There are many ways to live a healthier life by following the right kind of diet. One can live a healthy life by eating vegetables, fruits and meats. Here we are going to discuss chicken meat as the food option. In today’s scenario, consuming meat is a common way. Almost 70% of the world’s population eats meat as their primary food.
Poultry farming is the process that involves the rearing of birds for commercial as well as domestic purposes.
Regular chicken is healthy as they have high nutritional value. They are a rich source of protein. They have various health benefits like weight loss, making our bones healthy, boosting immunity and so on. Eating meat regularly helps us to stay healthy. Just imagine a normal chicken has so many benefits then how many benefits we will get from a GI tag-awarded chicken? Here we are going to see the benefits of one such GI tag-awarded chicken i.e. Kadaknath chicken.
Kadaknath meat is famous for its black colour, known as Black meat chicken. It comes from the Jhabua district of Madhya Pradesh in India. This chicken is known as ‘Kali masi’ which means the fowl with black meat. This chicken breed is reared by the local tribe of the Jhabua district. It got the Geographical Indication tag from the government of India in 2008 for its uniqueness.
Black meat chicken found in the world-
Kadaknath (India)
Silkie (China)
Ayyam Cemani (Indonesia)
Kadaknath chicken is a world-famous chicken that has many advantages over other species of chicken. This Kadaknath is the king of all chickens. This is disease resistant and also saves you from many diseases. It grows without the need for hormones. And it is quite yummy. It has a unique taste and flavour. It produces an average of 120 eggs per year.
The demand for Kadaknath chicken is increasing day by day in the Indian state. Chicken and poultry products are on the verge of growing. It became a popular diet here due to its medicinal properties especially in homoeopathy and for treating nervous disorders.
Average adult body weight-
Cock (male) – 1.5kg
Hen (female) – 1.0kg
Average egg weight- 46.8g
Egg colour – Brown
Skin colour – Black
Kadaknath chicken has three species-
Jet black Kadaknath (a most popular one)
Golden Kadaknath
Pencilled Kadaknath
It is believed to be an immunity booster.
The appearance of Kadaknath chicken
The appearance of Kadaknath chicken is quite attractive. Kadaknath meat is black and it is due to the presence of the pigment melanin. It is in abundance.
(melanin is a pigment that naturally occurs in hairs, skin and eyes in humans and animals. The intensity of dark colour depends on the amount of melanin they have.)
It has a lot of iron and haemoglobin content because of which its meat, feet, legs, toenails, wings, bones and even internal organs are black. The beak is black and curved to some degree. Every part of the Kadaknath chicken is black except the eggs.
Its blood is dark red as compared to regular chicken due to the presence of more amount of melanin in the body. This dark red sometimes appears as black. Its eggs are not black but light brown.
According to research, this is one of the world’s rarest poultry breeds. It has a unique quality, texture and taste. They are exported to USA and Germany and other countries. The demand for Kadaknath meat is higher than its consumption.
Price of Kadaknath chicken
These are very costly because of their high nutritional value.
- Chicken meat- Rs 700-1000 per kg (regular chicken rate is 200- 300 Rs per kg)
- Kadaknath egg- Rs 30-40 per egg (regular egg price is 5- 10 Rs per egg)
- Kadaknath bird- Rs 2000-25000 per piece
It is a bit costlier than the regular chicken breed. Their price differs in different nations and localities.
Benefits of Kadaknath Chicken Meat
It has high nutritional as well as medicinal value. It has high protein and low-fat content.
Kadaknath meat is rich in Vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E. Protein content in Kadaknath is 25% higher than normal chicken. This has almost 25% less cholesterol than normal white chicken. Kadaknath chicken has 24% Linoleic acid compared to 21% in white chicken. Because of this, it is beneficial in the case of diabetes and heart disease.
Difference between normal/ regular chicken and Kadaknath chicken-
Normal chicken Kadaknath chicken
- Protein content- 18 to 20% Protein content more than 25%
- Cholesterol- 13 to 25% around 1%
Has more carnosine antioxidant
Stature is smaller
Meat, bones and skin are black
Highly resistant to the diseases
It is also rich in iron, amino acids, calcium and phosphorous. It has a high level of 18 amino acids out of which 8 are essential for humans and rich in hormones.
Kadaknath chicken has the antioxidant carnosine and Vitamin C which prevent our body from swelling, cancer, muscle degeneration, and weakening of eyesight and it makes skin healthy. In short, it helps in promoting body health.
Protein and amino acids help in building muscles and body tissues.
Many people prefer to consume low-cholesterol food. For such people, black meat is a good option. One can consume Kadaknath chicken without any worries.
Vitamin B complex (B1, B2, B6 and B12) promotes metabolism in our body. It helps in maintaining the cellular energy in the body along with a healthy heart.
Vitamin E increases blood circulation which further prevents Coronary Artery Disorder. This decreases the risk of heart attack and high blood pressure. Vitamin A helps in blood health. It prevents blood clotting and nourishes the cell which results in healthy skin.
Iron protects the body against anaemia. It involves the production of haemoglobin in the body. It also takes part in muscle formation.
Vitamin D, Calcium and Phosphorous strengthen the bones and protect them from osteoporosis (a condition in which bones become weak and brittle). Calcium enhances bone structure and density. It boosts energy levels.
It also has aphrodisiac properties.
Benefits of Kadaknath Chicken Egg
Kadaknath starts laying eggs at the age of 20th to 21st weeks. Kadaknath eggs are also as highly nutritious as their meat. Kadaknath eggs are considered a boon for women, old age people and patients. For women, it promotes regular periods and fertility.
Kadaknath eggs are used for various medicinal purposes. These eggs are used to treat asthma, headaches, typhoid, osteomalacia (softening of bones), and kidney diseases. Regular consumption of Kadaknath eggs protects from dizziness.
Kadaknath egg vs White egg
- The white egg has 5 grams of protein and the Kadaknath egg has 9 grams of protein.
- Kadaknath egg has almost half the calories as compared to a white egg.
- Kadaknath egg has a low content of cholesterol
- Kadaknath egg has omega-3 fatty acids in abundance that prevents cardiovascular disease, improve eye function, cure joint pains, boost heart health and help the body heal faster.
- The inside of the Kadaknath egg is somewhat orange while the inside of the white egg is yellowish.
For these reasons, Kadaknath is not only considered a cock but also medicine.
Because of its benefits, Kadaknath chicken is famous among sports players.
Disadvantages of Kadaknath Chicken
- It has a low fertility rate as compared to normal chicken
- Longer time is required to raise the Kadaknath chicken
- Kadaknath chicken has lesser meat content than the other improved breeds
- Kadaknath breed of chicken is in short supply
Benefits of Kadaknath chicken farming
- It is Dual purpose breed –
Layer farm for eggs (Layer farming is the method of raising poultry birds for commercial egg production).
Broiler farm for meat (Broiler farming is the method of raising chicken birds for meat).
- Its Consumption is low and profit is high
- It easily adapts to the local environment
- It requires low maintenance
- Kadaknath chickens are disease resistant in their natural habitat
- Kadaknath chicken and eggs are sold in the market having a high price
Conclusion
We can say that Kadaknath is truly a superhero among all the chickens. Kadaknath chicken acts as an energy booster. It tastes incredible with lots of medicinal value. It gives most of the essential nutrients.
It is a better option for the chicken market than the other breeds. Its demand is increasing worldwide day by day because now people are more focused on their health.
Though it has some disadvantages which can be overcome through breeding programmes. Farming of Kadaknath chicken is good for both economic as well as health purposes.
It is a rare breed and it is not available in large proportions. Due to the high consumption of Kadaknath meat, it is on the verge of declining. We need to save its population from extinction.
Adding black chicken to your diet is a healthy choice. Being a chicken lover one should eat Kadaknath chicken.
Read more-
- Acclimatization: The Subtle Dance Between Humans and Their Environment
- The Anthropology of Sleep
- Lamarck’s Theory of Evolution
- Bipedalism and Structural Changes
- Natufian Culture
