BLRI develops new domestic chicken breed

The Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI) has developed a new chicken breed that looks exactly like a native chicken – to bring back the taste of domestic fowl as well as ensure high quality and safer fowl for customers.

As the breed is suitable for the Bangladeshi climate, the possibilities of the chickens contracting diseases and needing to use medicine are much lower than for other breeds. As a result, this chicken tastier and safer, according to the BLRI in a press release. 

The breed will be marketed by Aftab Hatchery Ltd soon, the BLRI said in the press release from Saturday. To this end, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the two sides.

The director-general of BLRI Dr Nathuram Sarkar said there is a huge demand for local chicken meat but the native breed is almost extinct. To seize the market, sonali chicken is available on the market as native chicken and Pakistani chicken. 

However, "As there is no pure line of sonali breed, numerous diseases attack the chicken, which forces the farmers to use excessive doses of medicine. This new breed has therefore been invented to reduce that threat, which will benefit both consumers and farmers," he added.   

Fazle Rahim Khan Shahriar, managing director of Aftab Hatchery Ltd, said in a meeting held at the company's Dhaka office on Saturday, the company had been expecting a reliable breed for a long time. 

"Our main goal is to bring back the taste of domestic chicken, introduce a breed which is stronger to prevent diseases and also friendly for the Bangladeshi climate," he said.

Director (sales) of Aftab Hatchery Ltd GHN Ershad said this new variety can be reared very easily and the quantity of meat is higher than that of the native chicken. 

He said the breed is called BLRI multicolour table chicken but a brand name will be finalised shortly.