Research investigates different poultry growing methods

The poultry sector, one of the largest in the U.S. agriculture industry, is dominated by broiler production, or chickens that are specifically raised for meat. Sales in the sector were $76.8 billion, according to the latest data released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and broilers accounted for 67% of those sales.

Arkansas typically ranks among the top three states in the country for broiler production. The Natural State produces about 7 billion pounds of broiler meat annually. Poultry, along with egg production, generates $6.7 billion in cash receipts in the state, the highest of any sub-sector within the industry, according to The Poultry Federation.

Poultry contributes almost 50% of the state’s total cash receipts within its $21 billion agriculture sector, the state’s largest.

But the sector has been volatile in the state and across the country. Butterball announced in December it would shutter its Jonesboro plant after 19 years of operations in Northeast Arkansas. Cargill announced the closure of a major turkey processing facility in Springdale in January.

“I think right now, the new poultry companies that have been entering the markets are trying niche or specialty birds and markets, and sometimes it’s harder for those companies that have higher costs when you have an economic downturn,” said Jada Thompson, associate professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Arkansas has several of the largest poultry producers in the state including Tyson Foods and Peco. One problem that companies must grapple with is the length of time used to grow broiler populations. U.S. producers typically spend six to eight weeks raising broilers up to market weight. There’s another method, the slow-grow method, where broilers are grown for up to 12 weeks. Some research indicates that this slow-growth method might lead to better chicken behaviors as there are ethical concerns about how the animals are raised. 

The slow-growth method is gaining popularity in several European markets, but slow-growing broilers have not had the same market expansion in the United States because they take longer to reach market weight.

“The economic impact to the broiler industry raises the question: ‘Why would you want to use a broiler that is going to eat more food, grow slower, and cost more to produce?’” said Rosie Whittle, poultry science postdoctoral fellow with the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing and the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

Shawna Weimer, assistant professor of poultry science and director of the Center for Food Animal Wellbeing, and Whittle set out to explore this question facing industry leaders who are weighing the choice of conventional versus slow-growing broilers.

Weimer conducts research for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, part of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. The Center for Food Animal Wellbeing is a unit of the Division of Agriculture and Bumpers College.

The two conducted a study that explored the impacts of genetic strain, stocking density, and the comparison of physiological versus chronological age between the two genetic strains on broiler behavior. Genetic strain, or the specific breed of chicken, defines whether broilers are conventional or slow growing. Stocking density represents the number of birds in a specific area.

Video recordings of the birds at specified intervals were studied by the researchers to track behaviors, such as walking, standing, and preening, which are signs of positive animal welfare. Preening is when a bird uses its beak to clean its feathers.

Their study, “Effects of genetic strain, stocking density and age on broiler behavior” was published in Poultry Science, an official journal of the Poultry Science Association. The study revealed that a larger percentage of slow-growing broilers were observed standing, walking, and preening, while more conventional broilers sat in a lateral posture. The effects of stocking density were minimal, so the number of birds in an area did not have a significant impact on broiler behavior.

Weimer said “animal welfare is quite dynamic” and emphasized that further investigations of broiler behavior should be undertaken. Whittle also stressed that their research was focused on understanding the effects of growth rate on broiler behavior, not necessarily what is best for companies or consumers.

The study focused on two types of broilers, but “all genetics companies have a different recipe for chickens.” Therefore, in tracking behavior, it is important to be aware of the possibility that “one genetic strain of broiler behaves completely different to the other,” Whittle said.

Whittle said further research is required because “it’s always important to expand so we’re not just generalizing based on two specific genotypes.”