How Many Chickens Are There In The World?

SOCIAL SCIENCE

By 2009, the world chicken population was expected to exceed 50 billion. Scientifically, determining the actual quantity of chickens in the globe may prove tricky. The information can only be acquired in fragments since there are small private farms in rural communities about which the researcher may be unaware. Another problem may be the chicken’s short lifetime. However, according to the United Nations FAO, there were 19 billion chickens in the globe in 2002, with China having the most, followed by the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil. According to this computation, there were three chickens for every human on the planet. The worldwide chicken population was predicted to reach 50 billion in 2009.

Chicken Uses Around the World

The chicken has been a household fowl for about 8,000 years, with the first batch largely kept for cockfighting in Asia and Europe. Hundreds of distinct chicken species may be found on every continent. Chickens are kept by humans for their eggs, meat, and feathers, but they are also used in religion, mythology, and cultural festivals.

Although traditional techniques of growing chicken are common in Africa and Asia, the bulk of chicken is grown artificially. Wild chicken is quite unusual.

Broilers (raised for white meat) and layers (female chickens reared for egg production) are two typical types. On average, each lays 300 eggs every year. When they reach an elderly age, they are killed for meat.

It is estimated that about 40 billion broilers are grown and consumed each year, primarily in the United States and China, with 3 billion reared as layers for egg consumption and hatching.

Factors Contributing to the High Number of Chicken in the World

The average American eats more chicken today than a quarter-century ago. Technology has progressed to meet this growing need. Millions of young chicks have hatched thanks to advances in artificial incubation technology. A hen may only sit on 10 to 12 eggs at a time. Artificial incubating systems with a 21-day incubation period can be used up to 16 times per year, with a hatch rate of more than 85%. Human labor is no longer required in automatic hatcheries, allowing more people to enter the profession.

There are chickens that have been genetically modified to be resistant to diseases and other difficulties. Science has also improved chicken treatment, which increases the death rate. Chickens require less space than many other animals raised for human use. Due to increased demand for chicken eggs and meat, significant hatcheries have emerged. Some people grow them for pest control as well as scientific or educational interests. Traditional rearing is simple in third-world nations since you just need a tiny area and minimal amounts of food.