page_title: Broiler industry
section_title: Broiler farms
hierarchical_section_title: Broiler industry / Broiler industry structure / Broiler farms
caption_attribution_description: English: Broiler Chicken kept outside a chicken shop. Photo taken at Chandapura, Bangalore, India
context_page_description: The broiler industry is the process by which broiler chickens are reared and prepared for meat consumption. Worldwide, in 2005 production was 71,851,000 tonnes.
  From 1985 to 2005, the broiler industry grew by 158%.
  A key measure of performance is the Feed conversion ratio, the ability to convert feed into edible product. In 2018 the FCR of broilers is about 1.5, or 1.5kg of feed to produce 1 kg of meat. This compares very favorably with other sources of meat.
  It is estimated that broilers produce 6kg of greenhouse gas per 1kg of meat, as compared to 60kg GHG /kg for beef cattle.
  In the 1980s, it was typical to produce a 2 kilograms in 70 days. In 2018 it takes just 29 days to produce a bird of the same weight.
context_section_description: The chicks are delivered to the actual broiler Grow-Out farms. In the US, houses may be up to 60' x 600' (36000 sq.ft.). One 2006 magazine survey reported a desired 67 foot wide house, with the average 'standard' new house being 45' x 493', with largest being 60' x 504'. One farm complex may have several houses.
  In Mississippi, typical farms now have four to six houses with 25,000 birds per house. One full-time worker might manage three houses. On average, a new broiler house is about 500 feet long by 44 feet wide and costs about $200,000 equipped.
  When the birds are full-grown, they are caught (perhaps with a chicken harvester) placed in crates, and transported by truck to a processing plant.
  Because of their efficient meat conversion, broiler chickens are also popular in small family farms in rural communities, where a family will raise a small flock of broilers.
caption: Broiler chickens kept outside near a chicken shop in India
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