Featherless chickens lack vital vitamins – Expert warns consumers
By Ifeoma ikem
Dr Emeka Uche, the Project Director, Efi-Igbo Cattle Ranch Enugu, has called on concerned relevant government agencies to checkmate the featherless chickens that has flooded Nigeria market recently.
Emeka, a veterinarian, said this in an interview with our correspondent over raised concern of featherless chickens in the Nigerian market.
“Feathers are epidermal growth that cover the dermal parts of birds and occur naturally, which helps to maintain good body temperature protect them from external injuries and also stabilize the air and movement.
“In featherless they are not natural and as result of loss of feathers due to deficiency in some vital vitamins which are needed when growing and other factors, it make them featherless.
“Featherless chickens are as a result of the inability of their dermis to be converted to epidermal growth that can cover the dermal parts”.
According to him, featherless chickens are more in the market due to the high cost of feeds and other materials needed in poultry business, the featherless chickens are cheaper in the sense that the cost of rearing is more affordable, poultry operators never considered the side effect on end users.
“Our poultry operators are concerned with the meat production more than external features of the chickens.
“Scientifically I don’t know if there is any implications as no research has said so, but I know that it is as a result of some lack of vitamins that can cause loss of feathers”, he added.
He advised Nigerians to be less dependent on imported meats and other components because genetically modified organisms are not natural and must not be encouraged.
“Also Ministry of Agriculture, Veterinary Division with Customs services should do thorough visual inspection at the point of entry and government must strengthen the services of Veterinarians and encourage them”, he advised.
Our correspondent noted that an article from Dengarden’s news had defined featherless chickens as Naked chickens;Birds Without Feathers
The article noted that the featherless chicken, a bizarre and terrifying breed of chicken was created by researchers, led by Avigdor Cahaner at the genetics faculty of the Rehovot Agronomy Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel.
“Also known as the naked chicken, the purpose behind this man-made monstrosity was to create a chicken that is cheaper, more convenient, and more efficient compared to the typical, everyday chicken we all know and love.
“Interbreeding between these two types of chickens is what eventually resulted in the featherless chickens we see today”, the article said.
