Massachusetts Agricultural Highlights, 1988 



POULTRY 



Commercial poultry production is a three segmented industry centered on 50 farms. 

 Type Number of farms Production 



(l)Market Brown Eggs 

 (2)Poultry Breeding 

 (3)Turkey Production 



26 262 million eggs 



6 11.9 million egg-type chicks(l) 

 18 3 million pound meat 



Egg Production Trends 



MARKET: Ninety-five percent of egg production is marketed to jobbers and wholesalers, while Spercent is 

 retailed directly to consumers. 



Turkey Production Trends 



Market: An estimated 80 percent of turkey production is retailed directly to consumers and the remaining 

 production is marketed through wholesale chaimels. 



Poultry Breeding 



Information specific to commercial hatcheries is unavailable. 



Market: Poultry breeders produce baby chicks for brown egg producers in both domestic and foreign 

 markets. 



Geographic Distribution of Commercial Poultry Farming 



REGION FARMS 



Western and Central Massachusetts 24 

 Eastern Massachusetts 26 



(including Cape Cod and the Islands) 



(1) Massachusetts data not available, New England data provided. 



Sources: New England Agricultural Statistics (USDA), Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture. 



55 



