B662: Costs and Returns on Maine Broiler Farms

This bulletin, in addition to presenting some statistical data on the growth and development of the broiler industry in Maine, includes the results of a survey made in 1967 of a representative sample of Maine contract broiler growers. A sample of 180 out of the approximately 900 broiler farms in Maine was surveyed during the summer of 1967 to obtain operating results for 1966. From this sample, 103 farms supplied information that was analyzed in this study. The average Maine broiler farm in 1966 had 20,913 square feet of floor space, which was unoccupied for an average of 65 days during the year. The average farm started 105,166 birds and marketed 99,235 birds, of which 93 percent were broilers and 7 percent were roasters. Total land area was 90 acres per farm and very little land was used for cropland or for other livestock enterprises. Average cash receipts per farm were $10,097, average cash expenses were $4,322, and average net cash income was $5,775 per farm in 1966. Net cash income tended to become greater as the size of farm became larger, ranging from an average of $2,931 on the smallest farms to an average of $8,820 on the largest farms. Broiler payments received in 1966 averaged 45.4¢ per square foot of floor space and $95.70 per 1000 birds marketed.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_bulletin/1031/thumbnail.jp