A naked rooster is a ridiculous view, yet such chicken are practical and easy to keep. PHOTO - REUTERS

n as part of a research project to develop succulent, low fat poultry that is environmentally friendly Cahaner‘s red-skinned chicken looks a little ridiculous, but the lack of feathers keeps the birds cooler and leaner than their feathered cousins — useful in hot countries.

The hybrids, the geneticist believes, could revolutionise the chicken business. By keeping the chickens feather-free, the birds would direct their energy to growing larger rather than keeping cool. Cahaner‘s naked birds would also save poultry farmers large amounts of money on ventilation to prevent their chickens from overheating. The lack of feathers would conserve large quantities of water used to pluck chickens at feathering plants. The featherless fowl would be well suited to poor countries where farmers can ill afford to lose birds to overheating. „It‘s called sustainable agriculture,“ Cahaner said. „Feathers are a waste, the chickens are using feed to produce something that has to be dumped and the farmers have to waste electricity to overcome the fact.“ Cahaner has already produced several dozen featherless birds but hopes to perfect the still diminutive fowl so they stand as tall as the normal boiler chickens that are the mainstay of the poultry industry. But featherless chickens would not be suitable everywhere, Cahaner concedes. They might catch cold in chillier climates. „It would harm them if we forced these chickens to be outside in cold weather…This is not a chicken for the open fields of England in the winter time,“ he said.

Reuters