Unpacking a poultry myth.

In India it grew by nearly 10 percent between 1997 and 2002 and broiler meat is currently sold for half the price of lentils, traditionally considered the poor’s main source of protein. In recent years, however, NGOs and governments have supported the introduction of “improved” poultry breeds in rural areas (commercial hybrids produced from two or more different strains). If these are reared under the right conditions, they give a higher yield in terms of both eggs and meat than indigenous breeds. But is that necessarily always the right way to go?