As agriculture officials continue to assess the damage from Hurricane Michael, the Georgia Poultry Federation said poultry farmers in South Georgia took a major economic punch from the storm.
"As the hurricane moved through southwest Georgia and up through middle Georgia, it went through some major poultry-producing regions," said Mike Giles, the President of the Georgia Poultry Federation.
Giles told the Georgia News Network (GNN) at least 80 chicken houses were destroyed and others suffered significant damage.
"The most significant impact was on the houses themselves," Giles said. "Our latest assessment is that over 90 houses were either destroyed completely or significantly damaged."
The affected properties were spread across 10 counties.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture reported the houses held more than two million birds.
Despite the loss, Giles told GNN he did not anticipate a price spike at local grocery stores.
Georgia's poultry industry contributes $23 billion annually to the state economy, according to Giles.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2018/10/723578/poultry-farmers-lose-2-million-birds-in-hurricane-michael