Alabama is the second largest producer of broilers (chicken you eat) and the tenth largest producer of eggs in the nation. There are twelve major companies operating broiler farms in Alabama. These twelve companies provide jobs for almost 55,000 people, including 4,000 farmers. Poultry and eggs are grown all over Alabama, but north Alabama grows the most. In fact Cullman County produces the most poultry and eggs in Alabama and is the second highest producing county in the world. Besides chickens, some poultry farms also grow turkeys, ducks and geese.

Poultry and egg production has made great advances since the days when every farmer raised a few chickens in their yards. Broilers are raised in specially designed houses that have room for up to 21,000 birds. The temperature, lighting and amount of food are carefully controlled.

On large egg farms, eggs are collected automatically, not by hand. They are graded (sorted by size), put into cartons and sent to grocery stores.

Chickens produced or sold in the United States contain no added or artificial hormones. The United States government strictly regulates all fee additivies and does not permit any type of hormones to be added to feed or otherwise given to chickens. For further information visit the United States Department of Agriculture web site Focus on Chicken at: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OA/pubs/chicken.htm

Click the chicks for Alabama Statistics