How come chicken is so cheap?

Filed under: Poultry |

feed chickens
Image by rbanks
Some shots from a farm open day over the summer

Question by Consuela: How come chicken is so cheap?
At my local chinese food restaurant I can get a half fried chicken for $ 3.25. I’ve never bought a whole chicken at a grocery store, but I could imagine it can’t be more expensive if is not cooked. Is it really cheap to raise and feed a chicken when is mass produced?

What do you think? Answer below!

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7 Responses to How come chicken is so cheap?

  1. Oh ya, The farmers even sell the feces for fertilizer.

    TE
    November 6, 2012 at 9:18 pm
    Reply

  2. Asian farmers have tons of chickens.

    xinnybuxlrie
    November 6, 2012 at 10:04 pm
    Reply

  3. It’s supply and demand.

    Chickens grow fast…produce eggs, fertilizer.

    They are inexpensive to raise and feed…so not a lot of expense is passed on to the consumer

    There are lots of them…so price is low.

    A whole chicken is about $ 3.00-$ 5.00

    tragedys_kiss
    November 6, 2012 at 10:23 pm
    Reply

  4. Chickens are easy to raise and market. I don’t know of many people in our circle of friends and acquaintances that don’t enjoy chicken in some manner.

    They are ready for market within 3-4 weeks of doing nothing but scarfing down muscle building grain. Somewhere I saw where the total cost of bringing a 3 lb chicken to market was around $ 1.85-2.00 each including meds.

    Walmart is still selling rotisserie chicken, 21/2 lbs-3 lbs. for $ 3.88 each! Every hour and 10 minutes, throughout the day lines will form around the heated gondolas or at the deli counter to pick up these delicious morsels.

    jube
    November 6, 2012 at 11:06 pm
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  5. because they are not the same chickens as they used to be, the ones with feathers. Try buying a high quality chiken, it is more expensive than other chicken, if that is your question. but comparing it to other animals, is like apples and oranges. Cows for example grows slower compare to chickens, cows eat more, takes more space. therefore eventhough cows can be chopped in more ways resulting in more meat, the investment is more. That’s why the birth of madcow desease started, they are trying to cheapen the food they give to cows, by feeding them their parents’ brains. Chickens however will eat anything and corn = cheap chickens.

    Mr. Noghwhitoll
    November 6, 2012 at 11:56 pm
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  6. Governmental subsidies.

    vegan&proud
    November 7, 2012 at 12:03 am
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  7. they get the chicken straight from ther farm.. or they own chichen farm

    infodepot
    November 7, 2012 at 12:05 am
    Reply

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