Broiler Alert: Study Shows Lowering Fertility Rates

At this point, the chicken can’t even get across the road.

Setbawks galore: Amid issues with avian influenza and increasing egg prices, our feathered friends aren’t getting a beak… break.

Coops in crisis: A new study out of Texas A&M indicates chicken fertility rates in the U.S. could decline to roughly 60% by 2050. The researchers combed through USDA NASS data from 2013 to 2022, which revealed declines in hatchability, chick viability, and production efficiency.

Soundbite: “This study is the first to paint a clear picture of the problem and forecast future declines. The more that gap grows, the greater the expense will be for the industry to meet consumer demand and the more likely those economic impacts will trickle into grocery stores.” — Giri Athrey, Ph.D., study co-author, and avian geneticist and associate professor in the Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science 

Chicken tinder: The researchers’ hope is to encourage more research and innovation in the poultry industry for things like genetic improvement, better farm practices, and increased support for breeders. The team developed the Broiler Breeder Performance Index to track hatchability and production indicators to model fertility trends over time.

Broilerplate: Chicken meat production has risen over the years: Americans eat almost 101 pounds of chicken PER PERSON per year. Sustaining that growing trend depends on the industry’s ability to improve fertility rates. Give us chicken nuggets or give us death.