School children help in the fight against chicken myths

School children are doing their bit to help bust the myths about chicken.

A project recently undertaken by students at James Ruse Agricultural High School in Carlingford is busting the myth about Australian chickens growing larger due to the use of growth hormones.

Year 10 students raised 15 chickens bred to lay eggs and 15 chickens bred for meat. All were fed the same chicken feed, including cereal grains and protein sources.

The chickens were checked everyday over a six week period. The project allowed the students to see first hand the direct influence selective breeding has on the growth of chickens.

At the end of the experiment, the average weight of chickens bred for meat was four times larger than the average weight of chickens bred for eggs.

The ACMF has been actively promoting the great results of this experiment as part of the Dispelling the Myths campaign. Click on the link below to read more on this great experiment at the ACMF website.

http://www.chicken.org.au/files/_system/Document/James%20Ruse%20Media%20Release%20Final.pdf