From 1935 to 1995, the average weight of "broilers" increased by 65%, while their time-to-market dropped 60% and their feed requirements dropped 57%. To gain a sense of the radicalness of this change, imagine human children growing to be 300 pounds in 10 years, while eating only granola bars and Flintstones vitamins.
Between 1935 and 1995, the poultry industry experienced significant transformations, with broiler chickens becoming larger and more efficiently produced. The average weight of these birds rose by 65%, while the time needed to raise them to market size decreased by 60%. Additionally, their feed requirements saw a remarkable drop of 57%, reflecting the advancements in breeding and farming practices.
To illustrate the extent of this change, Jonathan Safran Foer makes a striking comparison: envisioning children growing to a weight of 300 pounds within just a decade, all the while consuming only minimal nutrition. This analogy highlights not only the rapid growth rates and reduced resource needs of modern broilers but also raises critical questions about the implications of such intense agricultural productivity on health and ethics.
