BAU researchers develop new colored-meat chicken line after 15 years of work

Researchers at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) have developed a new chicken subtype that produces colored meat after 15 years of continuous research, according to university officials. The new line is described as fast-growing, with meat texture similar to native chicken but with a reddish color, and it has been developed with both consumer demand and farm profitability in mind.

The research was carried out by the Poultry Science Department under the Livestock and Dairy Development Project (LDDP). Professor Dr Bazlur Rahman Mollah, who led the team, said the subtype was created through preservation, selection and crossbreeding of different parent lines, with the goal of building a stable commercial line for local production.

A seminar held on Tuesday formally presented the final results of the project, with BAU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr A K Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan, Poultry Science Department Head Professor Dr Md Shawkat Ali and other officials in attendance. University officials said the project reflects a long-term effort to develop poultry genetics suited to local needs and market preferences.

According to Dr Mollah, the team focused mainly on a sex-linked white line with homozygosity improved to between 89% and 93.11%, a level considered important for establishing a consistent commercial line. The researchers also developed a simple PCR method to detect deletion in the SOX-10 gene, which determines feather color and is expected to support future breeding programs.

The team said some parent lines of the subtype produced up to 205 eggs in 62 weeks. They also reported that the day-old chick weight of the new hybrid line was around 38 grams, compared with 26–28 grams for conventional Sonali chickens, and noted that a one-gram increase in day-old chick weight can translate into about 50 grams of additional final market weight.

The birds can reportedly reach around 950 grams within 45 days. Researchers said this performance, combined with improved growth rate, feed conversion efficiency and lower mortality, could help increase farmers’ profits if the birds are produced and managed properly at scale.

One of the project’s main features was direct technology transfer at field level. Instead of relying only on training centers, the research team provided hands-on support in villages to cluster-based groups of 15 to 25 women farmers, with regular technical guidance, timely vaccination and health monitoring.

Field results showed strong improvements where farmers received chicks together with technical support, and many farmers reportedly now keep the birds for 10 to 12 weeks rather than the planned 50 days because of market demand. The birds are being sold at prices of up to Tk 700 per kilogram, allowing farmers to earn higher returns.

On food safety concerns, Dr Mollah said laboratory tests in Dhaka found no antibiotic residues in the meat. He also clarified that the goal is not to market the birds as native chicken, but to create a distinct branded colored-meat product with stronger taste, nutritional value and safety assurance.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan stressed that innovation must reach farmers’ doorsteps, not remain in laboratories. He said the project’s core philosophy is to increase farmer income and expand safe animal protein production in Bangladesh, and he also called for the early reopening of the university’s livestock faculty sales centre so research products can be sold directly to the public at affordable prices.

The final presentation was attended by faculty members, researchers and poultry-sector entrepreneurs, and dishes prepared from the newly developed chicken were also served.