Although there are a several types of poultry raised and consumed in Thailand, chicken is
the most important. There are three main types of chicken in Thailand: broilers, layers and
native chickens. From an economic perspective, broiler meat is the most important poultry
product, both for domestic consumption and export. As in most countries, egg production
from layers is mainly for domestic consumption.2 Native chickens have been raised for
several purposes; they include backyard chickens raised mainly for household consumption
and small-scale trade; farm raised birds for sale in specialty markets; and, to a lesser extent,
chickens raised for recreation or ”sporting” purposes, including fighting cocks. This paper
focuses only on broiler and layer farming, which accounts for most of the poultry production
in Thailand