Why KFC and Chick-fil-a prefer smaller chickens.

The modern chicken industry is dominated by big breasted chickens. Smaller chickens used to be 30% of the market in 2005 but now they are only about 15% of it. The chicken sandwich has taken the country by storm in the last few years. Those sandwiches use smaller chickens that produce smaller breasts. Arguably smaller-size chickens are more tender and flavorful than larger chickens. Do you remember how long those drive through lines were to get a chicken sandwich at Popeyes or Chik-fil-A?
KFC and Chick-fil-a want small chickens that weight 4 pounds. Chick-fil-A is the biggest US chicken chain by sales and KFC is the second.
Poultry producers have been converting chicken processing plants to handle larger chickens rather than smaller ones for the last decade.
The KFC chicken on the bone found in the buckets are primarily the smaller chickens. Given the chicken industry’s focus on larger chickens, this is driving up costs and reducing availability for KFC.
Major chicken suppliers like Tyson Foods and Pilgirm’s Pride are reluctant to produce smaller chickens because they are less profitable than larger ones. There is also a concern about price volatility in the market. When prices swing upwards, chicken suppliers can profit more from large chicken prices.
Chicken prices soared as we exited the pandemic. The price of breasts and wings rose sharply. Chicken producers responded by increasing processing staff.
For large chickens, in May, 2022 chicken breasts were about $3.50 a pound, in March of 2023 they were about $1.50 a pound.
The price for large chicken meat contrasts with small chicken meat. In May, 2022 chicken breasts were about $4.30 a pound, in March of 2023 they were about $2.50 a pound. You are looking at anywhere from 75 cents to 1 dollar more for smaller chicken meat by the pound.