Chicken farming generates $4.8 billion in sales

DELMARVA – Chicken farming continues to be an essential part of the economy on Delmarva.

The Delmarva Chicken Association saying that the chicken community generated $4.8 billion in sales last year.

That number is higher than in 2023, even with accounting for inflation.

The chicken community also raised 613 million chickens and produced 4.6 billion pounds of shelf and table ready chicken.

“It’s a really important part of the economy,” said James Fisher with the Delmarva Chicken Association. “I always kind of say it’s the piston in our economic engine that never stops firing.”

“It supports 18,000 jobs in the chicken companies,” he said. “There are 1,200 family farmers on Delmarva who wake up, walk out the door and go raise chickens as part of this chicken community.”

Association officials added the chicken community is working to be good environmental stewards as well, aiming to reduce the amount of nutrient runoff into the Chesapeake Bay and other waterways by using best management practices.