Broiler industry

The broiler industry is the process by which broiler chickens are reared and prepared for meat consumption.

The broiler production process is very much an industrial one. There are several distinct components of the broiler supply chain.

The "primary breeding sector" consists of companies that breed pedigree stock. Pedigree stock ("pure line") is kept on high level biosecure farms. Their eggs are hatched in a special pedigree hatchery and their progeny then goes on to the great grandparent (GGP) and grandparent (GP) generations. These eggs would then go to a special GP hatchery to produce Parent Stock (PS) which passes to the production sector.

In 2006, out of an estimated world population of 18 billion poultry, about 3% are breeding stock. The US supplied about 1/4 of world GP stock.

Worldwide, the primary sector produced 417 million parent stock (PS) per year.

A single pedigree-level hen might have 25000 parent stock bird descendants, which in turn might produce 3 million broilers.

Numerous techniques are used to assess the pedigree stock. For example, birds might be examined with ultrasound or x-rays to study the shape of muscles and bones. The blood oxygen level is measured to determine cardiovascular health. The walking ability of pedigree candidates is observed and scored.

The need for high levels of R&D spending prompted consolidation within the primary breeder industry. By the late 2000s only three sizable breeding groups remained:

In the UK, 2 international firms supply about 90% of the parent stock.

Due to the high levels of variation in the chicken genome, the industry has not yet reached biological limits to improved performance.

The full chicken genome was published in Nature, in December 2004. Today, all primary breeding groups are investing heavily in genomics research. This research mostly focuses on understanding the function and effect of genes already present in the breeding population. Research into transgenics — removing genes or artificially moving genes from one individual or species to another — has fewer prospects of gaining favor among consumers.

Broiler breeder farms raise parent stock which produce fertilized eggs. A broiler hatching egg is never sold at stores and is not meant for human consumption. The males and females are separate genetic lines or breeds. The chicks they produce will therefore be hybrids or 'crosses'. Since the birds are bred mainly for efficient meat production, producing eggs can be a challenge. In Canada, the average producer houses 15,000 birds that begin laying hatching eggs at 26 weeks of age. Each bird will lay about 150 hatching eggs for the next 34 to 36 weeks. This cycle is then repeated when the producer puts another flock of 26 week-old birds into his barns to begin the process again. As a general rule, each farmer produces enough broiler hatching eggs to supply chicks for 8 chicken producers. (Other sources indicate a parent hen will lay about 180 eggs in a 40-week production period.)

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