Seoul:The number of laying hens raised in South Korea saw a significant rise in the third quarter compared to the previous year, while the numbers of other major livestock species experienced a decline, as indicated by recent data.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the total number of laying hens in the country was estimated at 86.54 million during this period, marking a 6.7 percent increase from the previous year. This growth is attributed to an increase in chick placements at local farms, as reported by the Ministry of Data and Statistics.
Conversely, the number of broiler chickens decreased by 4.4 percent, reaching 90.13 million. The beef cattle population, including the Korean native breed "hanwoo," fell to 3.31 million, representing a 4.2 percent decline from the previous year, primarily due to a reduction in breeding cows.
The report further detailed that the number of dairy cattle dropped to 362,000, a decrease of 3 percent from a year earlier. Additionally, the pig population contracted by 2.4 percent, amounting to 10.77 million in the third quarter compared to the same period in 2025.