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---
title: Scientists Breed Chickens Resistant to Climate Change
description: Scientists at the University of Delaware are breeding chickens with fewer neck feathers to be more suited to the changing climate.
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article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:09:27.116Z
og:title: Scientists want to breed animals to survive climate change
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twitter:description: Researchers are looking into heat-resistant chickens
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# These Scientists Want to Breed Animals That Can Survive Climate Change

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by 

[Kyle Chayka](https://time.com/author/kyle-chayka/)


## Kyle Chayka


May 6, 2014 5:21 PM UTC

by 

[Kyle Chayka](https://time.com/author/kyle-chayka/)


## Kyle Chayka


May 6, 2014 5:21 PM UTC

Scientists at the University of Delaware are working to breed more [heat-resistant chickens](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-climate-chickens-20140504-story.html#page=1) to better survive climate change, specifically at the [African naked-neck chicken.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naked%5FNeck) The bird’s lack of neck feathers helps keep it cool — a model for what it might take for an animal to thrive in higher temperatures. Theoretically, incorporating some of the characteristics of the African chicken in U.S. breeds could create a more adaptable bird—and more food in the long run.

“We have to start now to anticipate what changes we have to make in order to feed 9 billion people,” Carl Schmidt, one of the researchers, told the [_Los Angeles Times_](http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-climate-chickens-20140504-story.html#page=1). According to Schmidt, the hardier chickens could begin to be mass-produced within 15 years. As America warms up, they’ll certainly be useful, but the new animals are also relevant in the short-term for small-scale farming in Africa.

The experiment is one of the first attempts to kickstart evolution’s reaction to the climate catastrophe we find ourselves in. Too bad humans aren’t changing quite as quickly.

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