US poultry Production

1. Commercial Poultry Production in
the United States
Joseph J. Giambrone, Wilmer
Pacheco, Diana Barbosa1,
James Donald
and Gene Simpson2
1Department of Poultry Science
2National Poultry Technology Center
Auburn University, Al 36849-5416 USA

2. The United States (US) is the largest producer
of poultry in the world and the second largest
exporter of frozen poultry meat just behind
Brazil. It is also the third largest egg producer
in the world behind China and India.

3. The Poultry Industry
• There are many
segments of the poultry
industry,whichareall
interlinked and often
owned by the same
company. This type of
ownership is called
Vertical Integration.

4. History of Poultry
Production in the US
1) 1917 to 40. Small Commercial Farms. Mostly
local. 10,000/year/company.
2) 1940-70. Vertical Integration. Regional. 50
million/year/company
3) 1970 to 2014. Marketing developments:
Whole, Parts, farther processing. National and
International. 200 million/year/company
4) 2014-Present. Transformation to food
companies. Meat and vegetable proteins of all
kinds. International. 500
million/year/company.

5. Vertical Integration
• It allows maximum control of the products produced.
• It is like a ladder concept, as each segment relies on the
segment below to supply it what it needs to produce
the product the next segment needs.
• It is a hierarchy of needs that are met within one
company.
• It allows the poultry industry to develop their
products efficiently and of high quality.
• Large companies can export and diversify and
produce other poultry species and food animals.
• Large companies have cash flow that allows them
to remain sustainable during times of poor
economic conditions

6. The Structure
• Generally has 8 levels
– PrimaryBreeders
– Feed Mill
– Breeders
– Hatchery
– Growout Farms
– Processing Plants
– Further Processing
– Transportation and Marketing
Transportation &
Marketing
Further
Processing
Processing Plants
Growout Farms
Hatchery
Breeders
Feed Mill
Primary Breeders

8. Primary Breeders
(Aviagen and Cobb-90%)
• Through development and
reproduction they
achieve desirable
characteristics such as
abundant meat and egg
production, efficient feed
conversion, hatchability,
etc. Pedigree, GP, Parents
and Broilers.
• Breeders with the
appropriate mix of desirable
characteristics are then sold
to integrated poultry firms.

9. Feed Mill
• Companies own feed
mills that convert raw
materials into finished
feed according to very
specific formulas
developed by poultry
nutritionists
• They produce different
formulas to feed all of the
different nutrition stages
of each bird species.
• Add various feed additive
for increased growth and
disease resistance.

10. Breeders
• Generally operated by contract
growers who raise the breeder
chicks to adult birds.
• Breeding hens and roosters
are kept under tight
biosecurity on farms to
produce fertile hatching eggs.
• Offspring of breeder parents
will be raised to become
broilers for the market.
• Broiler breeder’s average 170-
175 egg/hen housed, with 43-
44 weeks of lay and average
hatchability is above 85%

11. Hatchery
• Is designed to hatch
fertile eggs from breeder
farms. Hatch 1 to 2
million/week.
• Fertile eggs are placed
in incubators and
monitored to ensure
that correct
temperature and
humidity levels are
maintained throughout
the incubation period.

12. Hatchery
• Towards the end of
incubation, 95% of the eggs
are vaccinated in ovo and
placed in hatching trays
where they hatch by
pecking their way through
the large end of the egg.
• Chicken are culled and most
are again vaccinated by
spray cabinet and or
consumption of gel
vaccines.

13. Growout Farms
•
• Processed chicks are
transported to farms in
temperature controlled
buses to mostly
independent farmers,
which raise them to
market weight under
contract with the
company.
The company provides
the chicks, feed, and any
necessary
pharmaceuticals.

14. Farmers rear broilers in various size company
approved houses using their own management style to
reach market weight in six to ten weeks. The farms
contain multiple houses. Houses reach 60 X 600 ft and
contain up to 55,000/house. As many as 10 houses/farm
can be found
They are then collected by company contractors in
company trucks and transported to the processing
plant.
US broiler companies produce just over 9 billion per
year with an average live weight above 6 pounds in 43-
45 days. Some males can reach 12 lbs. Alabama
produces about 1 billion/year, which is 2nd in the US.

16. • The company plant
processes the birds by
human standards and are
inspected by the USDA
for disease or defects.
• Carcasses are then chilled to
limit the growth of bacteria.
• Following chilling they are
packaged for distribution or
cut into parts.
Processing Plant

17. Further Processing
• They are specialized plants that receive
whole chicken or cut-up parts and perform a
variety of further processing steps.
• These steps may include cooking, breading,
marinating, etc.

18. Transportation and Marketing
• Chicken products are
transported in
refrigerated trucks from
the processing plants to
grocery stores,
restaurants, other
customers, or are
frozen for exportation.

19. Value to the Economy
• Vertical integration gives producers greater
control over the production of quality
products that successfully meet consumer
wants and needs.
• Vertical integration results in a more cost
effective production process and a more
affordable product for the consumer.

20. Chicken Breeds
• The Chicken Industry has
over fifty breeds that are
recognized by the
American Poultry
Association. These breeds
are classified according to
their use. The use of these
animals would be layers,
meat, and dual use.

21. Meat Breeds
• They are hybrid varieties or combinations of
different breeds.
• Varieties are developed for specific
characteristics:
– grow faster and larger
– larger breast meat yield
– more efficient feed conversion
– more disease resistance
• However, egg production and fertility in heaver fast
growing breeds is less than with lighter breeds.

22. Meat Breeds

23. Specific Variety Used in Industry
• Cornish Cross
– White Cornish x White Plymouth Rock
• Their fast growth allows them to reach 4-5 lbs in
6 weeks and 6-10 lbs in 8-12 weeks.
– White Cornish
• They are part of the English Class.
• They have a very broad and meaty body.
– White Plymouth Rock
• They are part of the American Class.
• They are docile and good dual-purpose breed.

24. Cornish
Hen
Cornish
Cross
Plymouth
Rock

25. Broiler House

26. Processing Plant
Processing Plant

27. Layer Breeds
• They have been genetically selected for high egg
productivity.
• They tend to be smaller bodied so they are
undesirable for meat production.
– Smaller bodies allow the bird to put more
nutrients toward egg production instead of body
size.
• They are divided into two types:
– Those that lay white or brown eggs.

28. White Leghorns
– They are part of the
Mediterranean Class.
– Theyarehighegg
producers.
– Basis of commercial egg
industryintheUS.
– 330 million egg layers
produce about 275 eggs
per hen per cycle. 14.4
million layers are organic
reared and 27.4 are cage
free. 2.4$ for standard cage
eggs, 3.5 $ for cage free and
4.5$ for organic. Cage free
eggs are currently not
selling well in grocery
stores.

29. Organic (no cage)
hens

30. Rhode Island Red
They are part of the American class
They lay brown eggs. Some consumers,
especially ethnic groups, prefer brown
eggs.

31. Standard laying cages

32. New Cage Free (aviary system)

33. Commercial Egg Processing Plant

34. Turkey Meat Breed
• There are currently eight breeds of turkeys
that are recognized by the American Poultry
Association. There are several breeds that are
not officially recognized as a breed but these
are the varieties that are commercially used
by the industry. These breeds are
predominately used for meat.

35. Meat Breed
• Broad Breasted White
– They are the most widely-used breed of
domesticatedturkey.
– They have shorter breast bones and legs than
“standard” turkeys.
• They are unable to breed naturally and require
assistance from humans.
– Produce more breast meat and their pin feathers are less
visible when the carcass is dressed due to their white
color.
• Annually 240 million turkeys are reared ranging from
18 to 40 lbs in about 4-5 months.

36. Broad Breasted White

38. Current Problems Facing the Industry
1) Rearing birds antibiotic free while
continually providing an inexpensive safe
food source.
2) Reducing the growth rate or final
processing size of meat birds to reduce
the incidence and severity of
cardiovascular and musculo-skeletal
diseases.
3) Increasing Animal Welfare and
Governmental Demands
4) Prevention and Control of Avain
Influenza