Chickens With Less Fat

May 9, 2000

USDA scientists have found a genetic method to help produce chickens with even less fat. The discovery of a protein, called leptin, in chickens, which had been found only in mammals such as pigs, cows, mice and humans, could lead to leaner birds.

Maximizing meat quality and improving production efficiency are major goals for scientists studying chickens, because breeding broiler chickens for growth has resulted in increased fat deposition, and reduced reproductive efficiency in the birds.

Leptin, which regulates appetite and energy expenditure, can lead to extreme obesity, diabetes and infertility in mammals if the leptin-producing gene is defective. Leptin is found in fat tissue of mammals and chickens, but in chickens it’s found also in the liver.

Scientists hope to use their technique to regulate the leptin levels in chickens and reduce the birds’ appetites. That would make it easier to manage broiler production and still provide consumers with quality meat. Commercial industries may use the technique eventually to select birds for feeding behavior that does not affect the growth of young birds.