Americans Consume 8 Billion Chickens A Year Or, 21,917,808 Per Day, That’s Over 80 Pounds Each A Year

Updated March 13,2024

In the United States, July 6th recognizes National Fried Chicken Day.  On this day, fried chicken lovers across the country celebrate this American favorite at a nearby restaurant, home, or an outdoor picnic.

• 7500 – 5000 BC – Humans living in Southeast Asia domesticate wild jungle fowl.
• 18th Century – Fried chicken became associated with American Southerners.
• 1747 – The earliest known written recipe for American-style fried chicken appears in the British cookbook, “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy” by Hannah Glasse.
• 1825 – The first recipe for fried chicken in the U.S. appeared in a book called “The Virginia Housewife, Or Methodical Cook” published in 1825. This was written by Mary Randolph, who ran a boarding house, and whose brother was married to Thomas Jefferson’s daughter.
• 1948 – Almost all chickens that we eat today came from the winner of the 1948 “Chicken of Tomorrow” Contest whose genetics now dominate poultry farms worldwide. – Source
• 1952 – “Colonel” Harland Sanders begins franchising his Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant.
• 1954 – The Rhode Island Red [chicken]  was designated as the Official Bird of Rhode Island in 1954.
• 1964 – Chicken wings used to be considered undesirable and sometimes thrown out, until 1964 when a restaurant owner barbecued and served them in 1964 and called them Buffalo wings. They were named after the city they were first made in, Buffalo, New York.
• 2012 – According to the National Chicken Council, more than 1.25 Billion Chicken wing portions (more than 100 million pounds) were consumed on Super Bowl weekend in 2012.
• Scottish immigrants brought their tradition of deep-frying chicken in fat to the southern United States.  After its introduction to the American South, fried chicken soon became a staple. Over time, seasonings and spices were added to enrich the flavor of the chicken.
• The greatest height a chicken egg has been dropped from without cracking is 700ft.
• This bird was probably first domesticated for the purpose of cockfights, not as food.
• Chickens aren’t completely flightless—they can get airborne enough to make it over a fence or into a tree.
• These birds are omnivores. They’ll eat seeds and insects but also larger prey like small mice and lizards.
• With 25 billion chickens in the world, there are more of them than any other bird species.
• Chicken as a meat has been depicted in Babylonian carvings from around 600 BC.
• Chicken is the most common type of poultry in the world.
• There are more chickens on earth than people.
• The largest serving of fried chicken (2,493 lbs) was served at Kentucky Fried Chicken in celebration of the restaurant’s 70th anniversary.
• Chicken consumption in the United States increased during World War II due to a shortage of beef and pork.
• Popeyes Chicken is named after the character Popeye Doyle in the movie “The French Connection.”
• Alektorophobia is the fear of chickens.
• Now that’s ‘no spring chicken.’ You’ve probably heard that putdown to describe someone who’s not as young as he appears to be. The phrase comes from the early 1700s when chickens born in the spring got better prices than those who had been through the winter. Spring chickens were preferred for frying too, as they were more tender. If a buyer got an older bird in disguise he would complain that it was “no spring chicken.”
• On worldwide average, 96 chickens are killed every 0.05 seconds. – Source
• Before the Beijing Olympics, Usain Bolt ate 100 Chicken McNuggets a day for 10 days and eventually won 3 gold medals. – Source
• There are more fried chicken restaurants in South Korea than there are McDonald’s restaurants worldwide. – Source
• Chickens can remember over 100 different faces of people or animals.
• Chickens were domesticated in Southern China around 8,000 years ago in 6000 B.C.
• In Gainesville, Florida, you have to eat fried chicken with your bare hands. Eating it by any other method is illegal.
• Chickens have prehistoric roots and are the closest living relative of the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
• More than half of soup manufacturers’ revenue is thanks to Chicken Noodle Soup. When you’re not feeling quite your best, we all know this is the quintessential soup for getting healthy. Did you know that the chicken in this beloved soup comes from Stewing Hens? This particular member of the poultry family has less tender meat that is best used for stewing.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Mobile-Cuisine

How Stuff Works

Kickass Facts

The Factsite

Pitco

National Today