Made in 1948, this film discusses the post-war program to develop “The Chicken of Tomorrow”– the chickens we buy in stores today. I doubt they realized at the time that the chicken industry would be completely changed, based on mono-crops raised in confined spaces. Already, the methods displayed in the film show chickens confined, unable to exercise. In the following decades, that trend would only get worse.
Today, many small farmers are returning to “heritage” breeds because of their hardiness, personality, and other characteristics. They are slower growing and therefore less profitable, but their eggs and meat have superior flavor, and they range better than the overly-fat modern breeds. Heritage breeds do better with pasture feeding, whereas modern breeds are often unable to forage for themselves.
