Interesting subject... I appreciate the clarifications being made here. I've never been one to be too concerned with GMOs, more power to the farmers! But there's a lot of hype and negative connotations surrounding everything GMO and organic. It may all be a marketing scheme to scare people into buying more expensive products, or at least so you can feel better about yourself when you buy them. Whether or not you're actually better off... is a mystery to me.
To the OP, God still makes all the creatures of the world! Selective breeding is just a way to help domesticated animals produce healthier offspring. In the wild, males fight for the opportunity to mate and the female chooses the strongest... this enables the strongest offspring to be born and grow up to become the strongest survivors. And also the reason that weak animals may be killed by their own mother, or just become a predator's meal. It's God's system, survival of the fittest.
And yes, humans have definitely manipulated some breeding over the years, that's how we ended up with domesticated animals. But it doesn't mean that they're unnatural. I wouldn't think you'd want to raise wild birds for meat and eggs. But maybe after a few generations of choosing the best producers for breeding stock, you might get something worth sustaining. So why not take advantage of what's already been "manipulated" and proven to produce well?
So by "heirloom style" I think you mean Heritage breeds. They are American Poultry Association purebreds (similar to the AKC registration for dogs) that remain true to the regular old-fashioned types of chickens that were around long before agriculture became industrialized. Some of those breeds are endangered and sought after for showing and breeding purposes. There are many excellent dual-purpose varieties. You can buy heritage breeds from hatcheries or feed stores but they may not meet the exact standard characteristics of APA birds.
You can still raise broilers... they're not genetically modified, they're hybrids that happen to grow really fast on their own without steroids or antibiotics or whatever. But like most hybrids, they can't really reproduce successfully or at all. Some vegetables are hybrids (cross-pollinated, not GMO), but if you plant the seeds you won't get the same hybrid to grow -you get a parent variety. Mules (horse and donkey cross) are born completely sterile. Genetics are a strange thing.
I think what it mostly comes down to is what you feed... as others have said. If you want "organic "eggs and meat, you have to buy organic non-GMO feed or make your own.
I personally don't think it makes that big a difference unless you're trying to sell to a particular market of consumers, or if you're operating your own homestead and living a truly organic sustainable lifestyle.
Exactly. Makes life easier for the farmer to produce more to be able to meet the enormous demand.
To the OP, God still makes all the creatures of the world! Selective breeding is just a way to help domesticated animals produce healthier offspring. In the wild, males fight for the opportunity to mate and the female chooses the strongest... this enables the strongest offspring to be born and grow up to become the strongest survivors. And also the reason that weak animals may be killed by their own mother, or just become a predator's meal. It's God's system, survival of the fittest.
And yes, humans have definitely manipulated some breeding over the years, that's how we ended up with domesticated animals. But it doesn't mean that they're unnatural. I wouldn't think you'd want to raise wild birds for meat and eggs. But maybe after a few generations of choosing the best producers for breeding stock, you might get something worth sustaining. So why not take advantage of what's already been "manipulated" and proven to produce well?
So by "heirloom style" I think you mean Heritage breeds. They are American Poultry Association purebreds (similar to the AKC registration for dogs) that remain true to the regular old-fashioned types of chickens that were around long before agriculture became industrialized. Some of those breeds are endangered and sought after for showing and breeding purposes. There are many excellent dual-purpose varieties. You can buy heritage breeds from hatcheries or feed stores but they may not meet the exact standard characteristics of APA birds.
You can still raise broilers... they're not genetically modified, they're hybrids that happen to grow really fast on their own without steroids or antibiotics or whatever. But like most hybrids, they can't really reproduce successfully or at all. Some vegetables are hybrids (cross-pollinated, not GMO), but if you plant the seeds you won't get the same hybrid to grow -you get a parent variety. Mules (horse and donkey cross) are born completely sterile. Genetics are a strange thing.
I think what it mostly comes down to is what you feed... as others have said. If you want "organic "eggs and meat, you have to buy organic non-GMO feed or make your own.
I personally don't think it makes that big a difference unless you're trying to sell to a particular market of consumers, or if you're operating your own homestead and living a truly organic sustainable lifestyle.
