Technology Opportunities

Featherless broiler chickens for improved meat production in hot conditions

Background

• Current commercial broilers require low temperatures for fast growth and high meat yield
• Hot conditions significantly reduce the efficiency, or increase the costs, of broiler production
• Featherless broilers easily dissipate excess body heat, avoiding the need for costly cooling or ventilation (even at high stocking densities), allowing sustainable, low-cost production

Our Innovation

Development of a unique stock of fast-growing featherless broilers together with a breeding scheme that upgrades standard commercial broiler stocks by producing 25% (or 50%) heat-tolerant, high-yield, featherless broilers, and 75% (or 50%) feathered broilers for live marketing at low body weight

Key Features

• Birds fully express their genetic potential under hot conditions, without cooling or ventilation
• Reach slaughter weight of about 2.2 kg at 6 weeks, with more than 40 kg/m2
• Meat yield and quality equals or surpasses standard broilers under optimal conditions
• These performances obtained on low-cost (low-protein and low-energy) feed
• Do not suffer from heat-related mortality or health problems

Development Milestones

• Genetic material - featherless males for grandparent flocks - ready for shipping
• Fine-tuning of management and diet composition to local conditions conducted on site

The Opportunity

• Majority of broilers worldwide are reared in hot tropical and sub-tropical regions of Asia, America and Africa, and the southern parts of the United States and China
• Consumers, including those in developing countries, increasingly prefer processed broilers and meat; featherless broilers are ideal for processing and reduce the investment and operational costs associated with cooling and ventilating broiler houses