The domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is descended from the red junglefowl of Southeast Asia and has been raised for food for thousands of years. Today, chicken is the most consumed meat globally and in Australia, where it overtook beef in per-capita consumption in the 2000s.
Commercial chicken meat comes from broiler breeds that have been selectively bred for rapid growth and efficient feed conversion. A whole bird yields a range of cuts — breast, thigh, drumstick, wing — with significantly different textures and fat contents. Chicken is valued for its versatility in cooking, relatively mild flavour, and lower price point compared to most other meats. It appears in virtually every culinary tradition worldwide and is a cornerstone ingredient in Australian home cooking and food service.
How it's produced
In Australia, the vast majority of meat chickens (broilers) are raised indoors in large climate-controlled sheds. Birds are placed as day-old chicks and raised to market weight in approximately six to eight weeks. Conventional operations house thousands of birds per shed with automated feeding, watering, and ventilation systems. Free-range chicken, which has grown in market share, gives birds daytime access to outdoor areas, though the density and quality of outdoor access varies by certification standard.
After reaching target weight, birds are transported to processing plants where they are slaughtered, plucked, eviscerated, and chilled. The carcasses are then broken down into retail cuts or sold whole. Australia’s chicken industry is vertically integrated, with a small number of large companies controlling breeding, feed milling, farming, and processing. Chicken meat in Australia is not permitted to contain added hormones — this has been banned since the 1960s.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
* Based on what it takes to produce, from farm to factory gate.
Keeping it
Keep it: in the fridge on the lowest shelf, use within 2 days.
In the freezer: about 360 days (from date of purchase).
In the fridge: about 2 days.
In the fridge: 1–2 days (from date of purchase).
Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.
What comes from this
Your household's take
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