Growers have been hit by rising feed prices, fuel costs and supply outstripping demand.

Now, according to Whsv, growers contracted to Pilgrims Pride have appealed to the processing giant for a fairer share.

Poultry farmer Mike Weaver told the newsagency, "People don't realize it, but when you go to the grocery store and you pay anywhere from a dollar to two dollars a pound for chicken, sometimes even more, the person who raises it for you, me the grower, gets 5 cents a pound out of that."

Reports in Smart Money also highlight the chicken farmers' plight.

Smart Money reports Clint Rivers' the CEO of Pilgrims Pride's concerns over rising costs.

Rising feed-grain prices, accelerated by the diversion of corn to make ethanol, have pushed up the cost of producing a live chicken by as much as 65 per cent over the past two years, he said.

However, the financial newsgroup says that some analysts forecast price increases expected in the spot market can outpace rising commodity costs in the short-term and maybe longer.