Number of poultry 2026 (provisional)

There were about 15.6 million poultry on farms at the beginning of April, which is about five per cent more than in the previous year. The number of broilers was 9.9 million and the number of laying hens was 4.3 million. The number of animal places in use on farms was also higher than in the previous year.

Number of poultry on 1 April 2026 (change from the previous year in parentheses)

• Laying hens: 4,291,000 birds (+6%)
• Broilers: 9,869,000 birds (+4%)
• Broilerhens: 560,000 birds (+7%)
• Turkeys: 262,000 birds (+4%)

The figures for the number of laying hens for 2023–2025 have been revised.