People in the United States love chicken more than any other meat. People in the U.S. eat more than 90 pounds of chicken every year! To meet this huge demand, the number of chicken farms in the U.S. S. has been steadily rising over the past few decades. Well, let’s find out. How many chicken farms are there in the country right now?
A Look at Chicken Farming in the U.S.
The American poultry industry is dominated by chicken production. More than 295 percent of the poultry eaten in the US comes from chickens. Most chickens raised are split into two groups.
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Broiler chickens are chickens that are bred to be meat producers. They grow very fast, reaching slaughter weight within 6-7 weeks.
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Layer chickens – These chickens are bred for egg production. They start laying eggs at around 18-20 weeks of age.
On both types of farms, the chickens are usually housed together in large barns or warehouses. This type of commercial indoor production is known as “factory farming”.
The poultry industry has become highly centralized, with just a handful of large corporations controlling most production Major players include Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Perdue Farms, and Sanderson Farms These companies contract with local farmers to raise chickens for them.
Current Number of Chicken Farms
According to the latest data from the USDA in 2017, there were 164,099 chicken farms across the United States. This is a huge jump from just 75,444 farms back in 1992.
So in 25 years, the number of chicken farms in America more than doubled. This rapid expansion correlates directly with the growth in chicken consumption over the same time period.
The states with the highest number of chicken farms are:
- Georgia – over 11,000 farms
- Arkansas – over 8,500 farms
- Alabama – over 7,000 farms
- North Carolina – over 6,000 farms
- Mississippi – around 5,500 farms
The top 10 chicken-producing states account for over 60% of total U.S. chicken production.
Breakdown of Chicken Farms
Let’s break down the total number of 164,099 chicken farms further:
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Meat/broiler chicken farms – Around 95% or 155,000 farms raise broiler chickens for meat production. In 2020, over 9.2 billion broilers were slaughtered for meat.
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Egg/layer chicken farms – Only around 5% or 9,000 farms focus exclusively on egg production. There are around 320 million egg-laying hens nationwide.
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Independent farms – Less than 5% of farms are independent family-owned operations. Over 95% of chickens are raised under contract by large corporations.
So the vast majority of chickens come from factory farm-style contracted operations that are integrated with major processing companies.
The Rise in Chicken Farms – Why It’s Problematic
This huge rise in industrial chicken farming to meet America’s demand for cheap chicken has come at a great cost in terms of animal welfare and sustainability.
Chickens suffer greatly on factory farms due to cramped, confined conditions and barbaric practices like debeaking. Farm runoff also pollutes nearby land and waterways. As well, overuse of antibiotics leads to drug-resistant bacteria.
Unfortunately, as chicken continues to dominate American diets, the number of large industrial chicken farms will likely keep rising. This means more animal suffering and environmental damage.
However, there are some promising developments. Consumer demand for free-range, organic, and humane chicken is growing. Some large food chains like McDonald’s and Walmart have pledged to improve welfare standards in their supply chain. Cleaner production practices are also being adopted.
While the total number of chicken farms is increasing, hopefully we’ll see more ethical, sustainable practices implemented industry-wide going forward. This will benefit the billions of chickens, along with the land, water, and communities impacted by chicken farming in the U.S.
Global Chicken Industry Stats:
As for the poultry industry, The United States became the world’s largest producer of chicken meat with produced roughly 20.4 million metric tonnes of broiler meat in 2021. China came in second with 15 million metric tonnes of chicken meat produced in that year. (Source)
The size of the global poultry market is anticipated to increase from $318.58 billion in 2021 to $350.87 billion in 2022. At a CAGR of 8.9%, the size of the world’s poultry market is anticipated to increase to $493.21 billion in 2026. (Source)
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Written by: Can Malay, SEO Specialist – Carlisle Technology
How Big is the US Poultry Industry? 2024 Edition
(Updated in May 2024)
With an inventory of more than 224 million turkeys and 518 million chickens, the poultry business in the US is thriving. (Source)
At Carlisle Technology, we love data and actionable insight. For that reason, we’ve worked on creating a useful summary of chicken industry insights from the United States. We hope you enjoy the read!
- The poultry sector recorded sales of $76. 9.9 billion in 2022, which is a huge 67 percent rise from the year before.
- All industries saw big increases in sales. For example, broiler sales went up by 60%, turkey sales went up by 21%, and egg sales went up by an amazing 122%.
- Price hikes affected all sectors, with broilers up by 38. 9 percent, turkeys by 25. 9 percent, and eggs by 138. 3 percent compared to 2021.
- U. S. Between 2013 and 2022, more chickens were raised to meet rising demand in the United States and other countries.
- In 2022, turkey production was 10% lower than it was in 2013. Broiler production went up by 22% and egg production went up by 10%.
- Modern chicken genetics were a big part of making feed conversion more efficient, which led to lower prices.
- U. S. The international and domestic meat markets are dominated by poultry products. This is because of strong consumer demand, advanced genetics, efficient production systems, and plenty of feed resources.
- Broiler chickens, the primary source of U. S. From 2013 to 2022, chicken meat made up an average of 67% of all sales in the poultry industry.
- Turkeys made up the last 11 percent of sales, while chicken eggs, mostly for human consumption, made up about 22 percent.
- U. S. In the last few decades, people have eaten a lot more poultry meat, which has pushed red meat consumption down.
- Affordable prices and health advice are two of the reasons for this change. More people are eating poultry than red meat.
- However, there was a small drop in the consumption of eggs and egg products in 2022 because of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak.
Over 60% of product sales accounted for chicken breast as the leading subcategory, In the United States, chicken sales increased by 4.7 percent in 2021. (Source)
We don’t know about the future of the whole chicken industry yet but there’s one category that stands out. By 2024, both the dollar sales and sales volume of chicken and turkey sausages are anticipated to rise. This could be because many consumers believe that chicken and turkey sausages are the healthiest kind of encased meat products.
With sales of over 42 billion dollars, Tyson dominates the chicken market in the United States. Fresh and processed chicken meat are Tyson Foods’ largest product categories.
The United States exports 565,000 Ibs turkey products on average each year. (Source)
Mexico is the top destination where US turkey products are exported. (Source) Credit: uspoultry.org
Chicken breast is the number one selling chicken type in the US.
Ground turkey is the most preferred turkey cut type in the US.
There are 2,979 federally inspected chicken processing plants in the U.S.
According to official numbers by the United States Department of Agriculture, Alabama produces the most chicken with a total production of over 6 million pounds. Arkansas is the second largest producer of chicken in the United States and Delaware is the third on the list.
How 520 Million Chickens Are Raised By American Farmers – Chicken Farming
FAQ
How many poultry farms are there in the US?
Among these farms supplies poultry products directly to the top poultry companies in the USA. How many poultry farms are in the US? Current data estimates over 164,099 poultry farms exist in the US. 90% of these farms have a mix of broiler chickens and egg laying birds for production.
How many chickens are in the US?
The poultry sector in the United States is booming, with an inventory of over 518 million chickens and over 229 million turkeys. How many chicken farms are in the US? Data presented by the United States Department of Agriculture based on the number of poultry farms in the US and the production summary for 2020.
What percentage of the world’s farmed chickens are chickens?
Chickens make up 94 percent of the world’s farmed poultry. There are two different classifications of chicken raised in the poultry farming industry: broiler chickens and laying hens. These chickens are raised solely to be slaughtered and eaten.
How many farms sell poultry & eggs?
The USDA puts out a Census of Agriculture report every five years. The 2022 report won’t come out until 2024, but the 2017 report showed that 164,099 farms sold chicken and eggs. Although most of these farms are small, the majority of production takes place on larger farms.
Which state has the most chickens?
With over 60 million heads, Iowa had more chickens than any other state in the US in 2020. Indiana and Ohio ranked second and third, with around 44. 5 million and 43 million people. Chickens are one of the most prevalent animals produced in the United States.
Which country produces the most chicken?
The United States Department of Agriculture says that Alabama grows more chicken than any other state, with over 6 million pounds produced. The state of Arkansas grows more chicken than any other in the US, and the state of Delaware takes third place. Which country has the biggest poultry industry?.
How many chickens are farmed in the US?
In 2020, the US raised a total of 9.22 billion broiler chickens over the course of the year. Since chickens are slaughtered at about 42 days old, this means ~1.2 billion broiler chickens are alive in the US at any given time.
What is the largest chicken farm in America?
Tyson Foods, Inc ($1.12 billion).: With a 25% market share, Tyson Foods is the biggest chicken producer in the US. The business manufactures a variety of poultry products, such as duck, turkey, and chicken.
Who owns most of the chicken farms in the US?
According to WATT PoultryUSA, 95 percent of chicken farms are controlled by 20 companies, and more than half of those farms are controlled by just four producers: Tyson Foods, Pilgrim’s Pride, Sanderson Farms, and Mountaire Farms.
What are the top 5 chicken producing states?
The top 5 broiler chicken producing states in the U.S. are Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, North Carolina, and Mississippi.