The U.S. lost 14% more egg-laying chickens in 2022 than it did the year before as avian influenza pummeled the poultry industry.
Almost 175 million chickens, including broilers, died or were destroyed last year without going to market, according to USDA.
Unmarketed chickens nearly doubled in Pennsylvania (9 million birds) and increased sevenfold in Maryland (1.7 million).
In Pennsylvania, roughly 4 million chickens on seven egg farms were lost because of avian influenza. The disease hit four egg farms in Maryland and accounted for most of the state’s losses.
Layer losses have generally been rising nationally over the past 10 years. Numbers peaked during the avian influenza outbreak in 2015 and COVID-19 market disruptions in 2020.
Last year’s losses were one-third higher than in 2015, when 50 million chickens and turkeys were lost to avian influenza. More than 58 million birds have been lost in the current outbreak since February 2022.
Source: lancasterfarming.com
Photo Credit: gettyimages-wikoski
Categories: Pennsylvania, Livestock, Poultry