A research team of Rajshahi University (RU) has developed antibiotic-free and chemical-laced free 'Green Broiler' chicken which is completely safe for consumption.
According to sources, a team of researchers headed by Dr. Shariful Islam and Dr. Hakimul Haque of the Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences has developed ‘Green Broiler’ Chicken after conducting three-year research. In the first phase, they started with 250 Broiler chicks and in the later stage, they worked on 500 chicks.
The researchers informed, instead of using antibiotics and vaccines, they were applying various essences of plants, fruits, flowers, and leaves found naturally. These essences also helped the broilers grow speedily. The usual weight of a 25-27-day aged green broiler is 1.5 to 2.00 kgs and in case of taste and flavor, the green broiler is superior to that of the normal broiler, claimed the researchers.
Dr. Hakimul Haque said that the antibiotic used for chickens and other domestic animals and birds is harmful to human bodies. Instead, they used the essences of various plants. For example, they used Neem (Margo) leaves for containing the pinworms, threadworms, and tapeworms, and instead of using the growth hormones; they used the Sajina (Moringa Olivera) leaves.
Sajina leaves contain anti-bacterial and growth generating qualities which are also applied for the resistance of diseases and speedy growth of the chicken. He also informed that ginger was given to the chicken to keep its body temperature steady during the winter.
The researchers further said that the mortality rate among the antibiotic-free broiler chicken is also less than those of others.
According to Dr. Shariful Islam, the weight of a green chicken is usually 1.7 to 1.9 kgs in 27 days and over 2 kgs in 32 days, and on the 36th day the weight of a chicken reached 2.75 to 3.00 kgs. The mortality rate among green broilers is less than two percent, the researchers claimed.
They said, during the first phase of the experiment only five chickens died among 250, and during the second phase of the experiment less than 2 percent chickens died among 500 chickens.
Dr. Islam further mentioned that strict, hygienic farm management is required for rearing the green chicken. The farm is required to be cleaned every day and the environment of the farm is needed to be kept steady, moisture, and swamp-free. As a result, an increased number of laborers is needed to maintain the farm.
The consumers of the Green chicken are mainly the teachers and staff of Rajshahi University.
Dr. Ajijur Rahman Shamim, Associate Professor of the Department of Pharmacy of RU said, it is observed that the common antibiotics used in chickens and cattle heads are also laced in the flesh of those animals and those are not being destroyed even after cooking. As a result, while consuming meat, human beings are also consuming antibiotics as well. As the green broiler is antibiotic-free, there is no risk of consuming antibiotics during taking that as food.
Dr. Rahman further mentioned, while taking antibiotics as food like chicken meat or beef, it grows resistant inside our bodies and while we need to take antibiotics as a drug, it does not work in our bodies. Furthermore, by fighting with the consumed antibiotic, the germs inside our bodies get further strong and thus creating resistance to antibiotics in our bodies. Moreover, consuming antibiotic-laced broilers can create various problems among pregnant women and children.
Dr. Rahman also said, “Use of antibiotics has been banned in various developed countries. The broiler being comparatively low in cost, it is included in the food list of almost all classes of people in Bangladesh. But due to use of antibiotics in the broiler and other farm chickens, a large part of consumers of the flesh of those chickens are losing their disease resistance capacity.”
Researchers at RU mentioned, if the government fund is available, they would train up the chicken farm owners to produce antibiotic-free Green Broiler and chicken at the district level.
