Tangent 21 - Bald Chicken

Posted by
Maffrew

Posted on
23:03
May 22 2002

Bald Chicken - Yum!

Okay, there's been alot of stuff in the paper today about the creation of the first genetically modified chicken... modified to be bald!

The reasons for it's modification are that in hot countries, chickens expend alot of energy keeping cool and so they don't grow as big. Now they are bald, they don't need to flap their wings to keep cool (in fact, because they are bald, they can't flap their wings, so they can grow bigger in hotter countries.

Now, alot of people are decrying this as a horrific event, saying that it's cruel etc etc etc, the usual animal rights nonsense.

I see no problem with creating a genetically modified chicken.

Firstly... to the animal rights people, i say this: It's a chicken! It's a an unintelligent, non-self-aware bird! It's not like they are creating genetically modified chimpanzees or dolphins, which are very intelligent animals.

The fact is, Humans sit at the top of the food chain. We are intelligent, self aware beings and we need food lower down on the chain to sustain ourselves. I see no problem in killing cows, chickens, turkeys, horses, dogs, kangaroos or whatever else you might name, because they sustain human life. Human life is of greater importance than that of an unintelligent animal. Plus, these chickens are genetically modified, it isn't like they are being removed from the wild, which would mess up the ecosystem. And most important of all, they taste nice!

These chickens could bring lots of large, cheap chickens to alot of people. Cheap food means less people starve, especially as these chickens are made for hot countries. They will survive much better than a normal chicken would in say, Africa, where food is in short supply.

So, who agrees with me and who disagrees with me?

10 Replies and 1782 Views in Total.

In a State of Dan That's just, like, your opinion, man

by Maffrew
The fact is, Humans sit at the top of the food chain. We are intelligent, self aware beings and we need food lower down on the chain to sustain ourselves. I see no problem in killing cows, chickens, turkeys, horses, dogs, kangaroos or whatever else you might name, because they sustain human life.

Agreed. Ironically, it took me 3 years of vegetarianism and then starting to eat meat again to realise - humans, by and large, eat meat, and there's really no need or point in apologising for this.

These chickens could bring lots of large, cheap chickens to alot of people. Cheap food means less people starve, especially as these chickens are made for hot countries. They will survive much better than a normal chicken would in say, Africa, where food is in short supply.

However, farming animals for meat, genetically modified or otherwise, is a very, very inefficient use of resources. If food is in short supply, then the priority should be on growing staple crops.
And besides, somebody's paying for all this research. You think these chickens are going to be supplied to the poor in Africa cheaply? No way.

So, as with GM crops, I think it's a bad idea. Because it's unnecessary, and because we don't know what the potential consequences are.

Posted: 23:30 May 22 2002

Samphirette To you I guess I'm just a clown who picks you up each time you're down

Well I don't know whether to agree or disagree without being a hyprocrit.

Now I like chicken in a big way, if it was the only meat around I'd eat it forever. So I'm hardly going to turn around and preach animal rights on the killing and eating of chickens.

However, surely by genetically modifying a chicken there must be something wrong with it in the long run - I mean farmers kick up a stink about genetically modified crops being harmful so we are bound to hear the same about chickens.

But whether it is bald or has feathers at the end of the day the chicken will end up on someone's plate as food - so will the chicken care whether its bald or not? If its going to be in a pen or a breeding house with other bald chickens its not going to automatically know that it should have feathers.

Although as a person who knows that chickens should normally have feathers I found the picture in the paper fairly strange to look at !

Posted: 00:34 May 23 2002

SPIKE "Hakuna Matata" Captain Zapy

i think its cruel, how would we like to be bred with no hair? not very nice if you ask me.

Posted: 10:21 May 23 2002

head2head 'Rene Descartes was a drunken fart, I drink, therefore I am. '

I don't think that its cruel really. Chickens, by and large, are bred to be eaten right ?? It's not as if the people in these hot countries are going to want to keep these bald chickens as pets is it ?

Nothing wrong with a bald chicken if you ask me !!!

However, I would disagree with a bald chicken on a farm in this country...thats cruel !

Posted: 10:53 May 23 2002

Biff "This is the stuff, absolute mayhem". Joe Strummer

the look tottally skanky, worse than those cats with no hair (siamese?). *shudders*

Posted: 13:02 May 23 2002

Sange It's only kinky the first time!!! after that it's just the Norm ;o)

by Maffrew

The reasons for it's modification are that in hot countries, chickens expend alot of energy keeping cool and so they don't grow as big. Now they are bald, they don't need to flap their wings to keep cool (in fact, because they are bald, they can't flap their wings, so they can grow bigger in hotter countries.

They can still flap their wings surely? Just dont have feathers on them

I see no problem with creating a genetically modified chicken.

Well not so sure on that but I don't know enough about GM foods to coment

Firstly... to the animal rights people, i say this: It's a chicken! It's a an unintelligent, non-self-aware bird! It's not like they are creating genetically modified chimpanzees or dolphins, which are very intelligent animals.

Hmmmm not so sure that chickens are non-self-aware unless ya a chicken how would you know that one .. but again I am not a chicken so haven't a clue.

And most important of all, they taste nice!

Have to agree with ya on that one

So, who agrees with me and who disagrees with me?

I have no problem with what they are doing , because I am unaware for a self-aware person

of what implications GM Chickens could have.

I'd love to be a vegitarian , but the truth is I just like me meat far to much

Posted: 13:14 May 23 2002

White Hart So long, and thanks for all the fish.

From what I saw about this the other day, the chicken wasn't 'genetically modified' so much as selectively bred by crossing a small featherless breed of chocken with a commercial broiler chicken.

However, I am not convinced it's a good move.

by Maffrew
The fact is, Humans sit at the top of the food chain. We are intelligent, self aware beings and we need food lower down on the chain to sustain ourselves. I see no problem in killing cows, chickens, turkeys, horses, dogs, kangaroos or whatever else you might name, because they sustain human life.

Agreed. Like Dan, I am an ex-vegetarian and was even vegan for a while. I now eat meat and consider that to be a perfectly natural and healthy thing to do.

by Maffrew
Human life is of greater importance than that of an unintelligent animal.

Ultimately true. However, I do not think that this gives us the right to mistreat animals. I am fundamentally opposed to factory farming of livestock in all its forms. I personally will only buy meat that is free range and preferably organic. If this means that I only eat meat 2-3 times a week and live on pasta, rice and vegetables the rest of the time, so be it. A lot of scientists think we in the West eat too much meat anyway, so it could well be healthier.

One of the interesting things the news item I saw said about the hairless chickens was that they fall over as soon as they are exposed to direct sunlight. These could never be free range chickens. I do not object to selective breeding of farm animals to enhance desirable characteristics as a general rule but I don't like the idea of doing it in such a way as to create an animal that is incapable of a natural existence.

by In a State of Dan
However, farming animals for meat, genetically modified or otherwise, is a very, very inefficient use of resources. If food is in short supply, then the priority should be on growing staple crops.

I can't off the top of my head think of a famine in history that was caused by a shortage of chicken

I *can* think of some very serious famines caused by shortages of potatoes and of wheat.

by In a State of Dan
And besides, somebody's paying for all this research. You think these chickens are going to be supplied to the poor in Africa cheaply? No way.

Oh no. The poor in Africa will be paid 10p a week by the big food corporations of the West to work in their shiny new chicken factories. The chickens will be slaughtered, frozen, and shipped to the US, the UK, wherever, to be sold in supermarkets, either straight away or as an ingredient in various processed foods and ready meals. We get even cheaper chicken, Africa gets a pretty raw deal.

On a side note, do you realise that quarter of a century ago chicken was a luxury meat? Now you can buy a whole chicken for less than a fiver. Who do you think takes the hit on that price cut?

(Edited by White Hart 23/05/2002 13:29)

Posted: 13:26 May 23 2002