Dual-purpose chickens require a product specification, not a welfare shortcut

A new review from Ege University examines dual-purpose chickens as an alternative to highly specialised meat and laying lines. The starting point is well known: males from laying strains have insufficient meat yield, while the culling of male chicks is under growing ethical and regulatory pressure. The authors compare performance, carcass traits and breast-meat characteristics, while considering genetics, feeding and housing systems together.

The practical conclusion is not that dual-purpose birds offer a simple broiler replacement. They require a coherent product target: final weight, cut yield, rearing time, feed efficiency, texture and route to market must fit each other. Moving such a bird into a conventional chain does not automatically make a welfare gain compensate for differences in yield, fabrication or price.

The review also moves the welfare discussion beyond the hatchery decision and towards the finished product. Genetics strongly shape growth and carcass performance; management, space and feed can influence efficiency and quality. Businesses seeking to market dual-purpose meat therefore need separate specifications for raw material, fabrication, yield and consumer communication.