Demand for organic chicken feed ingredients has rebounded, after declining considerably in 2023. 2024 marked a turning point for organic chicken demand, as weekly slaughter numbers steadily increased over the course of the year.

Weekly organic chicken slaughter volume fell dramatically in the third quarter of 2023, by as much as 30%, declining from over 8 million pounds to below 6 million pounds in some weeks. 

These declines were primarily driven by high food prices, as consumers rejected prices for premium goods like organic animal proteins.

Organic operators routinely told Fastmarkets about new organic chicken production or processing capacity emerging in the Mid-Atlantic/Northeast or Ohio River Valley. Consumers prefer organic chicken, but there is a price ceiling for many, prompting them to pivot to…