Poultry | UMES Extension

Poultry

The chicken industry is a vital economic engine for the Delmarva Peninsula (comprised of parts of southern Delaware, and the Eastern Shores of Maryland and Virginia). It generates billions of dollars in revenue and provides employment to thousands of area residents.

The University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s School of Agricultural and Natural Resources and UMES Extension support this key local industry with research and solutions while also training the next generation of farmers and animal health experts with degree programs in animal and poultry science.

Poultry: Delmarva Growth Engine

UMES poultry researchers are investigating nutritional strategies to improve health of pasture-raised chickens.

The statistics say it all:

In 2024, Delmarva chicken growers raised 613 million chickens, produced 4.6 billion pounds of chicken and generated $4.8 billion in sales, according to Delmarva Chicken Association, an industry group.

The annual figures, compiled by Delmarva Chicken Association, measure the broad, stabilizing contribution that chicken makes to Delmarva’s economy.

Delmarva’s chicken companies spent $1.3 billion on corn, wheat, soybeans and other feed ingredients in 2024, and paid their employees $902 million in wages, excluding benefits. The family farmers who contract with the companies to raise chickens earned $327 million in contract payments, or 1.8 percent more than in 2023 on an inflation-adjusted basis.

Altogether, 1,206 farm families and 17,947 chicken company employees worked to produce Delmarva chicken.

Nationwide, total poultry sector sales in 2024 were $70.2 billion, with broilers accounting for $45.4 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

How UMES Research is Helping

UMES poultry researcher Dr. Jennifer Timmons is evaluating heat mitigation strategies of broiler chickens raised on pasture.

UMES poultry specialist Dr. Jennifer Timmons’ research interests have included dietary strategies to address environmental issues, ammonia control, litter management and pasture poultry. She is currently investigating nutritional strategies to improve the health and welfare of pasture-raised chickens that experience heat stress.

Supported by USDA funding and in collaboration with the University of Arkansas, the UMES study completed two trials in 2024 and two more are being conducted in 2025 to evaluate the impact of feeding pasture-raised birds a higher level of an essential amino acid, tryptophan, to learn if it helped “mitigate the impact of heat stress” on broiler health and performance.

Timmons’ other research addresses: dietary strategies to address environmental issues, ammonia control and litter management.

Researchers at the UMES Center for Food Safety, Science and Technology are offering educational support to the food industry, and fostering collaboration with Delmarva Chicken Association, to mitigate the contamination of chicken meat by Salmonella during processing and distribution.

UMES Extension Outreach

UMES Extension 4-H STEM project helped youth experience raising chickens.

UMES Extension, along with the University of Delaware Cooperative Extension and University of Maryland Extension, host regular meetings with poultry growers. The trio also host the annual Poultry Growers Expo in Somerset County.

A UMES Extension 4-H STEM summer project helped a group of youth experience raising chickens.

With chicks in hand, more accurately boxes, the youth went home to raise eight broiler chicks hatched that day and donated by Perdue Farms. The quest was to care for the birds for eight weeks, keeping records of feed consumption, mortality and bird weights.

At the end of the grow-out period, the youth selected two of their chickens to show at the Somerset County Fair in Princess Anne, Maryland. All of the birds were sold at an auction following the judging, with participants receiving $3.50-4.25/pound for their birds.

This farm-to-table youth program teaches 4-Hers how chickens are raised for food which help to feed the nation and world.

Avian Influenza and Biosecurity

Avian influenza, or “bird flu,” is a contagious viral disease of domestic and wild birds. It’s a major threat to the poultry industry, animal health, trade and the economy worldwide, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

APHIS confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial flock in the United States on Feb. 8, 2022. APHIS has reported more than 6 million birds affected across the U.S. as of October 2025, with 65 flocks confirmed as having HPAI in the past month, according to its latest report. It says the number of cases are expected to ebb and flow as the levels of virus continue to change in different areas based on wild bird movement.

In 2025, avian influenza was detected in Maryland commercial farms and backyard flocks in six counties including four on the Eastern Shore (Worcester, Dorchester, Caroline and Queen Anne’s counties), according to Maryland Department of Agriculture.

Biosecurity continues to be the best defense for commercial and backyard poultry operations in protecting their flocks against avian influenza.

What you can do to keep your flocks secure

Commercial and backyard flock owners are urged by MDA to follow these guidelines to maintain a sanitary, biosecure premise:

Restrict access to poultry by posting “Restricted Access” signage, securing the area with a gate, or both.
Take steps to ensure that contaminated materials on the ground are not transported into the poultry growing house or area.
Provide the following items to anyone entering or leaving any area where poultry are kept:
- Footbaths and foot mats with disinfectant;
- Boot washing and disinfectant station;
- Footwear change or foot covers.
Cover and secure feed to prevent wild birds, rodents or other animals from accessing it.
Cover and properly contain carcasses, used litter, or other disease-containing organic materials to prevent wild birds, rodents or other animals from accessing them and to keep them from being blown around by wind.
Allow MDA to enter the premises during normal working hours to inspect your biosecurity and sanitation practices.
Report any unusual bird deaths or sudden increases in very sick birds to the MDA Animal Health Program at 410-841-5810 or after-hours to 410-841-5971. Also contact the USDA at 866-536-7593.