Assessing evolving challenges and educational needs in poultry management: Insights from commercial broiler and small-scale backyard producer surveys

The poultry industry in Maryland and the Delmarva region continues to evolve as producers adapt to rising input costs, increasing regulatory demands, and rapid technological change. To identify current challenges and priorities, the University of Maryland Poultry Extension conducted a regional needs assessment to update insights from 2017 for commercial producers and 2011 for backyard and small-scale flock producers. Surveys developed through Qualtrics were distributed between January and March 2025, yielding responses from 51 commercial broiler producers and 52 small-scale poultry producers. Among commercial respondents, 20.0% now manage flocks exceeding 200,000 birds per cycle, up from 7.1% in 2017, reflecting continued trends toward efficiency and scale. The most frequently cited concerns were rising input costs (42.9%), bird health (28.6%), and government regulations (14.3%). Although automation adoption is increasing, cost remains a key barrier for 76.2% of respondents. Extension training has improved biosecurity (50.0%) and flock performance (43.8%), with demand for future programs focused on health management (63.6%) and new technologies (18.2%). Among backyard producers, chickens (73.8%) remain the most common species, though species diversity has increased. Egg production (86.5%) remains the primary purpose, followed by local egg sales (32.7%) and meat for family use (23.1%). Major challenges include predator control (40.5%), feed costs (28.6%), and limited access to research-based education (11.9%). Respondents showed strong support for the Extension program, with 95% of participants rating it as very useful. This assessment provides timely, actionable insights to guide future Poultry Extension programming and support the continued resilience of Maryland’s poultry sector.