Chickens, Eggs, and the Economy
Poultry and eggs are a source of tremendous amount of comparatively cheap food of high nutritional quality. Protein is one of the cheapest and very high quality.
United States Poultry Statistics
Value of production (in billions of dollars)
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
| Poultry and Egg | 15.0 | 16.9 | 17.8 | 18.7 | 19.5 |
| Broilers | 9.2 | 11.0 | 11.4 | 11.8 | 12.2 |
| Eggs | 3.4 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 |
| Turkeys | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.8 | 2.9 |
| Chickens | 0.083 | 0.076 | 0.086 | 0.080 | 0.084 |
Consumption Per Person
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
| Eggs (No.) | 255 | 236 | 237 | 235 | 236 |
| Chickens (lbs.) | 58 | 70.3 | 71.5 | 70.3 | 71.6 |
| Turkey (lbs.) | 12 | 17.9 | 18.0 | 17.9 | 18.5 |
| Total poultry (lbs.) | 70 | 88.2 | 89.5 | 88.2 | 90.1 |
| Beef (lbs.) | 79 | 65.1 | 67.5 | 67.4 | 67.7 |
| Pork (lbs.) | 62 | 52.4 | 53.1 | 49.1 | 49.1 |
| Lamb, mutton, veal (lbs.) | 3 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 2.3 |
| Total red meat (lbs.) | 144 | 119.8 | 122.7 | 118.4 | 119.1 |
Total Consumption
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
| No. layers (million) | 270 | 265 | 260 | 258 | 250 |
| No. eggs (billion) | 70.6 | 74.2 | 74.0 | 73.9 | 73.7 |
| Broilers (billion) | 6.4 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 7.5 |
| Turkeys (million) | 269 | 287 | 289 | 293 | 297 |
Illinois Poultry Statisitcs
Value of production (in millions of dollars)
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
| Poultry and Egg | 61.8 | 73.1 | 75.2 | 75.5 | 86.3 |
| Broilers | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Eggs | 32.0 | 40.0 | 41.0 | 43.4 | 51.8 |
| Turkeys | 29.3 | 32.5 | 33.7 | 31.5 | 33.9 |
| Chickens | 0.48 | 0.64 | 0.47 | 0.55 | 0.60 |
Total Consumption
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
| No. layers (million) | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
| No. eggs (million) | 825 | 807 | 768 | 762 | 902 |
| Broilers | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Turkeys (million) | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.3 |