Chicken Breeds At Risk Of Extinction As Human Population Rises (PHOTOS)

From National Geographic's New "7 Billion" App:

A crisis is looming: To feed our growing population, we’ll need to double food production. Yet crop yields aren't increasing fast enough, and climate change and new diseases threaten the limited varieties we’ve come to depend on for food. Luckily we still have the seeds and breeds to ensure our future food supply—but we must take steps to save them.

Counting On Uncommon Chickens:
People eat more eggs and poultry then ever, but the world's reliance on a few high-yielding breeds is edging out hundreds of others: Nearly a third of chicken breeds are at risk of extinction. That's alarming because many varieties have traits, like heat or pathogen resistance, that could be invaluable in the future.

National Geographic magazine's year-long series on population is now available as a free app for iPad. Check it out here: http://on.natgeo.com/q301cY, or visit http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/7-billion.

Images and captions of chicken breeds from the Tatton Park Farm in Cheshire, England are courtesy of National Geographic