A featherless breed of broiler chicken developed by poultry breeders is yet to gain recognition despite the many advantages it may have.
It grows well in tropical climate without overheating and eliminates the need for expensive air-conditioners in poultry farms. It is also a more efficient converter of feed to meat.
The meat is easier to process as there are no feathers to pluck in hot water after slaughter.
It is not a product of some biotechnology magic as Israeli geneticist, Avigdor Cahaner of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, only crossed a bare neck breed with another broiler to breed it at the beginning of the millennium.
Critics have labelled it a naked breed of chicken and say it is susceptible to parasites and vectors like mosquitoes.
The only real disadvantage is that the male finds it difficult to mount the female during mating. Male chickens perk and hold on to the feathers at the back of the neck of the female and flap their wings to maintain balance during mating which lasts for about 10 seconds on average.
Related to this is the fact that a featherless hen cannot incubate its eggs successfully and hatch them.
This should not be a problem as the breed is for broiler chickens. The breeders can always provide the day-old chicks on demand to farmers to grow for meat.
photo credit: oddity
