There is an opinion that the lightning-fast growth of chickens in poultry farms is a consequence of feeding with hormones, antibiotics and a host of other substances that are not useful for humans. Is this true, and is it possible to eat store-bought chicken without harm to health?
Fast growth
Of course, in order for the chicken to grow to the size of the usual chicken carcass by the age of 45 days, feeding with simple grain or bran will not be enough. However, one should not think that if the poultry in the factory grows faster than the one grown by the grandmothers in the village, the reason is solely in the hormones and antibiotics that provoke growth.
The fact is that for industrial cultivation of poultry meat for meat, special breeds and crosses are used, already in the genetics of which rapid growth and a high rate of muscle growth are laid. Another important aspect of poultry breeding in production is the ability to convert feed into animal protein. Simply put, such a bird requires less food to grow large and heavy. This is the main secret of such a rapid growth of broilers in enterprises.
Basis of the diet
Nobody really feeds birds with pure grain in poultry farms. But do not think that this is a negative factor. The fact is that broilers need a special diet for fast growth and balanced meat composition. One grain, even the highest quality, is not capable of providing it. Therefore, at large industrial enterprises, birds are fed with ready-made feed. It is much more convenient and requires less labor. In addition, all the substances necessary for the bird are already contained in such feed, and broilers simply will not be able to choose one thing and not eat another component. This makes it much easier to follow the ideal diet.
The composition of feed for broilers in different proportions includes completely natural and familiar ingredients for poultry: corn, wheat, sunflower and soybean meal, bone meal, feed yeast, fat, as well as salt, chalk and a vitamin-mineral complex. In general, everything that poultry is fed with in private farms is only ground and dried.
Medicines and harmful substances
It is worth noting that it is simply impossible to grow a bird on the scale of a large poultry complex without the use of medicines. To avoid diseases and epidemics, poultry farms regularly vaccinate livestock. But if you buy broilers from a store, you can be sure that all products are subject to veterinary control before being sent to the counter. During the analysis, experts check for the presence of residues of substances harmful to humans or preparations prohibited for use in our country.
