New study reveals negative implications of raising slow growing chickens

In assessing a transition to a slower-growing breed, the environmental impact is an important component often left out of the equation, NCC said. If only one-third of broiler chicken producers switched to a slower-growing breed, nearly 1.5 billion more birds would be needed annually to produce the same amount of meat currently produced — requiring a tremendous increase in water, land and fuel consumption. This would amount to: Additional feed — It will take enough feed to fill 670,000 more tractor trailers on the road per year, using millions more gallons of fuel annually. Additional land — An additional 7.6 million acres of land per year will be needed to grow the extra feed (corn and soybeans), amounting to roughly the size of the entire state of Maryland. Additional manure output — Slower-growing chickens will also stay on the farm longer, producing an additional 28.5 billion lb. of manure annually. That's enough litter to create a pile on a football field that is 27 times higher than a typical football stadium. Additional water — It will require an extra 5.1 billion gal. of drinking water per year for the chickens (excluding the additional irrigation water that would be required to grow the additional feed).