Poultry Production: Intro to Livestock

Introduction to Livestock & Poultry Production

• Agri 22 Lecture Syllabus-Introduction to Livestock and Poultry Production was written by Magpantay, V.A. et al. in 2023.

Poultry Production

• Poultry is the fastest growing animal industry globally and in the Philippines.
• Broilers are meat-type birds and layers are egg-type birds.
• The industry is dominated by commercial integrators using vertical integration and contract growing.
• Small-scale poultry production is important in underdeveloped/developing countries as a source of livelihood.
• Top poultry meat producing/consuming countries: United States, China, Brazil, and European Union.
• Brazil is the top poultry meat exporting country, and Japan is the top importing country.
• Asia dominates table egg production.

Advantages of Poultry Production

• Poultry products are acceptable in all countries and religions due to the absence of religious/cultural restrictions.
• Poultry production has socioeconomic importance due to its use in rituals, traditions, and as a source of livelihood among the rural poor in developing countries.
• Poultry species have shorter generation intervals and higher reproduction rates, which enables faster genetic improvement.
• Raising poultry species involves shorter production cycles and minimum inputs, leading to higher economic returns.
• Poultry meat and eggs are popular in households and fast-food chains as they are cheaper and easy to prepare.

Vertically Integrated Poultry Firm

• The world’s poultry industry is dominated by commercial integrators implementing vertical integration and contract growing operations.
• Both schemes started in the United States in the 1950s, which was their contribution to the global poultry industry.
• Poultry production systems range from free-range with night shelter, to automated housing systems.
• Production also varies based on the scale of operation, from backyard raising to commercial integrated systems.
• Most medium to large poultry farms use commercial meat-type and egg-type stocks; these require complete confinement, formulated feeds, and vaccinations.
• Underdeveloped/developing countries' poultry inventory is dominated by native or indigenous breeds.
• The major poultry industry operations include breeder farms, broiler chicken, layer chicken, duck, quail, turkey, native chicken, and game fowl.
• Production scales include small, medium, and large enterprises.
• Production systems include free-range, semi-confinement, and complete confinement.
• Support industries include feed milling companies, equipment/veterinary drug suppliers, transport services, processing plants, packaging industries, and marketing outlets.

Poultry Meat Production & Trade

• By 2050, demand for poultry meat and eggs will double compared to 2005.
• There is a need to improve production efficiency, genetics, nutrition, and overall health management.
• As of April 2021, the major poultry meat producers are the US, China, and Brazil.
• The US and Brazil have advantages in terms of nucleus breeding farms, feed supply, disease management, and advanced technologies.
• The top consumers of poultry meat are China and the US with white meat (turkey/broiler chicken) dominating the US/EU markets.
• As of 2022, the top 4 exporting countries are Brazil, the US, the EU, and Thailand.
• Thailand is the top producer and exporter of poultry meat in Southeast Asia.
• In 2016, the Philippines ranked 16th among world's top broiler meat producers.
• Broiler chickens accounted for 35.7% of the 2022 total of 200.21 million birds.
• Central Luzon, CALABARZON, Northern Mindanao, and Western/Central Visayas contributed to 71.4% of the chicken meat production.
• The average farm gate price of broilers in 2021 was P92.65/kg live weight, a 2.9% increase from 2020.
• In 2021, Filipinos' per capita consumption of poultry meat was 14.05 kg/person/year.

Egg Production & Trade

• In 2020, total world egg production was about 86 million metric tons and there has been a continuous increase globally.
• Rapid population growth has led to egg production increasing tremendously, observing a more than four-fold increase from 1968-2018.
• The Asian region dominates world egg production, holding 60% of the world's total. China, the top egg-producing country, contributes about 34% and the US contributes about 8%.
• Eggs are an important nutrition source due to their wide availability and relatively low price in developing/underdeveloped countries.

Nutritional Value of Eggs

• A large egg (around 50 grams) contains 13% protein, 27% selenium, 11% phosphorus, 25% vitamin B12, 23% choline, 15% riboflavin, and 9% vitamin D based on adult person requirements (FAO 2015).
• 2 minutes to soft boil
• 3 minutes to soft/medium
• 4.5 minutes to medium
• 9 minutes to hard boil
• An average hen lays 300-325 eggs a year.
• Older hens produce larger eggs.
• Egg whites can be frozen for up to a year.
• To tell if an egg is fresh, place it in a glass of water: if it sinks, it's still good.
• If an egg is dropped, sprinkle it heavily with salt for easy clean up.

Egg Consumption and Exportation

• In 2019, the average per capita consumption of eggs in the world was 9.95 kg eggs per person per year.
• Japan had the highest per capita consumption of eggs (320 eggs) in 2018, followed by Paraguay and China.
• The average consumption of eggs in the Philippines is 4.02 kg annually or about 11 grams of egg per person per year (FAO, 2020). This increased by almost 20% from 2003-2013.
• The global export volume of eggs in 2017 was approximately 2.8 million tonnes: 78.66% chicken eggs (in shell), 13.03% liquid egg, 2.52% fried egg, and 5.80% other poultry eggs.
• In 2020, the top 5 exporting countries of chicken eggs (in shell) are the Netherlands, Poland, Turkey, Germany, and Malaysia.
• Malaysia had the highest export volume of eggs in Asia, followed by China.
• The Netherlands and USA are the top exporting countries of liquid egg and dried egg, respectively.
• Top importer of eggs (in shell, liquid, dried forms) in 2017 was Germany (FAO, 2020).
• The Philippines ranked 28th in the 2018 world egg production (FAO, 2020).
• Chicken and ducks are the most popular poultry species being raised.
• In 2022, the total inventory of layer chicken was recorded at 65.97 million birds.
• Total chicken layer population increased by 6% compared to inventory in 2010.
• CALABARZON was the top producer of chicken eggs.
• In terms of economic importance, ducks ranked second to chickens. As of September 2022, the total duck population was about 13.61 million birds (PSA, 2022).

Industry Prospects

• The poultry industry has a bright prospect in the animal sector.
• Improving production efficiency, value, and supply chains, are still at the forefront because global issues are a challenge.
• In order to continue to provide more nutritious and cheaper protein for the increasing population, the industry must address:
• Food security versus self-sufficiency
• Food safety and quality
• Product standards and innovative product development (i.e., salted egg chips, balut in vending machines)
• Changing consumer preferences (whole vs cut-ups, deboned, pre-cooked meals)
• Importation of poultry products, marketing systems (non-formal vs formal and institutional)
• Emerging and re-emerging poultry and zoonotic diseases
• Animal welfare issues (i.e., caged birds)
• Environmental concerns