Are featherless chickens really GMO/genetically-engineered?

Posted: February 5, 2012 by admin

Are these GMO chickens? Genetically-engineered without feathers... naked, or are they actually just conventionally bred?

Genetic modification or just conventional breeding?

Pictures of these creepy new chickens are going around the web, claiming these are genetically modified organisms (GMO), however, it is reported that these chickens were created through conventional breeding by an Israeli scientist. They were bred using a bare-neck breed of chicken (likely what’s called the “turken“) that’s been around for decades, that was also conventionally bred. In other words, barring any newer mutations, these naked chickens theoretically could have been bred 3000 years ago with an intensive breeding program with no modern technologies.

Sure they look creepy, but so do naked mole rats and manatees, yet they are totally natural, and in the wild, not bred by humans at all.

The scientist does have some good points – this could be a good hot weather chicken and could do a little bit to impact the environment less.

Story on New Scientist: Featherless chicken creates a flap

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