Avian influenza causes broiler chick shortage on P.E.I.

Prince Edward Island chicken producers and backyard farmers are struggling with a shortage of broiler chicks due to a disrupted supply chain from the United States. The avian flu outbreak south of the border has significantly reduced chick availability for Atlantic Canada’s hatcheries.

Sally Bernard, owner of Barnyard Organics in Freetown, usually raises 300 broiler chicks annually but is now scrambling to find replacements. “People are scrambling to find replacements, but they don’t exist,” she said.

The shortage is also impacting feed businesses and processing facilities, while larger-scale producers, like Dean Good in Winsloe, are seeing their chick supply cut by 11%. Some in the industry suggest that a local hatchery on P.E.I. could help mitigate future disruptions, but the costs of such an operation remain a challenge.

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