economic impact

Chickens have a major impact on the world economy. There are over 10 billion chickens in the world. The chicken industry touches every place in the world. Some chickens live in small flocks, supplying eggs and meat to farm families or small local markets. However, most chickens are raised on large commercial farms that are specialized to produce either eggs or meat. One hen, with the help from a rooster, can help many families get out of poverty. People have raised chickens for thousands of years. In east Asia, poultry is an important source of food and protein for many people. Typically, 3 out of 4 people, about 8 million in total in rural areas have a chicken. If one hen is raised, that hen will lay 70 eggs per year. About 50% of those eggs are used in the family home, and 60% of the remaining eggs will hatch into chicks. After 10 weeks 40% of the chicks are still alive. Those chicks will grow into hens, and in turn sold to provide for other families. 700% annual return of capital is invested for the 8 million families who have chickens. So you see - one little hen can be such a importance to the economy.

The chicken industry affects people worldwide. The state of the world economy is important to poultry because the demand for meat and eggs is rising. The proteins found in meat are needed by many people, and are only affordable to them when economic times are good. Currently, the world economy is doing well compared to the troubles a few years ago. The growth rate of world chicken production was only a 2.5% increase last year, due to an outbreak of SARS in China. Significant increases in chicken production have occurred in many Asian countries since 2000. The largest producers of chicken meat are the US, Brazil, and China. Because of the Mad cow scare/ beef shortage, chicken prices increased as people around the world reached for the alternative, chicken. The production also increased, meaning more work for people in chicken industry.

However, the avian fluhas significantly brought down the chicken economy. The only way to prevent the disease from spreading is to kill them! What is going to happen to our food source now? Cows have mad cow disease, chickens and birds have avian flu, but fish and seafood is our only alternative. Fish, though, has a lot of mercury, and many people are either allergic to fish or their religion does not allow it. Believe it or not, the chicken is about the only animal that most people can eat.

To stay safe, many countries are not letting chicken from contaminated bird flu countries to be exported to their country. The H5N1 virus, or avian flu, can be passed from country to country through contaminated chickens. In USA, birds must stay for 30 days in a quarantine before they are allowed to enter the US from another country. The regions most affected are Asia Europe, Africa, and the Near East. Imagine the toll this will take on egg and chicken producers, workers and families of these regions.All the people who are making a living in the chicken industry will lose their jobs if all the chickens die. Not only farmers but veterinarians, feed makers and sellers, restaurant workers, genetic engineers, grocery store workers, and many others are involved in the chicken industry. Think about it - if all the chickens that were supplying food and money to the poor people in Asia were dead, what would those people do? If all the chickens in the world were dead, everyone would definitely suffer. Food would be in short supply, millions of jobs would be gone, and some families would not be able to survive. Chickens can have an enormous economic impact on the world!