USDA forecast for broiler production raised for 2026
Output expected to grow for 15th consecutive year in 2027
12 June 2026
1 minute read
By: Monthly broiler production in the US for March totalled 4,160 million pounds, up 9.5% from March 2025, according to the USDA's latest Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook.
The increase in production is driven primarily by an 8.3% year-over-year increase in the number of birds slaughtered, but also by a 0.9% increase in average weights. Total broiler production for the first quarter of 2026 is 11,966 million pounds, a 3.7% year-over-year increase.
Projected second-quarter broiler production was revised 50 million pounds higher in the May World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report (WASDE) to 12,250 million pounds, while third-quarter broiler production was raised 100 million pounds to 12,600 million pounds to reflect growing layer numbers for broiler hatching eggs. Projected fourth-quarter production remained unchanged this month at 12,300 million pounds.
These changes leave broiler production for 2026 at 49,146 million pounds, up 246 million pounds from the April projection and up 2.4% from 2025.
The outlook for broiler production in 2027 is projected at 49,600 million pounds, up 0.9% from the 2026 projection. The increase in production for 2027 is expected to mark the 15th consecutive year of production growth, although this growth rate would be the slowest since 2023.
