# Does KFC really sell mutant chicken? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113 "2003-02-24T05:57:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Xythero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Xythero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xythero)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/1 "2003-02-24T05:57:14Z")
Does KFC really sell mutant genetically engineered chicken? I’ve heard they grow them headless, without feathers, and with six breast each. And is the reason they call themselves KFC and not Kentucky Fired Chicken is because they can’t legally call what they sell chicken? -Xythero ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/2 "2003-02-24T05:59:50Z")
WTF??? Oh and to answer the OP…no. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/3 "2003-02-24T06:03:40Z")
> **[Does KFC Use Mutant Chickens?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kfc-mutant-chickens/)** > > Urban legends about mutated KFC meat are good for a laugh, but the chain does not use meat derived from eight-legged genetic monstrosities. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/4 "2003-02-24T06:03:46Z")
Short answer is No. KFC still sells chicken. [Snopes.com](http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/kfc.htm) is a great source for checking out these sorts of claims. That link will take you directly to the KFC story. Anyways welcome the the SDMB, hope you enjoy it as much as we do. ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/5 "2003-02-24T06:04:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Xythero \* > \*\*Does KFC really sell mutant genetically engineered chicken? I’ve heard they grow them headless, without feathers, and with six breast each. And is the reason they call themselves KFC and not Kentucky Fired Chicken is because they can’t legally call what they sell chicken? \*\* That is the craziest thing I have ever heard! They changed the name because Kentucky wanted money for using the name. Mmmmm… Mutant chicken. ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/6 "2003-02-24T06:05:01Z")
**Xythero** , you’re obviously new here, so this will probably be the first of many lessons you learn on the boards. There’s a little web page we’re awfully fond of on the SDMB called [Snopes.com](http://Snopes.com). Well, it’s actually the Urban Legends Reference Page, but isn’t Snopes much catchier? Anyway, what you’re talking about is a popular urban myth and Snopes has addressed it here: > **[Does KFC Use Mutant Chickens?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kfc-mutant-chickens/)** > > Urban legends about mutated KFC meat are good for a laugh, but the chain does not use meat derived from eight-legged genetic monstrosities. So don’t be afraid to get that 12-piece bucket with a side of mashed potatoes and slaw. It ain’t good for you, but it’s the real deal. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/7 "2003-02-24T06:05:22Z")
> **[Does KFC Use Mutant Chickens?](https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/kfc-mutant-chickens/)** > > Urban legends about mutated KFC meat are good for a laugh, but the chain does not use meat derived from eight-legged genetic monstrosities. ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/8 "2003-02-24T06:07:45Z")
Well geez, that was a post clusterfark if I ever saw one. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/9 "2003-02-24T06:10:01Z")
Snopes has dealt with this exact rumor indeed: From the link already posted: > [@](#): > > KFC no more raises their own chickens than McDonald’s maintains vast herds of beef cattle to turn into hamburgers or the International House of Pancakes farms huge tracts of wheat to use in making pancakes. These companies are in the restaurant business, not the agricultural or farming business, and they buy their food products from the same suppliers as everyone else. None of these chains could possibly operate the enormous facilities that would be required to supply themselves with all the raw food products they needed. KFC sells the equivalent of 736 million chickens annually. They’d have to own some monstrously huge “chicken farms” in order to supply themselves with well over half a billion chickens every year. > > [snip] > > Kentucky Fried Chicken decided to change their name to KFC in 1991 for several reasons, none of which had anything to do with governmental regulations about mutant animals: > > - A move to de-emphasize “chicken” because KFC planned to offer a varied menu that included other types of food. (The Boston Chicken corporation took the same approach for the same reason, changing their name of their retail food outlets to Boston Market.) > > - A desire to eliminate the word “fried,” which has negative connotations to the increasingly health-conscious consumer market. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/10 "2003-02-24T06:44:21Z")
BTW: > [@](#): > > They changed the name because Kentucky wanted money for using the name. is an Urban Legend that Snopes was (inadvertantly) guilty of perpetuating. They used to have a section of their site devoted to wildly improbable legends that they listed as “True” as a joke. One of them claimed that the State of Kentucky registered its name as a trademark in order to charge people for its use, leading Kentucky Fried Chicken to change its name to KFC to avoid royalties and the Kentucky Derby to change its name to Run For The Roses for the same reason. _ **It Was A Joke.** _ Kentucky never attempted to “license” its name (and probably could not if it wanted to). I have not seen that section on the reorganized Snopes web site, but I don’t know whether or not they removed it. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/11 "2003-02-24T06:48:54Z")
Hijack: did you know KFC is [pressure cooked in grease](http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/food_articles/finger_lickin_good.htm)? PS I am in awe of the FIVE separate posts that referenced Snopes w/regard to the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/12 "2003-02-24T07:11:36Z")
Has anyone checked Snopes yet? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/13 "2003-02-24T07:14:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Smeghead \* > \*\*Has anyone checked Snopes yet? \*\* I did, but I couldn’t find anything. Come someone provide a link? ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/14 "2003-02-24T08:46:33Z")
Of course KFC sells mutant chickens. The paltry poultry I cook at home never tastes that good. KFC is a sick habit that I indulge once or twice a year, but it’s clear that the chickens are infused with some opiate-euphoric mix. I think the animals themselves have bones when they’re alive, though… ---
**Author:** ![reoch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@reoch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reoch)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/15 "2003-02-24T08:47:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Desmostylus \* > \*\*I did, but I couldn’t find anything. Come someone provide a link? \*\* Bwahahahaha!!! Good one ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/16 "2003-02-24T08:54:34Z")
Heh. Give a man a link, you educate him for a day. Give Dopers Snopes, and you get Mongolian Clusterposting for the rest of GQ’s natural existence. KFC: Better Living Through Chemistry Dow: I feel like chicken tonight! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![krisolov](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/krisolov/32/3724_2.png) [@krisolov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisolov)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/17 "2003-02-24T20:10:07Z")
my first (and last) fast food job was at KFC many moons ago. The chicken’s the real deal, and comes in big cardboard boxes (about 40 lbs if I remember) pre-cut from a local food distributor. Yep, it sure is pressure cooked in grease. We had this big honkin’ industrial cooker that would cook (no lie) about 20 whole chickens (in pieces) at once. Mmmm… ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2003, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/18 "2003-02-24T20:35:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by neuroman \* > \*\*Hijack: did you know KFC is [pressure cooked in grease](http://www.themediadrome.com/content/articles/food_articles/finger_lickin_good.htm)? \*\* Can you think of a better way to cook headless, beakless, talonless chicken-like genetically engineered organisms? Damn, reading this thread is making me hungry. Too bad the popcorn chicken is off the menu. [Homer]Mmmm, pressed and deep fried scraps and floor sweepings, aagglah! [/H] **Derleth** , you’re a poet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/19 "2003-02-25T03:24:21Z")
Bah! You don’t even need snopes to dispute the claim. Just walk into a KFC and all over the menu is the word “chicken” this and “chicken” that. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113/20 "2003-02-25T03:42:48Z")
**Kat** : Whereas McDonald’s uses Bif-brand Artifical Protein Agglutinate Product. Of course, Bif is an Argentinian product, so the vowels are given Spanish values. BTW, has anyone heard of McDonald’s greatly streamining its menu? It’ll take on Pepsi as a partner and reduce its menu to two burgers. Of course, this radical change will have to be ingrained in the public’s psyche somehow, so the advertising wizards have come up with a new ad slogan for McDroids to repeat on a continuous loop throughout the day: “Hamburger. Chizburger. No Coke. Pepsi.” This will have the side effect of improving employment opportunities for minority groups from obscure European nations. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-kfc-really-sell-mutant-chicken/157113.md?page=2)