Why do battery hens have big, floppy combs?

[Davaroo]

Quote:
EDITED AFTER FURTHER REVIEW TO INCLUDE THE PREDICTED SOAPBOX:
Not anymore. Outlawed some time ago. This is a holdover scare tactic plied by the eco-foodist alarmists.
Modern layers dont need them. They are bred carefully to be superb layers - your best yard birds pale in comparison. They are carefully fed, tended, and controlled to the very day they will reduce production. Once laying drops off to the predicted point, they go to the processor and new hens take their place. There is little need of hormonal augmentation under such a Huxleyan scheme.

Didnt anyone catch the Huxley reference?

 

[silkiechicken]

Amaizing what selective breeding can do, from leghorn to silkie to meat bird...

I mean look at your standard great dane and the 3lb micro tea cup dogs. They all were just a dog at one time with special breeding each way to create a 150 lb difference in terminal size!

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
EDITED AFTER FURTHER REVIEW TO INCLUDE THE PREDICTED SOAPBOX:
Not anymore. Outlawed some time ago. This is a holdover scare tactic plied by the eco-foodist alarmists.

Just because something has been outlawed doesen't mean it don't happen.
My soapbox moment was for the treatment of the birds in general

not hormones. Sorry if i wasn't clear .

As for the treatment of the birds, that is an entirely different matter from floppy combs - or any of the other paths weve strayed down here.

What is it about the treatment that gives you trouble?

 

[cthrash1]

Quote:
Sure, I suffer from it daily. Ill make a suggestion: dont.

But as for floppy combs on the Leghorn/Med breeds, I think they look cool as heck.

LOL okay I'll just accept it and go on...And as for the floppy combs? I think my Ancona is so cute, her comb flops over to the right and it makes her look so comical...Hard to take her serious when she's fussing at me for forgetting to leave her gate open so she can go in when she wants.

 

[Keebler]

Could DS's allergic reaction be caused by the fact he didnt break out due to local eggs verses eggs that come from another state? People with allergies are told to eat local honey so their body builds up a resistance to the types of plants in the local area. Could the homegrown eggs from free range birds have been better for DS because his body had an immunity to the local fauna?

As for adding hormones to chickens it just doesnt happen. When it comes to hybirdization of poultry there are several flocks each year producing new strains. This takes a lot longer with cattle or hogs or any other animal for that matter. Commercial flocks like Large size eggs so they find a breed that lays starts laying Large eggs earlier than others and continues longer. Cross breed them with a prolific laying breed and you have a great bird.

Other than the birds own natural hormones there are no other hormones inserted.

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
It could really be a number of things when it comes to commercial eggs. The only way to be for sure, is to break down the commercial eggs and do tests. My guess, would be it could have been the chemicals used to clean the eggs before they are packaged and shelved, or maybe even the antibiotic that the hens were fed. It could have maybe have been the trace amounts of ammonia in the eggs from being produced in a warehouse, but I don't know if people could be allergic to ammonia.

My guess it would have been something along those lines. If you really wanted to know, you could have him tested. You may find he is allergic to a certain cleaning chemical or even a particular antibiotic.

I was doing research on this for a college presentation, just a few weeks ago. So most of the info is still fresh.

-Kim

 

[seismic wonder2]

Maybe it's like SHAMU killer whale with the flopped over dorsal fin...

 

[cthrash1]

Quote:
It could really be a number of things when it comes to commercial eggs. The only way to be for sure, is to break down the commercial eggs and do tests. My guess, would be it could have been the chemicals used to clean the eggs before they are packaged and shelved, or maybe even the antibiotic that the hens were fed. It could have maybe have been the trace amounts of ammonia in the eggs from being produced in a warehouse, but I don't know if people could be allergic to ammonia.

My guess it would have been something along those lines. If you really wanted to know, you could have him tested. You may find he is allergic to a certain cleaning chemical or even a particular antibiotic.

I was doing research on this for a college presentation, just a few weeks ago. So most of the info is still fresh.

-Kim

The antibiotic thing makes sense, because the Dr that said he had the allergy to egg white also said it was usually a preempt to later allergy toward penicillin.

 

[Davaroo]

Huxley? Aldous Huxley?









Anybody?

 

[Wolf-Kim]

Quote:
We're purposely ignoring you, dear..

-Kim