A lot of people get into the poultry industry thinking they can spend an hour per day in their houses, or hire somebody to look after them and get rich. Typically these folks don't last very long and bitch about how bad the poultry industry is. They are usually the ones you see in town eating breakfast and lunch everyday, and are everywhere but on the farm.

Those who go into it and are willing to work their houses like they should, and produce good chickens, do well. Just like any other business it takes hard work to be successful. These guys typically run cows and row crop also.

One thing people don't realize is that all growers are competing against each other for the price they receive with birds that sell within a week of each other. So the hard working guys who keep up with technology tend to do the best. The producer wants the grower to do well and is why they set guidelines and requirements, but some growers refuse to see it that way and just think they want them to spend their money.


I spent a lot of time in the industry, and know folks who work hard at it, pay their loans off in a very agressive manner, expand their farm if they want, and do well. I also know others who got in and got out very quickly with othing good to say about it.

I will add that most of the empty houses you see in this part of the world were let go by their owners to the point that they simply could not compete with the guys who constantly upgrade their houses, or the new house guys, and simply quit. Their contract may not have been renewed but it didn't come as a suprise to them.