Did You Know? Chicken Sizes Have Increased Over Time, And World War II Played a Big Role

Chicken can easily be considered the most popular choice among non-vegetarians. With myriad dishes made using a plethora of methods and recipes, people consume chicken in abundance.

But not many might pay heed to how this huge consumption might have changed the quality of chickens that made it so popular in the first place. And the change arrived post World War II. The entire transformation and the effects of the massive increase in size were explained in a Twitter thread by a user named Sollozzo.

“The chicken you are eating has increased 364 percent in size over the last 50 years,” the first tweet states.

https://twitter.com/MrSollozzo/status/1515324097223225345

The chickens used to be a delicacy and cost more. However, during World War II, meat was rationed and the consumption of chickens proliferated. Multiple corporations laid their nets of monopoly over poultry. After the war, fearing the decrease in demand, it was decided that these birds will be cultured in a way so that it does not burden the pockets of the consumers.

This transformed it all. Poultry farming started witnessing bulk being added to chickens. The user compared the sizes and weight of the chickens from various points in the timeline.

https://twitter.com/MrSollozzo/status/1515324145051254789

The size increased due to the dietary changes that were made. Chickens grow in a natural environment eating grass, bugs, mice, frogs, etc. However, now, chickens are fed mostly corn and soy, in an effort to make them fat as quickly as possible.

https://twitter.com/MrSollozzo/status/1515324210754715648

The user also mentioned that earlier chickens used to be slaughtered after raising them for more than 3 months, since an adult chicken was more delicious and nutritious. But now, the chickens are slaughtered in just 45-47 days to maintain the demand-supply ratio.

“We are basically eating gigantic baby birds,” the user writes.

https://twitter.com/MrSollozzo/status/1515324235249446912

These practices have made chickens taste bland and less nutritious. What these chickens are fed also affects humans. For instance, a grain-fed chicken has a high Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio, whereas, the ratio in pasture-raised chicken is much lower.

https://twitter.com/MrSollozzo/status/1515324244900556801

Industrialisation of food is slowly ruining the essence of food that lies in its taste and nutrients.

Read all the Latest Lifestyle News and Breaking News here