Rising infrastructure costs, continuing HPAI outbreaks lead to more modest outlook for year ahead, despite growth in protein demand. The U.S. broiler industry performed strongly in 2025, driven by rising consumer demand for boneless meat.
Industry performance at a glance
According to WATT Global Media’s annual Top Broiler Companies survey, the top broiler companies produced 1.076 billion pounds per week of ready-to-cook (RTC) chicken in 2025. That's 4.2% more RTC pounds processed on a weekly basis than in 2024.
Nearly half of the 29 companies included in the top broiler companies increased RTC production between 2024 and 2025. According to survey responses and industry research, 13 increased production, three decreased production and 13 did not change.
"The U.S. broiler industry enjoyed a strong performance overall in 2025, although it was the first half of the year that really carried broiler integrators as conditions deteriorated significantly by year-end," said Mark Jordan, executive director of LEAP Market Analytics.
"The broiler industry is in a bit of a slump, although this downturn doesn't seem particularly troublesome as financial conditions have been much worse at various points in the past," he added.
Boneless skinless breast and thigh meat had a banner year in 2025, finding success in retail and foodservice. Residual marketing efforts connected to the once-more-prominent chicken sandwich wars in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space provided a key support mechanism for breast meat, but thigh meat gained traction in the fast-casual/casual dining space, particularly for restaurants centered on Asian or Mexican cuisines.
Wings continue to be a challenge for the broiler industry. With younger consumers favoring "boneless bites" such as nuggets, strips and boneless wings instead of bone-in products, the wing market is still struggling to regain a foothold in the fast-casual dining space, Jordan noted.
Feed costs decline
If U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts are correct, U.S. poultry producers will benefit from lower feed costs in at least the first six months of 2026 when compared with the same period in 2025.
"The squeeze on profit margins in this sector is ameliorated in large part by a depressed feed cost environment," explained Jordan.
"It's mostly a story about the 2025 corn crop," he continued, noting that the U.S. produced the largest corn acreage since the 1930s in 2025 and a record average yield. This led to production of more than 17 billion bushels, which outstripped expected demand and resulted in an overrun.
The Jan. 12, 2026, USDA World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report forecast that the farm price received for corn for the 2025-26 crop year will be $146.43 per ton, a 3% decrease from the 2024-25 crop year. In the same report, soybean meal is projected to be 1.6% less costly in the 2025-26 crop year than it was in the 2024-25 crop year.
If these price reductions are realized, then the average cost of a ton of broiler feed would be approximately 2% less in the first six months of 2026 than in the same period in 2025.
Looking ahead to 2026
"As for the year ahead, I don't expect broiler integrators to enjoy as much success as they had in 2025, in part because that's a relatively high bar, but I definitely see improvement from where things sit today and think it will be an 'okay' year, at least," Jordan said.
In 2026, the U.S. broiler industry could be challenged by rising costs for labor and other inputs resulting from tariffs, environmental concerns and persistent disease threats such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and avian metapneumovirus (AMPV).
However, protein-based products are particularly popular with consumers right now, between the increasing use of GLP-1 drugs to lose weight and new dietary recommendations from the U.S. government that prioritize protein consumption in every meal. In addition, broiler meat continues to have a competitive price advantage over beef, particularly in retail.
Changes in infrastructure, recipe drive growth
Tyson Foods retained its number one ranking in the WATT PoultryUSA Top Broiler Company Survey, processing 249.66 million RTC products per week in 2025.
In February 2025, Devin Cole was appointed to succeed Wes Morris as the Tyson Foods group president of poultry. In addition to serving in his new role, Cole will continue to serve as the president of Tyson's international and global McDonald's business. Later that year, in May, Tyson Foods named Kristina Lambert its new chief growth officer (CGO), succeeding Melanie Boulden in the role.
The company continued to make changes to its infrastructure in 2025. In May 2025, Tyson Foods executives announced changes the company is making to its cold storage network through a partnership with Lineage which, once completed, is expected to save the company approximately US$200 million annually. Under the agreement, Lineage will design, construct and operate two fully automated cold storage facilities in the U.S. that Tyson will utilize in the future. Tyson will also begin storing its product at Lineage's newly developed cold storage warehouse located in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
Additionally, Tyson sold its existing cold storage warehouses to Lineage for US$247 million. The facilities total approximately 49 million cubic feet with 160,000 pallet slots. The warehouses are located in Pottsville, Pennsylvania; Olathe, Kansas; Rochelle, Illinois; and Tolleson, Arizona.
In June 2025, Tyson Foods announced plans to expand and upgrade its plant in Robards, Kentucky, that will support retention of more than 1,100 jobs.
Tyson also made changes to its recipe in 2025, with the September announcement to eliminate the use of high fructose corn syrup, sucralose, BHA/BHT and titanium dioxide in its branded products by the end of 2025.
Tyson reportedly has purchased the former Cargill turkey slaughter plant in Springdale, Arkansas. The plant is undergoing renovations and will be used to further process chicken.
The top 10
Pilgrim’s Pride placed second in the rankings, processing a weekly average of 168.47 million RTC pounds of chicken in 2025. Wayne-Sanderson Farms ranks third, with 152.90 RTC pounds processed per week.
Mountaire Farms took the number four spot in the rankings with 67.32 million RTC pounds processed per week, followed closely by Perdue Farms in fifth place which processed 64.77 million RTC pounds weekly in 2025 and Koch Foods in sixth place with 62.10 million RTC pounds processed per week.
Several of the top six companies announced or completed infrastructure changes in 2025. In January 2025, Pilgrim's Pride announced the completion of the first of three renewable natural gas (RNG) projects. The project was located at the company's poultry facility in Sumter, South Carolina.
Pilgrim's also announced plans in July 2025 to build a new prepared foods plant in LaFayette, Georgia. Construction began in fall 2025 and is expected to be complete in 2027. In August 2025, Pilgrim's said it plans to convert its big bird plant in Russellville, Alabama, to a no-antibiotics-ever (NAE) plant by the first quarter of 2026.
In addition, Perdue Farms announced it was shutting down its further processing and cooking plant for chicken located in Monterey, Tennessee, in March 2025.
In July 2025, Wayne-Sanderson Farms acquired Harrison Poultry. With the transaction, all of Harrison Poultry's assets transfer to Wayne-Sanderson Farms. This includes live production, hatchery, feed mill, manufacturing, production and transportation facilities and equipment that are affiliated with Harrison Poultry's complexes in the Georgia communities of Bethlehem and Crawfordville.
Management changes also occurred at several of the top-ranking companies. In April 2025, Kevin McDaniel became the president and CEO of Wayne-Sanderson Farms. McDaniel most recently served as chief operating officer (COO).
In addition, Amanda Irwin became the president of Mountaire Farms in January 2025, succeeding Phillip Pylar. Previously, Irwin served as COO for the company.
Perdue Farms also made changes to its corporate structure in 2025, with the September announcement of the appointment of three executives to its senior leadership team: Kim Poe as senior vice president, Strategy & Corporate Development; Sal Gala as senior vice president, Procurement; and Brice Westring as senior vice president, Research & Development (R&D).
Rounding out the top 10 for the WATT PoultryUSA Top Companies rankings in seventh place is House of Raeford Inc. with 36.66 million RTC pounds processed, Peco Foods in eighth place with 35.61 million pounds RTC processed, George’s Inc. in ninth place with 34.52 million pounds RTC processed and Amick Farms LLC in No. 10 with 28.80 million pounds RTC processed.
The Top Broiler Company Survey report is compiled from a combination of company submitted data, publicly available information and industry sources.
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