Organic Poultry

Revised September 2025

Overview

The largest volume of organic meat sales is for poultry. Chicken is the most widely available organic meat; it is found in a large number of natural food retailers and conventional groceries. Chicken is also the most popular natural and organic meat, purchased by more than seven in ten shoppers. Organic chicken dominates because of the relatively short production cycle, low price premium and integrated production compared to beef or pork.

Production

According to USDA's National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS), the number of certified organic broilers produced in 2021 totaled more than 36.5 million. The number of certified organic layer hens produced that year was more than 25.4 million, and the number of certified organic turkeys produced was 1.17 million.

Pennsylvania led the nation in organic broiler production, followed by California, North Carolina and Nebraska. The largest producers of organic hens were Pennsylvania, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and California. (NASS)

Broilers
As of December 31, 2021, more than 36.5 million organic broilers were being raised in 26 states. Pennsylvania reported the highest number of organic broilers on hand (more than 14.5 million), followed by California (more than 9.1 million) and North Carolina (more than 5.9 million). Sales of U.S. organic broilers totaled more than $1.5 billion in 2021. (NASS, 2022)

Layers
As of December 31, 2021, over 25.4 million organic layer hens were being raised in 40 states. Five states dominated that market: Missouri (3.04 million), Pennsylvania (2.7 million), Arkansas (2.5 million), California (2.1 million), and Indiana (1.39 million). Sales of U.S. organic layers totaled more than $9.68 million in 2021.  (NASS 2022)

Turkeys
U.S. sales of organic turkeys topped $195 million in 2021. California reported the highest sales, however most statistical information was not available for other states. (NASS 2022)

Price

Most organic products command a price premium. However, organic producers must recover higher production costs than conventional producers. Organic feed is costly, running 50 to 100 percent more than conventional feed, and sometimes difficult to obtain. A lack of certified processing facilities, especially small and medium sized, also contributes to higher production costs. Other factors may include smaller flock sizes, higher mortality, longer growth period for broilers and more frequent replacement of layers.

Sources

USDA ERS, 2025

USDA NASS, 2025

2021 Organic Production Survey, National Ag Statistics Service (NASS), USDA, 2022.

Organic Poultry Production in the United States, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), NCAT

Results from the 2021 Organic Survey, NASS Highlights, 2022