What Breed of Chicken Does Tyson Use? An In-Depth Look at Commercial Poultry Production

As one of the largest poultry companies in the world, Tyson Foods processes millions of chickens every year to meet consumer demand for chicken meat. But have you ever wondered what specific breeds make up those ubiquitous Tyson chicken products?

The vast majority of chickens raised for meat by large poultry corporations like Tyson come from a single breed known as the Cobb 500. Selectively bred for rapid growth and meat yield, the Cobb 500 allows companies like Tyson to operate their chicken production on an enormous, industrialized scale.

In this article, we’ll take an in-depth look at commercial meat chickens like the Cobb 500 We’ll explore how this breed transformed the poultry industry, what characteristics make it ideal for companies like Tyson, and some of the animal welfare and sustainability concerns surrounding these high-output birds.

A Quick History of Commercial Broiler Chickens

For most of history, chickens were kept for their eggs and bred for dual-purpose utility as meat birds. Hens would naturally live 5-10 years and roosters could reach ages up to 12 years. Birds were slaughtered between 4-6 months of age once they put on adequate weight.

All that began to change in the 1920s and 30s. As poultry keeping became more industrialized, certain breeds emerged that showed promise for focused meat production. Breeders started selecting for traits like faster growth and greater breast meat yields.

Out of this work arose the Cornish chicken breed, which exhibited larger frames and faster growth compared to traditional dual-purpose breeds. By crossing Cornish birds with high-producing White Plymouth Rock chickens, researchers created the original commercial broiler chicken in the 1940s and 50s.

These early broiler breeds transformed the poultry industry, allowing chickens to reach slaughter weights at unprecedented speeds. But the development of commercial meat birds would only accelerate from there.

Enter the Cobb 500

In the decades after the first broiler chickens emerged, breeding companies continued to select for faster and more efficient meat production.

This work reached its current apex with the creation of two specialized broiler breeds in the 1970s: the Cobb 500 and the Ross 308. These two breeds, developed by the world’s largest chicken breeding companies, came to dominate commercial meat production.

The Cobb 500 was developed by Cobb-Vantress, currently owned by Tyson Foods. As the name might indicate, this breed was designed with a production-focused mindset top of mind.

Compared to predecessor broiler breeds, the Cobb 500 achieves its enormous size and meat yield with superior feed efficiency. By optimizing the conversion of feed into muscle, the Cobb allows chicken producers to raise birds that grow bigger and faster while spending less on feed inputs.

Other traits like livability, meat yield, and reproductive performance were also prioritized in the breed’s development. These enhancements allow companies like Tyson to operate on a massive scale with tight production cycles.

While Tyson may use other broiler breeds, the Cobb 500 makes up the vast majority of their commercial production. Its genetics allow for the high-throughput, low-cost meat chicken production that Tyson has built its business model around.

Characteristics of the Cobb 500 Chicken

To understand why the Cobb 500 is the breed of choice for meat chicken operations, let’s take a closer look at its defining characteristics:

• Rapid growth: Through genetic selection, the Cobb 500 can reach a market weight of 6 pounds in just 5-7 weeks. Some birds may achieve weights over 9 pounds. This accelerated growth achieves processing weights 2-3 times faster than heritage chicken breeds.

• Feed efficiency: Superior feed conversion gives the Cobb 500 world-leading efficiency. The breed can convert 1.73 pounds of feed into 1 pound of meat. This keeps feed costs low.

• High meat yield: Careful selection has increased meat yield in the Cobb 500 compared to prior commercial broilers and dual-purpose breeds. More breast meat per bird enhances profitability.

• Reproductive performance: As a grandparent breed, the Cobb 500 demonstrates excellent hatching egg production and chick livability for maximum production output.

• Livability: With a livability rate of around 98%, the Cobb 500 survives well in the high-density, climate-controlled houses used in industrial production.

• White feathers: White plumage appeals to consumer preferences in the marketplace.

Controversies Around Commercial Broiler Breeds

However, creating chickens optimized for industrial efficiency comes with trade-offs. Criticisms of commercial breeds like the Cobb 500 include:

• Health and welfare issues: Rapid growth often leads to skeletal and metabolic disorders. Lameness, heart and lung issues, and early death are common.

• Low behavioral expression: Mobility issues coupled with crowded housing prevent natural behaviors like perching, foraging, and dust bathing.

• Environmental impact: Large numbers of birds concentrating waste causes air and water pollution. Fossil fuels used in housing have a major carbon footprint.

• Lack of genetic diversity: Just two breeds (Cobb 500 and Ross 308) account for 95% of broiler chickens worldwide, limiting genetic resilience.

• Ethical issues: Some ethicists argue that selecting chickens solely for production traits ignores aspects of the birds’ well-being.

Clearly, commercial broiler production involves major trade-offs between low costs and sustainability. However, viable alternatives do exist. Slower-growing heritage breeds, free-range systems, and smaller regenerative models all offer potential solutions.

The Bottom Line

In the end, the Cobb 500 allows companies like Tyson to produce enormous numbers of chickens in less time, at low costs that keep meat affordable for consumers. However, this industrial model of production has wide-reaching consequences for animal welfare, worker rights, the environment, and more.

Understanding the breeds and practices that underpin our modern poultry system can empower consumers, advocates and producers to make more informed choices. Only by acknowledging the true costs and complexities of our current model can we begin reshaping the industry toward a more ethical and sustainable future.