25 percent of Alabama poultry houses destroyed, damaged in storms

Thousands of chickens have been lost in the recent Alabama tornadoes, and numbers could grow as the damage is fully assessed, according to state officials.

Roughly 200 of Alabama's poultry houses have been destroyed and another 180 damaged due to the state's recent storms, accounting for up to 25% of the state's poultry houses, according to Commissioner John McMillan of the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries.
“Thousands of chickens have been lost in the tornadoes, and these numbers could grow as we continue to assess the damage,” said McMillan. “Power outages and loss of drinking water could worsen an already critical situation for poultry producers and meat processors.” Alabama is the third-largest poultry producer in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, behind Georgia and Arkansas.
State officials are continuing to monitor the situation and provide assistance to those affected. “We have deployed our field inspectors to the hard-hit areas of North Alabama to assist state emergency management efforts,” said McMillan.