A Complete Analysis of Poultry Chicken Breeds

The poultry industry occupies an important position in global agriculture, providing a stable supply of chicken, eggs and breeding poultry resources to the market. According to different uses, poultry is mainly divided into meat, egg, breeding and specialty breeds, and each breed has its own characteristics in breeding characteristics, market demand and international trade.

1. Broilers (white-feathered chickens, yellow-feathered chickens)

1.1 Short growth cycle: Modern white-feathered broilers (such as Cobb AA+ and Ross 308) only take 35-42 days to be marketed, with a feed-to-meat ratio as low as 1.5:1, which is suitable for intensive production.

1.2 White-feathered chickens: account for more than 70% of the global broiler trade, with a high breast and leg meat rate, suitable for deep processing (such as McDonald's and KFC supply chain).

1.3 Yellow-feathered chickens: Dominated by the Chinese and Southeast Asian markets, with a long breeding cycle (60-90 days), firm meat, and mainly targeting the fresh poultry market.

1.4 International trade: Brazil, the United States, and Thailand are the main exporters of white-feathered chickens, and China's annual import volume exceeds 800,000 tons.

2. Laying hens (high-yield type, special egg type)

2.2 Hy-Line Brown: Annual egg production of 300-320 eggs, high eggshell strength, global market share exceeds 50%.

2.3 Roman Pink: Adapts to high temperature climate, the first choice in the Middle East and Africa.

2.4 Selenium-rich eggs/Omega-3 eggs: Increase added value through feed regulation, and the premium rate in Europe and the United States reaches 30%.

2.5 Green-shell laying hens (such as Dongxiang green-shell laying hens): Chinese local varieties, eggs with health care concepts.

- Trade barriers: The EU has strict requirements for the welfare breeding of laying hens (cage ban), and certification of "cage-free" is required.

3. Breeding chickens (great-grandparent, grandparent, parent)

3.1 Industry pyramid structure:

3.1.1 Great-grandparent (GGP): Only a few companies such as Aviagen and Cobb have a monopoly in the world, and China's annual introduction volume is about 1.2 million sets.

3.1.2 Grandparent (GP): 1 set of GGP can be expanded to 50 sets of GP. In 2023, China's dependence on imports of grandparents of white-feathered chickens will still reach 90%.

3.1.3 Parent (PS): Affected by avian influenza, the global price of breeding chickens soared by 40% in 2022.

3.2 Seed source competition:

China's self-bred "Shengze 901" and "Guangming No. 2" broke the situation of complete dependence on imports of white-feathered breeding chickens, but the international market recognition needs to be improved.

4. Specialty breeds (medicinal, fighting, ornamental chickens)

4.1 Medicinal chickens:

- Black-bone chickens: Traditional Chinese nourishing food, with an annual demand of over 20 million in Singapore and Malaysia.

- Bearded chickens: Main export product in Guangdong, with a 50% premium in the live poultry market in Hong Kong.

4.2. Fighting chickens:

- The annual output value of the fighting chicken industry in Southeast Asia (Thailand and the Philippines) exceeds US$1 billion, and the price of a single breeding chicken can reach 10,000 yuan.

4.3 Ornamental chickens:

- Japanese long-tailed chickens, Polish crested chickens and other breeds are popular in the European and American pet markets, and cross-border e-commerce has become a new channel.

5. Key factors in international trade

5.1 Certification barriers:

- Halal certification covers the Middle East market, and animal welfare certification (RSPCA) affects EU access.

5.2 Disease prevention and control:

- In 2023, many countries suspended the import of poultry from China due to highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), and the biosafety system needs to be strengthened.

5.3 Cold chain upgrade:

- Brazil occupies 60% of China's chicken import market through -18℃ quick freezing technology.

The poultry industry is transforming from "quantity" to "quality", and variety differentiation, deep processing added value and green certification have become the core competitiveness of exports. If you need poultry equipment products, please contact our international business team for customized solutions.