Fishing for success with your broiler program

“Field research is a lot like fishing,” said Dr. Carl Heeder, DVM, at the 2025 Kemin Intestinal Health Symposium, a discussion on the direction of current research and a presentation on the state of the broiler industry. “You have to be willing to show up and be okay with disappointment. You have to be willing to adjust course when needed.”

The landscape of agriculture continues to evolve, and poultry is no different. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) – the amount of feed required to produce one kilogram of poultry meat – and ROI are still important constants, but other factors remain at play for producers: food safety, sustainability, animal welfare and more.

The broiler industry is thriving. Heeder shared from a 2021 National Chicken Council Sustainability Report, examining the last 10 years (2010 vs. 2020) – there was 9.3% growth in the number of U.S. broilers; 21.3% growth in broiler production; and an 8.7% decline in FCR.

Intrinsically, meat volume increased while utilizing less feed: “That’s equivalent to half a million acres of corn. It’s way more chicken for way less feed. That’s the progress,” Heeder said. “That’s the kind of progress happening right now in the broiler industry.”

Thirty entities lead the U.S. poultry industry. Though the industry is vertically integrated, about 20,000 family farms hold production contracts with these companies. Accessibility continues to grow as these companies court additional private farm operations.

According to USDA-NASS data referenced by Heeder, “around 95% of broiler chickens are produced on these family farms – over 9.4 billion animals in 2024 (62 billion pounds liveweight).”

A large percentage of the American poultry industry is produced for domestic consumption. The U.S. is primarily a “white meat market” – dark meat and parts viewed as less desirable (like feet) often are exported.

There is demand internationally for American chicken: The U.S. is the second leading broiler exporter behind Brazil, with 15% of total production exported in 2024. The top market destinations included Mexico, Canada, China, Cuba, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Heeder has had a 30-year career in the industry, currently serving as senior director of live operations for Mountaire Farms (Millsboro, DE), the fourth largest poultry producer in the country. It began as an Arkansas-based feed company in 1914. The company is now based in five states and employs 10,000 workers.

It’s quite the operation: 1,269 family farms; four hatcheries; 10,805,135 eggs set per week; 9,076,031 chicks placed per week; seven feed mills; and four processing plants. A total of 67.5 million lbs. of finished meat products is generated each week.

Heeder told the story of Delaware’s Cecile Steele, credited with beginning the region’s broiler industry in 1914 when 500 chicks were delivered to her instead of the 50 she’d ordered. She raised the birds and made a profit – and began to enlarge her operation. By 1926, she was raising 26,000 chicks; by 1928, there were 500 chicken farms on the Delmarva peninsula.

Growing competition pushed the industry toward genetic improvements in the 1940s and ‘50s, meaning meatier, fast-growing birds, which was supported by the introduction of vertical integration for these companies. The ‘70s saw advances in veterinary medicine (the first Marek’s disease vaccine in 1970) and the beginnings of automation.

The ‘80s, ‘90s and 2000s saw advances in food safety, feed advances and antibiotic stewardship. The 2020s saw precision farming tech enter the conversation (sensors and artificial intelligence, used to monitor flocks and environments in real time).

With a complete picture of the industry, Heeder asked, “What’s the plan? Intrinsically, all we’re doing is taking sunlight and turning it into meat. In essence, if you’re in animal production or protein production, that is what you’re doing. You’re trying to capitalize on how you harness the sun, growing a grain – and then producing a chicken – or eggs or milk or whatever.”

Detailing some more traditional key performance indicators (KPIs) like hatchability and average daily gain, the conversation loops back to adjusted FCR: “How do you turn that corn or soybean into meat/protein in the most efficient way? That is 65% of our cost – 65% of the cost of raising that bird is that meat.”

Return on investment is always the focus, he noted, sharing that 1-point FCR is $91,000/weekly for Mountaire and $4.7 million annually. The grower wants to see that return.

It’s not without its challenges, though. He notes the 2024 lists of major disease and non-disease concerns compiled by members of the Association of Veterinarians in Broiler Production. Health dangers like infectious laryngotracheitis (ILTV), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), avian influenza (HPAI) and coccidiosis make the disease list. Non-disease concerns include hatchability, food safety regulations, vaccine availability and more. All saw markedly different results than previous years – next year’s survey could yield an entirely new list of concerns for the industry.

“So, how do we plan research to meet these needs?” Heeder asked, returning to his fishing analogy and comparing juggling these challenges and all of the industry’s fluctuating components to playing pool on a boat. The solution? Approach each sector of the conversation on its own: Health, management, nutrition, etc.

Each research question is going to have a bottom line for your FCR. “The simple math has been product cost, FCR benefit,” he said. If, for example, your product is $3/ton and you need a 3:1 return to break even and you need/utilize 3 tons in total: $9/$1.30 = 7 points FCR.

He provided some real-life examples – a health trial dealing with coccidiosis and how it affected the flock. Feed trials utilized both paired houses and mini pens. Each trial had consistent winning and losing outcomes, which may shape the FCR equation and inputs for the future.

This loops back to Heeder’s assertions at the beginning of the session: “You have to be willing to show up and be okay with disappointment. [You have to] be open to seeing what is actually happening [with your flock].”

Beyond any research outcomes, this broad look at the industry is clear: It is ripe with opportunity as commercial agriculture continues to look towards different ways to diversify.

Author’s note: It’s important to note that some international totals for the poultry industry might have been or might currently be affected by the continuing tariff conversation. The law firm ReedSmith has an online “tariff tracker” resource that is up-to-date and can be accessed any time at tinyurl.com/3wmd56ee.

by Andy Haman