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Broiler chicks. 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%. [1] A key measure of performance is the feed conversion ratio (FCR), the ability to convert feed into edible product.
Mass production of chicken meat is a global industry and at that time, only two or three breeding companies supplied around 90% of the world's breeder-broilers. The total number of meat chickens produced in the world was nearly 47 billion in 2004; of these, approximately 19% were produced in the US, 15% in China, 13% in the EU25 and 11% in Brazil.
[2] [3] Chickens raised for eggs are known as layers, while chickens raised for meat are called broilers. [4] In the United States, the national organization overseeing poultry production is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In the UK, the national organisation is the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Before this, chickens did not thrive during the winter due to lack of sunlight, and egg production, incubation, and meat production in the off-season were all very difficult, making poultry a seasonal and expensive proposition. Year-round production lowered costs, especially for broilers. Artificial daylight supplementation also started being used.
Global broiler meat production rose to 84.6 million tonnes in 2013. The largest producers were the United States (20%), China (16.6%), Brazil (15.1%) and the European Union (11.3%). [ 59 ] There are two distinct models of production; the European Union supply chain model seeks to supply products which can be traced back to the farm of origin.
At around the same time the FCR based on weight gain for broilers in Brazil was 1.8. [25] The global average in 2013 is around 2.0 for weight gain (live weight) and 2.8 for slaughtered meat (carcass weight). [26] For hens used in egg production in the US, as of 2011 the FCR was about 2, with each hen laying about 330 eggs per year. [25]
Chicks bred in the early 1900s. Prior to the development of modern broiler meat breeds, chickens were largely dual-purpose breeds, with most male chickens (cockerels) were slaughtered for meat, whereas females (pullets) would be kept for egg production.
Chickens in multiple-occupancy battery cages. Battery cages are a housing system used by factory farms for various animal production methods, but primarily for egg-laying hens. The name arises from the arrangement of rows and columns of identical cages connected, in a unit, as in an artillery battery. Although the term is usually applied to ...