Chicken leather

THE UNIVERSITY of Queensland has developed a method of making chicken leather that it says will be useful for products requiring grip, notably driving gloves, steering wheel upholstery and mobile phone covers. The move has been prompted by successes with emu leather. The Australian university says that in pilot tests, the chicken leather was thicker and stronger than expected, with a chamois texture but with follicle clusters. Skins have been tanned, dyed, and sewn and tested for strength and durability. John Dingle, of the University of Queensland's School of Animal Studies, said that the leather could provide an alternative income for chicken farmers who usually sell their old fowl to pet food companies. His research team has concluded that the idea of wearing chicken leather may not hold mass appeal, but it is tinkering with the possible effect of renaming it Œpoulard‚ for marketing purposes. Dingle said that he was looking for an entrepreneur to commercially develop the idea.