Poultry farming
Poultry farming involves the commercial raising of birds, primarily chickens and turkeys, for their meat and eggs. This industry has evolved significantly, transitioning from small personal flocks to large-scale industrial operations. The process begins with hatching chicks, which are then raised in specialized facilities until they reach market weight. These farms often rely on specific breeds designed for optimal egg production or meat yield, such as White Leghorns for eggs and Cornish Cross for meat.
Modern poultry farming is characterized by its intricate and highly controlled supply chain, often managed by a single company that oversees everything from breeding to processing. This control allows for strict quality assurance and efficient production practices. Once the poultry reaches the desired size, it is processed in plants where it is cleaned and packaged under stringent health regulations. After processing, poultry is shipped to retailers in refrigerated trucks to ensure freshness and safety for consumers. As a key source of protein, poultry farming plays an essential role in the global food supply, reflecting both agricultural innovation and consumer demand.
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Poultry farming
Poultry farming is the process of raising commercial birds for their meat or eggs. Modern poultry farming is a long, complicated process, often involving several separate facilities for different stages of processing. It also involves the use of specialized breeds of poultry bred to produce the most meat per animal.
To begin the process, chicks are hatched at a facility. They are raised until they hit market weight at another facility, and are often processed at a third facility. The poultry is then shipped to stores in specialized refrigerated trucks. In many cases, a single company owns all these facilities. This allows the company to control every step of the poultry farming process.
Background
Poultry refers to domesticated fowl raised for food. The most common poultry species are chickens and turkeys. Chickens are especially valuable because they can be raised for both eggs and meat. For this reason, humans have raised chickens for thousands of years.
For much of humanity's early history, poultry was not raised as a business practice. Instead, poultry was farmed in small personal flocks. The eggs and meat from small flocks of chickens provided important sources of protein and vitamins. Additionally, chickens were easier to raise than other forms of livestock.
By the 1920s, some farmers were making a career out of raising poultry. They realized that certain breeds of chickens produced better eggs while other breeds produced higher quality meat. Soon farmers began raising chickens for either eggs or meat instead of simply harvesting chickens for meat toward the end of their lives. This marked the beginning of true commercial chicken breeds.
Within the next decade, poultry farmers began to dress and clean poultry before sale. Prior to this, if people wanted to purchase poultry from a farmer, they would purchase a live animal and process it themselves. Purchasing cleaned and processed poultry greatly reduced the consumer's work.
Once vendors began selling preprocessed poultry, the government began certifying meats. This made consumers aware of the quality of chicken for sale, even if they knew very little about poultry. It also guaranteed that all meat sold to consumers was safe to eat.
During the 1960s and 1970s, the poultry farming became significantly more industrialized. Egg-laying hens were kept in wire cages, causing their eggs to immediately fall into a collection chamber. This enabled eggs to be immediately processed and sent to stores in the shortest time possible. Similarly, the processing of meat chickens became increasingly automated. Automation provided consumers with a consistent, regular product.
Overview
Modern poultry farming is almost entirely industrialized. Many steps and facilities are involved in the poultry-farming process. Smaller firms often deal with only one level of the process, while many larger firms control every step of the process. This allows larger firms to attain the strictest quality control possible.
Poultry farming begins with primary breeders, farmers who breed poultry to produce the highest quality products. Modern chicken breeds are separated into egg-laying chickens and meat chickens. Egg-laying breeds are bred to produce the greatest quantity of high-quality eggs, while meat chickens are bred to grow extremely large with more muscle than the average chicken.
Primary breeders have crafted many varieties of chickens to suit each purpose. The Cornish Cross, White Cornish, and White Plymouth Rock are commonly raised for meat. They grow more quickly than other chickens, allowing them to reach an appropriate weight for processing at a rapid pace. White Leghorns and Rhode Island Reds are the leading varieties used in egg production.
Primary breeders sell the chicks of these varieties to breeders, who use them to create populations for poultry farms. Breeders force the chickens and turkeys to reproduce rapidly, quickly creating and sustaining a new population. They then carefully raise the chicks to a specific weight.
During this process, the chicks are fed by feed mills. Instead of buying poultry food from a third party, most large-scale poultry farmers own and operate their own feed mills. These mills take raw materials purchased by the farmers and turn it into an efficient food source for the poultry. In most cases, feed mills create a different type of feed for each stage of the poultry's growth. The feed recipes are scientifically formulated to help poultry grow as large as possible.
Once the chicks reach a stage of development specified by the poultry farmer, they are shipped to growout farms, which are specialized facilities owned by independent contractors. These contractors raise the poultry until it grows large enough to sell at market. In most cases, the poultry farmer provides the growout farm with any supplies necessary for this process.
When the poultry is fully grown, it is shipped to a processing plant, which prepares the poultry for sale. Workers clean the meat and portion it into whole animals or parts. While the process is often entirely automated, most processing plants have to abide by strict government regulations and pass periodic inspections. This ensures that the processing is humane, and the meat is both clean and properly packaged. It also ensures that the meat is truly of whatever quality is advertised to the consumer.
After its time in the processing plant, some meat is shipped directly to stores. However, other meat is shipped to post-processing plants. At these plants, the poultry is cooked, marinated, breaded, or prepared in other ways. Once the process is concluded, the ready-for-sale poultry can be shipped to stores.
Poultry is shipped under carefully controlled conditions. It is packaged in safe, sealed containers to limit contamination. It is then loaded into refrigerated trucks and shipped across the country to be sold in supermarkets.
Bibliography
"A Look at the Poultry Industry – How Does Chicken Get on Your Plate?" Farmaid.org, 2015, https://www.farmaid.org/issues/industrial-agriculture/a-look-at-the-poultry-industry-how-does-chicken-get-on-your-plate/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
"An Introduction to Poultry and Eggs Farming." Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, 2017, https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/introduction-poultry-and-eggs-farming. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.
"Poultry Farming: Business Plan and Guide for Beginners." Roy's Farm, 25 Aug. 2024, www.roysfarm.com/poultry-farming/. Accessed 13 Jan. 2025.