2023 Status and Development of China’s Layer Chicken Industry
- Production and Trade Situation of the Layer Chicken Industry in 2023
Production
Layer Chicken Inventory: (1) An increase in grandparent layer breeders was observed, with a concurrent decrease in reliance on imported breeds. In 2023, about 600,000 sets of grandparent breeder layers were in production, meeting national demands. Hindered by avian influenza outbreaks abroad, imports of layer breeders were restricted to just 7,000 sets in the first nine months, boosting the market share of domestically produced breeders. (2) The inventory of laying hens showed a gradual but slight increase, remaining below historical averages. From January to October, the monthly average inventory grew by 1.2% YoY, but was down by 33 million heads compared to the five-year average of 1.222 billion. (3) The geographic distribution of major layer chicken-producing regions remained unchanged, with the dominant share in East and Central China. The East accounted for the largest share, while the Southwest had the smallest. (4) The scale of layer chicken farming continued to expand, with a surge in layer chicken projects in 2023. By November, there were 88 new layer chicken projects nationwide, collectively capable of housing 148.3 million birds. Among these, 43 projects exceeded one million birds, accounting for nearly 48.7%, and five projects exceeded four million birds, representing 5.7%.
Egg Laying Rate and Egg Production: (1) The laying rate remained stable with narrowed fluctuations compared to previous years, matching 2022 levels but below those of 2021. The peak production rate in 2023 occurred between March and May, reaching 92%. (2) Egg production rose, ensuring stable market supply. Total egg production hit approximately 28.39 million tons, a 1.3% YoY increase, with high-yielding strains contributing 19.63 million tons, up by about 4.07%.
Feed Production, Farming Costs, and Profits: (1) Layer chicken feed production remained stable at 31.89 million tons, up 2.27% YoY. (2) Feed prices stayed high, causing slight increases in feed and farming costs. From January to October, feed costs for layer chickens rose by 7.20% YoY, averaging 179.42 yuan/bird, a 6.87% increase. (3) Profits from layer chicken farming dropped YoY but remained relatively high. Profits fluctuated significantly with a typical cycle of 3-5 years. From January to November, average profits per bird stood at 36.84 yuan, down 3.35% or 0.64 yuan per bird, yet still at a medium-to-high level.
Trade
China’s domestically bred layer chickens were exported for the first time, marking a significant step for the country’s seed industry. Beijing Huadu Yukou Poultry Co., Ltd. exported 15,500 “Jing Hong No.1” high-yield layer chickens to Tanzania. Egg trade was primarily export-oriented, hitting historic highs, mainly to Hong Kong and Macao. From January to October, the monthly average export volume was 10,957.31 tons, up 25.94% YoY, with an average export value of 18.5995 million USD, up 19.25% YoY. Export prices averaged 1.70 USD/kg, down 5.32% YoY. Other egg-related trade figures also showed mixed trends with slight increases in processed egg exports and a notable drop in dried egg yolk and egg white powder exports.
- Key Technological Advances in China’s Layer Chicken Industry in 2023
Genetic Improvement Technology
In-depth research was conducted on the genomic selection technology system for layer chickens, establishing the largest and most phenotyped reference population in China at over 30,000 birds at Huadu Yukou Poultry. Based on the “Feng Xin Yi Hao” SNP genotyping chip, genomic selection improved the annual genetic progress of 80-week cumulative egg production to 9.1 eggs, 7.3 eggs higher than historical averages. A 10K low-density chip was developed based on the 50K chip, reducing costs while maintaining a correlation above 99% in predicting breeding values. A liquid-phase chip, “Shen Nong Yi Hao,” tailored for Chinese indigenous breeds, was also developed, integrating various modules for genomic sequencing, trait-associated SNPs, and breed-specific polymorphisms.
Nutrition and Feed Technology
Research focused on diversified precision diets for layer chickens and strategies to enhance corn and soybean meal efficiency. Effects of different crude protein diets on egg-laying performance, egg quality, host metabolism, ovarian health, nitrogen excretion, and gut microbiota were studied. Novel feed resources such as germinated wheat, fermented coconut pulp, chili meal, mulberry leaves, prickly ash leaves and seeds were developed, along with precise nutritional evaluations of sorghum, soybean meal, sunflower seed meal, palm kernel meal, sesame meal, and flaxseed meal. Functional feed additives like fermented lactobacillus, ursolic acid, epimedium extract, lutein, beta-carotene, and quercetin were also introduced. The technical standard “Specifications for the Production of Low-Protein and Low-Soybean Meal Diversified Diets for Layer Chickens” (T/CFIAS8004-2023) was published on May 25 and implemented on June 25. Integrated “Low-Protein and Low-Soybean Meal Layer Chicken Diet Production Techniques” were listed among the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs’ 2023 leading agricultural technologies, reducing feed costs by 50-60 yuan/ton and enhancing albumen viscosity by 0.2 Haugh units.
Disease Control Technology
The national standard “Procedure for Salmonella Pullorum Eradication in Breeder Farms” (GB/T43173-2023) was officially released, addressing the crucial need for pullorum disease eradication in breeder farms. It outlined a two-step strategy of eliminating positive chickens and maintaining negative flocks. Innovative molecular detection techniques for Salmonella Pullorum were developed, and a comprehensive understanding of post-infection distribution patterns in chickens and transmission via biotic and abiotic vectors was achieved. Strategies for maintaining negative flocks and quantitatively evaluating biosecurity indicators in breeder farms were innovated and piloted. Additionally, the successful development and large-scale deployment of a Newcastle Disease and Infectious Bronchitis live vaccine (LaSota strain + LDT3-A strain) bolstered disease control efforts, gaining recognition as a leading agricultural technology.
Production and Environmental Control Technology
A welfare egg-laying farm was established in Pinggu District, Beijing, integrating green low-carbon facilities, multi-tier poultry farming mode, and digital management systems to facilitate the transition from caged to welfare-based farming. Optimal parameters formulti-tier poultry farming were identified, highlighting the benefit of larger cages (1.30m x 0.50m) in enhancing productivity, feed conversion rates, and egg quality for extended laying cycles.
Egg Quality Control and Processing Technology
Addressing the short storage life of hot spring eggs, research delved into the causes of albumen liquefaction and discovered that pretreatment with polyphenols prolonged their shelf life without compromising quality. For liquid egg products, an optimized processing technique was developed, enabling non-denatured coagulation at temperatures above 76°C for whole egg and yolk liquids, and 70°C for egg white liquid, extending shelf life to over 35 days and promoting the industrial scale-up and value addition of egg products.
(Source: Chinese Journal of Animal Science. Author: Sun Congjiao, Scientist of the National Technical System for Egg-Laying Chicken Industry; Yang Ning, Chief Scientist of the National Laying Chicken Industry Technology System)
