(NAFB.com) – The U.S. chicken industry is on a decades-long winning streak. Steady growth in consumer demand, coupled with efficiency gains in broiler production have powered the sector’s remarkable growth during the last thirty years. According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, the near-term outlook for broiler production remains exceptionally strong. But the opportunities for increasing output are becoming more limited. Higher capital costs, tight labor availability, and increased local regulation have stalled site expansions. Chick availability has trended downward as genetic priorities have shifted from hatchability to meat yield, and adding more pounds per bird has its limits. “The potential long-term challenge becomes how big is too big for birds on the processing line, and what will drive consumer preferences for chicken products into 2030 and beyond,” said Brian Earnest, lead animal protein economist at CoBank. With a change in genetics, producers can now get over 1,000 pounds of chicken from a single egg-laying hen.