Near Tet, chicken prices increase, farmers make profit

Chicken meat prices increase sharply

Raising 300 chickens to sell for Tet, Ms. Ho Thi Hien in Quynh Tam commune (Quynh Luu district) was very excited when traders paid a deposit to buy the whole flock at a price of 120,000 VND/kg. Compared to a few months ago, the price of chickens has increased by 20,000 VND/kg. “The characteristic of chickens is that the meat is fragrant and delicious. Because this batch is for Tet, I only raise roosters with smooth feathers, beautiful combs, and beautiful legs, so when I came to see the chickens, traders deposited money and promised to catch the whole flock of 300 chickens on the 20th of the lunar month. In total, this flock of chickens, after nearly 4 months of care, brought in a profit of over 30 million VND.”

With a scale of 12,000 broiler chickens, Mr. Pham Van Hoang in Hamlet 8, Cao Son Commune (Anh Son) is also very excited when chicken prices increase. His farm mainly raises hybrid chickens and fighting chickens. Normally, the amount of broiler chickens is mainly imported for schools in Anh Son, Do Luong and Tan Ky districts.

For the Tet chickens, he mainly invests in raising native chickens, hybrid chickens, and sugar cane chickens (accounting for about 50% of the total flock). This type of chicken has the advantage of beautiful appearance, delicious meat, moderate weight, suitable for ceremonies. Mr. Hoang happily said: "Chicken consumption is quite favorable this time, chicken prices have increased sharply, so farmers have made a good profit. Currently, there are nearly 2,000 sugar cane and ri chickens in the coop that will be sold during Tet, the rest will be sold in January."

From mid-2023 until now, the price of broiler chickens has gradually increased and by the time of Tet, the price of broiler chickens has increased sharply. In particular, the main breeds are sugarcane chickens, free-range chickens, and chickens. According to the explanation of farmers and traders, the high price of broiler chickens is due to increased demand, more festivals and weddings at the end of the year.

On the other hand, due to the impact of the epidemic, the price of animal feed has increased for a long time, so many livestock households have changed their production model and reduced the number of chickens raised, leading to a more limited supply.

In addition to free-range and hybrid chickens, in recent years, specialty chickens such as Ky Son black chicken and Dong Tao chicken have been very popular in the market during Tet. To anticipate this year's Tet market, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung in Tam Quang commune, Tuong Duong district has experimented with raising dozens of Dong Tao chickens.

“I invest in buying Dong Tao chickens to raise in batches. This year, there are 2 batches of chickens to supply to pre-ordered customers. The medium weight type costs 350,000 VND/kg.

The type with big, beautiful, well-proportioned legs is more expensive, around 450,000 - 550,000 VND/kg, on average around 2.5 - 3 million VND/bird. Customers often buy this type as a Tet gift and have ordered in advance, so this Tet I don't have chickens to sell on the market," said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung.

Poultry eggs price increase

In addition, the price of chicken eggs has also increased slightly and is easier to consume. Mr. Pham Trung Sinh in Bac Son hamlet, Nghi Quang commune (Nghi Loc) invested in raising 2,000 white-feathered chickens for eggs. To "watch" for sale on the occasion of Lunar New Year, he bought 800g - 1kg chickens with a total cost of more than 230 million VND from a chicken farm in the North, with full disease prevention and control certificates.

“In the first year of raising 2,000 chickens, the cost of food was nearly 2 million VND/day, which is about 60 million VND/month. After 2 months of raising, the eggs started to be harvested with an amount of 1,800 - 2,000 eggs/day,” said Mr. Sinh.

With the normal selling price of chicken eggs at 2,200 VND/egg, he earns about 3.8 - 4.2 million VND per day from chicken eggs, minus the cost of food and care, he earns about 50 million VND/month. About 1-2 months before Tet, the price of chicken eggs increases slightly from 2,200 to 2,400 - 2,600 VND/egg depending on the time.

During the days before Tet, the demand for chicken eggs and meat chickens increases, every day Chu Thi Lap (Nghi Quang) and her husband have to wake up at dawn to collect eggs. With more than 2,000 laying hens, producing an average of 2,000 eggs per day, the price of red chicken eggs usually fluctuates between 1,800 - 2,000 VND/egg, mainly imported for restaurants and food processing stores. During the Tet holiday, the price of eggs increases to 2,100 - 2,300 VND/egg depending on the time, also giving the family a source of income of about 4 million VND/day.

Currently, the total chicken herd in the province has reached nearly 35 million, of which the total chicken herd is estimated at 29 million, accounting for 85.54% of the total herd, up 8.31% (+2,282 thousand) over the same period last year. Poultry meat output is estimated at 86,181 tons, up 7.68% (+6,144 tons) over the same period last year. At the end of the year, the demand for chicken meat increased by about 30%, chicken consumption was quite favorable, the selling price was 80,000 - 125,000 VND/kg of feathered chicken (depending on the type).

With this selling price, farmers have a good profit, ensuring the maintenance, preservation and improvement of product quality. Along with ensuring the quality of broiler products, farms have many products processed from chicken to diversify the source of goods, meeting the needs of the Tet market such as: ham, sausage, chicken jerky.

However, this is also the time of cold rain, wet barns, so diseases are likely to occur. Therefore, farmers need to be proactive in preventing and fighting diseases. The authorities will continue to strengthen management and supervision of the herd. Along with that, it is necessary to focus on doing a good job of disease prevention, in which, special attention is paid to vaccination, sanitation, disinfection, environmental sterilization, application of biosafety farming, and VietGAP process.