Currently, one of the greatest challenges for chicken processors is keeping up with demand. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, broiler head produced was down 4 percent in the first quarter of 2021, and pounds produced declined 3 percent.
“Production began picking back up in the beginning of April, and there should be about a 3.3 percent increase in Q2 vs. a year ago,” says Tom Super, Washington, D.C.-based National Chicken Council’s senior vice president of communications. “Supply is somewhat tight, but the sky certainly isn’t falling, and production seems to be ramping back up as we head into summer.”