

The modern commercial white egg layers have been developed using the Single Comb White Leghorn breed of chicken which is usually found in the Mediterranean region. If you google this word, you may find that the hens of these breeds lay more than 250 eggs a year under normal conditions. The poultry scientist took the birds of this breed, selected the best of the best for the propagation of next generations for more than 50 years, and ultimately developed the birds that can lay more than 300 eggs in a year with very few off days. These birds just need good management, ideal temperature, balanced diet, and 16 hours of light to produce eggs rather than any kind of hormone injection. As an experiment, you may try to inject oxytocin into desi birds to check if they produce eggs with hormones.

As answered above, the commercial egg layers do not need hormones for the production of eggs. Even, there is no hormone available for the chicken in the market. So, if there is no hormone used in the production of eggs, then there cannot be hormonal residues in eggs. It is just a baseless myth without any scientific evidence.

The eggs of desi hens have darker yolk color than commercial eggs, but it does not increase its nutritional values. The yellow color of the yolk is due to the presence of carotenoids and xanthophyll pigments. The birds get these pigments only from the corn present in their feed, while the desi birds eat a variety of seeds, fresh leaves, and vegetables that are a major source of carotenoids and make the yolk color of desi hen darker. We can also alter the yolk color by adding carotenoid enriched compound in hen’s diet for example marigold petals.

No, it is wrong fact that plastic eggs are sold in markets. The human body cannot digest plastic. The egg is a nature’s gift, and it is almost impossible for anyone to develop a product same to the egg. Plastic and eggs have entirely different properties when heated, and plastic is also costlier. The eggshell is porous, which is difficult to create in artificial eggs. The video of making plastic eggs was for toy purposes not for human consumption. Keeping eggs for longer periods during the summer will cause the breakdown of albumen and make it watery. People often wrongly confuse the watery albumen with the fake egg.

Egg yolks are produced inside the ovary of the birds. Sometime a part of capillary, supplying blood to the ovaries, falls and come along with egg which gives red appearance. These eggs are safe to eat.

Sometime a bird lays egg larger than its reproductive tract. This can cause injuries inside the tract or sometimes popping out the reproductive system (prolapse) which can lead to blood stain on the surface of shell. Such eggs are safe to eat.

No, such egg cannot be used for food purpose. Such problems often come in fertile eggs from flocks where both male and female are kept during production. In case of fertile eggs, keeping eggs at higher temperature will results in growth of embryo (blood veins on/ around yolk at the start) thus making such eggs unfit for consumption.

The discoloration that sometimes forms around the yolk of hard-boiled eggs is the result of a reaction between sulfur in the egg whites and iron in the yolks. It is harmless. It occurs when eggs have been cooked for a longer duration or at a very high temperature.

Yes, such eggs are safe to eat. The egg shell is thin during the summer season due to heat stress on birds which results in lower feed intake and a decrease in calcium carbonate (raw material of egg shell) in the body. The internal contents of such eggs will dry up quickly (7-10 days) if kept at room temperature. There are also chances of cracks in such eggs.

The shelf life of a chicken egg depends on a variety of factors such as temperature, relative humidity, shell quality, and integrity. Eggs kept at room temperature can maintain their freshness for 10-12 days; however, shelf life reduces further with the increase of storage temperature. If we store eggs in the fridge (4-8°C), they remain eatable for up to 28-days, provided they do not have a crack on the shell, but the quality will be lower than a fresh egg.

It is not a good practice to wash eggs. Washing the eggs will provide water to the bacteria present on the surface of the shell to proliferate and sometimes help them to go inside. Normally, the eggs have natural protective coverings to protect bacteria to go inside. If eggs are dirty, they may be cleaned with a cloth/ towel. However, eggs can be washed only on an industrial scale under proper water and disinfectant temperature.

Yes, eggs of different sizes are present in the market. The variations exist due to the difference in age of the birds. At the start of egg production, the commercial layers lay eggs of approximately 45 g. With the increase in age, the egg weight increases gradually to 65-70 g. So, eggs coming from poultry farms having younger flocks will have smaller sizes as compared to those coming from farms having older flocks.

It is a common misconception. An egg is usually consumed as a protein source (6 – 7 g protein in one egg). The proteins of the egg are almost equally distributed in albumen (3.3 – 3.6 g) and yolk (2.7 – 3.2 g). However, the fats (5.5 g in one egg) are solely present in the yolk of the egg. The yolk also has 100% of fat-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin A, D, E, and K. The remaining minerals and vitamins are almost equally distributed in yolk and albumen. Therefore, if you are not eating the yolk, you are wasting half of the proteins, minerals, fat-soluble vitamins.

The trainers of bodybuilders and sportsmen/ sportswomen often recommend them to eat albumen only. Such recommendations are based on the fact that these people have to eat a larger quantity of eggs (12-24 per day). As yolks have higher fat and calories contents, thus eating these many yolks will cause other health hazards for them. Therefore, they only eat albumen to fulfill their protein requirements.

It is a very common myth. Initially, it was believed that eggs can cause heart diseases. However, recent research has concluded no relationship between eating eggs with heart diseases. In reality, consuming eggs will decrease the production of cholesterol in the body and also convert bad cholesterol of the body (LDL) into good cholesterol (HDL). It should also be kept in mind that most of such problems occur due to oil used during frying of the egg rather than egg itself.

No, it is not safe to eat raw eggs. The raw egg may contain disease-causing bacteria that can result in food poisoning. Moreover, the egg contains a protein “Avidin” which binds biotin (Vitamin B7). Cooking the egg will denature this protein and make biotin available for consumers, while eating raw eggs may block the biotin of our body and results in its deficiency. The best form of egg is the half-boiled egg that provides maximum nutrients.

Eggs are considered as a very ideal breakfast for people trying to lose weight. Eggs are very low in calories (i.e., 19 calories in albumen and 65 in the yolk). Thus, eating eggs will not increase caloric intake. Moreover, the high protein level of eggs will increase the metabolism of the body and helps in the burning of fat. Thirdly, eating eggs will decrease the production of Ghrelin (a hormone that controls hunger) and will ultimately reduce the dietary intake.

This is a very wrong concept. An egg is a nature’s gift from which a chick develops without any external help. Thus, it is considered a universal source of protein, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and omega-3 fatty acids. Along with these, a very high quantity of choline in the egg will help the development of the brain cells of the fetus. However, it is better to consume cooked eggs rather than raw eggs.

Egg contains many natural vitamins that strengthen our vision. The vitamin A, Lutein, and Zeaxanthin present in egg yolks are considered as medically best ingredients for vision and eye health.

An egg is a rich source of proteins that act as raw materials for hair and nail growth. Moreover, the eggs have many sulfur-containing amino acids, and research showed that the sulfur-containing amino acids are very beneficial for hair and nails growth.

The eggs are considered an ideal diet for every age group. Eggs are among the very few natural foods that have a protective covering to prevent adulteration. The World Health Organization (WHO) has given a 100-completeness score to the eggs due to their nutrients. The protein in eggs is one of the most easily digestible proteins (high biological value) and is used as a standard protein to compare the value of other proteins.

Yes, such eggs are safe to eat. This video emerged from Kerala (India), in which the farmer was giving his birds the feed having an herb named “Kurunthotti”. The color of the yolk depends on the feed the bird eats; thus, birds fed this diet started producing green yolk color. These birds started to lay yellow yolk eggs under standard feed.

The best way to find the freshness of the egg is by dipping the eggs in a bowl of water. Fresh eggs will sink to the bottom while older eggs will rise depended upon their storage period. On breaking, the fresh eggs will have a lesser spread of albumen and more height, whereas the albumen of older eggs will be watery and spread on the whole plate. On boiling, the fresh egg will have an oval shape on both ends, while the older egg will have a flat surface on one side.

The eggs can be checked whether they are raw or cooked by swirling the egg around its axis. The cooked eggs will rotate along their axis, whereas the raw egg will change its position due to the movement of internal contents.