Poultry Farming: Know the Difference Between Country, Broiler and Layer Chicken

While broilers are raised for meat, layers are only raised for their eggs. Here’s a breakdown of the three types and their health benefits:

Broiler Chicken

In protected, hygienic surroundings with controlled temperature and feed, broiler chickens are kept solely for their meat. All of these birds receive the same diet, no exercise, and identical weather exposure. To get the most meat in the shortest length of time, several breeds of broiler chickens are chosen based on their size and pace of growth. Normal chickens take about 120 days to reach slaughterhouse readiness, but broiler chicks take about 30 days.

Layer Chicken

Domesticating egg-laying birds for the goal of producing commercial eggs is the main focus of layer poultry farming. These layer chickens need to be properly cared for from the moment of birth. Their gestation period is 18 to 19 weeks before they begin to lay eggs. Up until they reach 7,278 weeks old, they keep on laying eggs. During their spawning cycle, they can produce about one kilogram of eggs while eating about 2.25 kilograms of food.

Broiler Chicken

The domesticated birds raised for meat are called broilers. Similar to layer bird housing and equipment, poultry housing is necessary. A farmhouse must be 1 square foot for a broiler chicken. From the hatcheries, the baby chicks are brought and raised in brooders. Depending on the season, broiler brooding times change.

Country Chicken

Country chickens are all domesticated native birds that are kept on a small scale by nearby farmers in uncultivated areas with little to no farmer involvement. Nearly all of them spend the majority of their time outdoors, running around and searching the ground for worms or insects before completing their diet with kitchen trash.

Country vs Broiler vs Layer Chicken: Which is Healthier?

This would all depend on your personal tastes. The country chickens come from various farms, and because their food is not uniform, the flavor of their flesh will always vary. However, because broiler chickens are raised in large quantities, fed a comparable diet, and frequently given the same amount of time as parent birds, their meat will generally taste identical. The meat of country chickens is harsh and considerably tougher because they are allowed to roam freely, whereas the meat of broiler chickens is much more tender because they often receive little exercise. This is another significant difference that you will notice.

There are a lot of drawbacks to broiler chicken. It described the broiler chicken's life cycle as lasting 30 days, didn't it? There is no way to reduce it that much without experiencing any negative effects. Due to their short lifespan, these chickens receive a lot of antibiotics and growth hormones, which are then eaten by the consumer. Broiler chickens have been linked to the development of drug-resistant germs in numerous studies, and one even came to the conclusion that eating one broiler chicken per week was equal to receiving one antibiotic injection each week.

The use of layers for meat consumption is feasible but not really advised. This is due to the fact that the meat from laying birds is sometimes harder and has a lesser nutritional value. As a result, if we want breeds for both egg production and meat consumption, we need to choose different breeds.

Country vs Broiler vs Layer Chicken: Which One Takes the Trophy?

The complete opposite of the above is a country chicken. They are healthier and their meat is chemical-free because they are allowed to wander freely and aren't given any medications or growth stimulants. They are low in fat—so low that it is advised to add a little fat while cooking the meat to create a balanced meal—and rich in protein because they promote healthy muscular growth. According to studies, those who consume only country chickens over the long term have fewer health problems than persons who eat broiler chickens.