{"id":22460,"date":"2020-10-16T21:48:55","date_gmt":"2020-10-16T21:48:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=22460"},"modified":"2020-10-17T09:34:44","modified_gmt":"2020-10-17T09:34:44","slug":"worsening-hurricane-season-threatens-billions-of-chickens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/worsening-hurricane-season-threatens-billions-of-chickens\/","title":{"rendered":"Worsening hurricane season threatens billions of chickens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Tabler<\/a>, Mississippi State University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

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\nCC BY-SA<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hurricanes can have devastating consequences for both residents and businesses in their path. And one sector that\u2019s particularly exposed is the broiler chicken industry.<\/p>\n

Virtually all of the breasts or legs you eat at home or in a restaurant come from broilers, the name given to chickens bred and raised for meat production. Sometimes you\u2019ll hear chickens called fryers, roasters and Cornish game hens, but generally these all refer to broilers harvested at specific ages and weights.<\/p>\n

The U.S. produced 9.18 billion broilers in 2019, more than any country in the world<\/a>. It\u2019s also the second-biggest exporter<\/a> of poultry. Yet over half, or 5.1 billion<\/a>, are at risk for six months of every year \u2013 from June 1 to Nov. 30 \u2013 of getting wiped out by a hurricane.<\/p>\n

Six of the top 10 broiler-producing states \u2013 such as Georgia, Alabama and North Carolina \u2013 are also six of the top 10 hurricane states.<\/p>\n