Hyderabad chicken price hits ₹325 per kg

HYDERABAD: Chicken prices in Hyderabad have surged sharply, with the rate touching ₹325 per kg for skinless chicken on Saturday. Native chicken prices have risen even higher, selling between ₹750 and ₹800 per kg.

Prices have been increasing steadily over the past four days. Traders attribute the rise to reduced poultry supply and rising summer temperatures.

Sources said several chickens have been dying due to heat, leading to a drop in available stock. Traders also pointed to lower poultry arrivals into Hyderabad markets, which has tightened supply.

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Market observers said this is the first time chicken prices have touched ₹325 per kg, a level not seen earlier in the city.

Heat-related poultry deaths affect market supply

Estimates suggest around 10,000 tonnes of chicken are sold daily in Greater Hyderabad. During festivals such as Dasara, Deepavali, Sankranti and Ramzan, daily sales usually rise to 15,000–16,000 tonnes.

Wholesale traders and small retailers typically stock chickens sufficient for a week to 10 days. However, rising temperatures have reportedly led to poultry deaths in several storage units and farms, reducing available stock.

Traders also said some buyers from Andhra Pradesh have been purchasing poultry in bulk from farms located in Hyderabad, Shamshabad, Shadnagar and Mahabubnagar, creating shortages in city markets.

As supply tightened, traders increased retail prices for the remaining stock.

Fish demand rises as chicken sales fall

The sharp price increase has pushed many consumers to avoid buying chicken.

Market sources said chicken sales in Hyderabad have dropped by 30–40 per cent over the past four days. Many consumers are shifting to fish as an alternative, traders said.

Chicken price trend (per kg)

Virus kills over 5,000 chickens in Medak village

More than 5,000 chickens died in a single day after a suspected viral infection spread in Burugadda village of Kowdipalli mandal in Medak district.

According to poultry farmer Lingolu Praveen, about 7,000 chickens were being raised at his poultry farm. Chicks supplied by a private company were introduced to the farm 24 days ago.

The birds began dying over the past week. While around 1,000 chickens died earlier, more than 5,000 birds died on Saturday alone, he said.

The dead birds were buried in pits near the farm.

Sources said poultry deaths have been reported from several farms in the mandal over the past month. However, some farm owners are reportedly avoiding making the incidents public.