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Cobb 500

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Breed of fast-growing chicken

The Cobb 500 is a fast-growing broiler chicken breed. They can reach a 2 kg slaughter weight at 33 days old. They make up around half of all globally farmed chickens as of 2016. The Cobb 500 is controversial due to their health problems. Animal rights and animal welfare groups such as Open Cages have called for the industry to stop their use.

History

The Cobb linage descends from the Vantress chicken, which was bred for the USDA's Chicken of Tomorrow contest in the 1940s. The Cobb line itself saw its initial development in the 1970s in England by Cobb-Vantress. The Cobb 500 in particular was introduced into the United States in 1985. In response, the US producer Tyson Foods acquired a 50% stake in Cobb-Vantress in 1986. In 1994, Tyson acquired full control of the company. The Cobb 500's share of all chickens has increased in the decades since.

In 2008, all Cobb line birds made up around 30-40% of global broilers. In 2016, the Cobb 500 alone was nearly 50%. More broadly, fast-growing chickens now make up the vast majority of the global chicken supply. As of 2021, 90% of the global broiler population is part of either the Cobb or Ross lines, which are both fast-growing.

Health issues

The fast growth of the Cobb 500 is associated with an increased rate of various health problems. Compared to slower-growing chickens, they have a higher rate of sudden death syndrome, hock burns, Tibial dyschondroplasia, weaker disease resistance and antibody response, bone deformations, and problems with walking.

References

  1. Vidal, John (2018-12-27). "'It's God's plan': the man who dreams of bringing intensive chicken farming to Africa". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
  2. Cobb500 Broiler Performance & Nutrition Supplement (2022) (PDF) (Report). Cobb-Vantress. 2022.
  3. ^ Torrella, Kenny (2023-02-10). "How a shipping error more than a century ago launched the $30 billion chicken industry". Vox. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
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  5. Gunther, Marc (August 9, 2018). "Former Tyson Foods CEO Brings Chicken Farming To Rwanda — But Can It Last?". NPR.
  6. Mock, Sarah (2020-08-17). "From farm to factory: the unstoppable rise of American chicken". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-06-23.
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  9. Martinez, Stephen (April 1999). Vertical Coordination in the Pork and Broiler Industries: Implications for Pork and Chicken Products (Report). U.S. Department of Agriculture.
  10. "Cobb-Vantress set to buy unit of rival | Arkansas Democrat Gazette". www.arkansasonline.com. 2008-01-09. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  11. Usborne, Simon (2021-11-24). "The £3 chicken: how much should we actually be paying for the nation's favourite meat?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  12. Basaki, M.; Tabandeh, M. R.; Aminlari, M.; Asasi, K.; Mohsenifard, E.; Abdi-Hachesoo, B. (2019-06-25). "Sequence and expression analysis of cardiac ryanodine receptor 2 in broilers that died from sudden death syndrome". Avian Pathology. 48 (5): 444–453. doi:10.1080/03079457.2019.1618439. ISSN 0307-9457. PMID 31081346.
  13. Kwon, Byung-Yeon; Park, Jina; Kim, Da-Hye; Lee, Kyung-Woo (2024-04-05). "Assessment of Welfare Problems in Broilers: Focus on Musculoskeletal Problems Associated with Their Rapid Growth". Animals. 14 (7): 1116. doi:10.3390/ani14071116. ISSN 2076-2615. PMC 11011155. PMID 38612355.
  14. Dinev, I.; Denev, S.A.; Edens, F.W. (Sep 2012). "Comparative clinical and morphological studies on the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia as a cause of lameness in three commercial lines of broiler chickens". Journal of Applied Poultry Research. 21 (3): 637–644. doi:10.3382/japr.2010-00303.
  15. Mayahi, Mansoor; Talazadeh, Forough; Abdolshah, Mahya (2016-11-15). "Effect of genetic strains (Ross 308, Cobb 500 and Hubbard F15) on immune response against Newcastle disease vaccine in broiler chickens". International Journal of Enteric Pathogens. 4 (4): 37–39. doi:10.15171/ijep.2016.18. ISSN 2345-3362.
  16. Villagómez-Cortés, José Alfredo; Guevara-Torres, Blanca Leydi; Landin-Grandvallet, Luis Antonio; Tirado-Madrid, Alberto (2021). "Comparison of locomotion problems and its economic impact on Cobb and Ross broiler strains". Veterinary Science Research. 3 (2): 40–46. doi:10.30564/vsr.v3i2.4126. ISSN 2661-3867.
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