Truths vs Misconceptions
It is commonly heard at any social gathering that chicken meat should be encouraged because different hormones are added to boost up growth of broiler chicken. Broiler chicken grows rapidly and within 35 days its weight touches 1.75 to 2 kg. Those who are not familiar with poultry production mechanism and unaware of technical knowledge might assume that “magic bullets” are required for this incredibly rapid growth.
The truth is that chickens are not fed hormones. There are following points to ponder why hormones are not used in poultry feed.
International Poultry Exposition conducted in Atlanta, over a thousand companies exhibited their products to the poultry industry and no one markets the hormone for poultry growth.
1-Hormones are simply not needed
People who are familiar with the technical aspects of poultry production, the rapid growth of modern broilers is a logical consequence of slow but consistent improvements in following aspects:
- Genetics
Genetics of broiler is improved because of selection of good quality chicken over a century. Growth rate is majorly manipulated by genetics
- Nutrition
Better nutrition and feed exploits full genetic potential of commercial broiler.
- Management
Good management practices provide a suitable and comfortable environment to birds
- Disease control
Disease control prevents these birds from any kind of health stress.
2-Hormone use is illegal
In America and various countries hormones or hormone-like substances in animal feeds are prohibited and taken as violation of Law. In any case, supplementation of Hormones is not approved for poultry.
3- Hormones are simply ineffective
It is common sense that injecting growth hormone into humans will not lead to development of a winning basketball team. Likewise administration of growth hormone does not boost up chicken growth. It is simple biological that growth is an extremely complex combination of metabolic functions, depending on a wide range of endocrinological signals. So any kind of hormone injection is useless for poultry growth.
4-Administration of hormones is extremely difficult task
Growth hormone is a protein in nature like insulin, used in the treatment of diabetes. If either of these hormones were consumed orally, they would be quickly digested in the same way as protein from any other sources corn or soy. Therefore insulin is injected mostly in abdomen sub cut. If a positive effect were likely, growth hormone would need to be injected into chickens on a very frequent basis. Research explains that the release of natural growth hormone in chickens is pulsatile, peaking every 90 minutes. This could imply that if GH were to be administered effectively, the only feasible way to do through frequent intravenous administration. The logistics of injecting hundreds of thousands of chickens with hormone illustrates the practical impossibility and require a highly trained labor to inject hormones to chickens.
5-High cost
Usually growth hormone is not produced commercially; its cost would be extremely high if specially prepared. If 1 mg were to be administered to a broiler, the cost would be far in excess of the value of the chicken itself. This of course makes no commercial sense.
Hormones are simply not needed .Extremely rapid growth of broilers is easy to explain without resorting to hormones. Reviewing the records of genetics firms, it will be noted that for the past several decades birds have reached a specified market weight one day earlier per year.
Final words:
Commercial broiler meat is safe and easily accessible to fulfill animal protein requirements in human. We are deficient in animal protein as a nation. Due to protein deficiency in children mostly girls are experiencing stunted growth as Protein form the structural framework of a body since last 2 decades. Regarding this Pakistan Poultry association (PPA) is doing a great work creating awareness in public through media and advertisement.
Following are some advertisements by PPA for Public to enhance poultry meat.
