Commercial Poultry | University of Maryland Extension

Updated: June 28, 2022

Poultry Housing Tips: Uneven Bird Distribution Can Prove Costly

Though broilers often appear to be evenly distributed throughout a house, more times than not our eyes are deceiving us.

Updated: June 28, 2022

Celebrating Outstanding Growers on Delmarva At the DCA BBQ - Delaware State Fairgrounds

Delmarva Chicken Association announced the recipients of its Outstanding Grower awards, honoring 12 farm families in Delmarva’s chicken community with recognition as exemplary farmers raising broiler chickens. Each grower operates an independent, family-owned farm raising chickens under contract for one of Delmarva’s five chicken companies. There are more than 1,360 such chicken growers on Delmarva, each one an important part of the $4.2 billion chicken community.

Updated: June 28, 2022

Biden Administration Announces Proposed Changes to the Poultry Tournament System

The Biden administration recently announced a proposed regulation to revise the Packers and Stockyards Act to require more disclosures to contract poultry growers. These regulations would fully replace the proposed regulations announced by the Trump administration.

Updated: June 21, 2022

Farm Safety

As you know, there are many things to be aware of when entering and working on a farm. In this section, we will cover a few: Electrical Safety, Tractor Safety, Digging on the Farm, , etc.

Updated: June 21, 2022

Poultry Production Management

A successful Commercial Poultry operation depends on so many decisions. Starting with new house construction and including accurate record keeping, litter management, ventilation, water and drinker management, composting, etc. Please consider this site and constantly changing and updating this information as a useful guide in your Production Management.

Production Management - chickens in commercial chicken house

Updated: June 21, 2022

Protecting Your Flock's Health

'Protecting Your Flocks' Health in various languages and other biosecurity information

Updated: April 28, 2022

Tips to Keep Your Poultry Operation Running Smoothly During a Global Crisis

During a crisis, such as the global pandemic of the COVID-19 outbreak, many business can slow down or even close down when normal operations are not possible to maintain, even with workers working from home.

Updated: April 28, 2022

Manure as a Natural Resource: Alternative Management Opportunities (EB-420)

A new publication (EB-420) is available from University of Maryland Extension. Manure as a Natural Resource: Alternative Management Opportunities is written as an overview of some existing technologies. Many new ideas are proposed for the region, and understanding the science behind them is imperative to deciding which option you may want to follow. Manure, as a source of organic matter and plant nutrients, is an excellent conditioner for soils. It is a component of agronomic production, cycling nutrients between soils, plants and livestock. However, in areas where limited land is available for application, excess soil nutrients can lead to water quality issues. Local restrictions on manure application necessitate finding alternative uses. The simplest method is to transport manure to nutrient-deficient land. Manure can be composted into a higher-quality fertilizer or have the nutrients extracted and sold separately. Manure also has an energy value, and where feasible, anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, or gasification could be options.

Updated: April 28, 2022

USDA Takes Action to Ensure Continued Rapid Response to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in the United States

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is leading a growing response to a large outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). To date, the virus has been confirmed in 29 states, affecting more than 33 million domestic birds. APHIS is working closely with State animal health officials on joint incident responses in each of the affected states.

Updated: April 27, 2022

Chicken Growers Make Good Neighbors by Raising Chickens, Planting Buffers, and Saving Bees

On every chicken farm, there’s open ground between the chicken houses and the property line. Stand there, and you can look toward the chicken house, or turn around, and look to a road, a neighboring farm, or other people’s homes. Family farmers raising chickens have a decision to make: Should that space be covered by grass that needs to be mowed? Or is there a better option?