# SBA loans for broiler chicken growers

**Short answer:** SBA approved 233 loans to broiler chicken growers since October 2023, with a median of $1.33 million. Only 2.1% went through SBA Express, against 36% of all SBA 7(a) loans. Source: SBA 7(a) loan file, June 30, 2026.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/broilers-other-meat-type-chicken-production/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

These figures come from SBA's public loan file for the 7(a) program, which includes SBA Express. They cover NAICS 112320, Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production. The loans were approved from October 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. The file lists approvals only, so it shows what lenders funded, not who applied or who was turned down.

## What lenders check

Each lender sets its own checklist. SBA sets the basic eligibility tests.

A lender reviewing a loan to broiler chicken growers looks at the business's numbers and these items for the trade:

- The grow-out contract with the integrator, including its remaining term, the pay formula and any required house upgrades
- House age, count and equipment, such as ventilation, feeders and heaters, compared with what the integrator now requires
- Settlement sheets from recent flocks, which show pounds placed, feed conversion and what the grower was paid

What SBA sets and what the lender sets

Under SOP 50 10 8.1, SBA sets no minimum credit score; the lender applies its own credit standards. To qualify, a business must be an operating, for-profit business located in the United States that is small under SBA size standards and can show a need for the credit. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876777; 13 CFR § 120.100.

## Common uses of the money

Businesses like these use SBA loans for:

- New poultry houses or tunnel ventilation upgrades that the integrator requires to keep placing flocks
- Replacement heaters, feeders and fans, plus a backup generator to protect birds in a power outage
- A litter shed, spreader or composter for handling poultry litter

## The cash cycle

Most growers raise birds under an integrator contract, which supplies chicks and feed while the farm pays for fuel, power, bedding and repairs. Pay arrives as one settlement per flock and depends on how the farm ranks against other growers, so checks differ.

## Collateral

Poultry houses and the land under them are the main collateral, and their value rests on the integrator contract staying in place.

SBA collateral and guarantee rules

On an SBA Express loan of $50,000 or less, collateral is not required. Above that, the lender may use its own collateral policies for similar non-SBA loans. Under SOP 50 10 8.1, a loan request must not be declined solely because collateral is inadequate.

Every owner of 20% or more of the business must give an unlimited personal guarantee. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 19, Para. B.3; App. 19, Para. A (p. 404); Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1 (p. 93); 13 CFR § 120.160(a).

## How much they borrow

20% of these loans were $500,000 or less, the range where SBA Express is available.

Share of 233 loans by size, Oct 2023 to Jun 2026

- $50,000 or less: 2.6%
- $50,001 to $150,000: 6.9%
- $150,001 to $350,000: 5.2%
- $350,001 to $500,000: 5.6%
- $500,001 to $1,000,000: 18%
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000: 24%
- Over $2,000,000: 37%

Bars show each band's share of the loans.

The median loan was $1.33 million, larger than the $150,300 median for all SBA 7(a) loans. Half of the loans fell between $690,000 and $3.01 million. The most common size band was Over $2,000,000.

By business age, 24.5% had operated for more than 2 years and 12% for 2 years or less. 40% were startups opening with the loan, and 23% paid for a change of ownership.

## What they paid

The median loan priced at Prime plus 0.75 percentage points, 2 points below the median for all SBA 7(a) loans (Prime plus 2.75 percentage points).

8.25%: Median rate at approval

Prime + 0.75: Median spread over Prime

Prime + 2.75: All industries, median spread

The median rate at approval was 8.25% on loans approved October 1, 2023 to June 30, 2026. Rates in SBA's file are the initial rates when the loans were approved. On a variable-rate loan the rate then moves with Prime, so these are not today's rates.

SBA's maximum rate today

SBA caps a variable rate by loan size. For a loan of over $350,000, the cap is Prime plus 3.0 percentage points. The typical loan here, $1.33 million, is in that range. With Prime at 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026, the maximum is 10.00% today. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.5; 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(4).

## How the money comes

2.1% of the loans went through SBA Express and fewer than 5 were lines of credit. The median term was 18 years.

2.1%: Through SBA Express

Fewer than 5: Lines of credit

18 years: Median term

Across all industries, 36% of loans went through SBA Express and 28% were lines of credit. Express counts here include Export Express.

SBA Express in brief

An SBA Express loan can be as large as $500,000, and SBA guarantees 50% of it. On an Express loan, the lender makes the credit decision without prior SBA review. SBA's procedures also say only a lender with SBA Express authority can make one. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126); App. 16, Para. B.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2 (p. 125).

The median term was 18 years (216 months). For equipment, SBA's maximum term is 10 years, or up to 15 years if the IRS asset class useful life supports it. For real estate, it is 25 years, plus any reasonable construction or renovation period. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 17, Para. A.2 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.3 (p. 390); 13 CFR § 120.212(c).

When farm land and structures are 51% or more of the proceeds, the maximum term is 20 years. When farm machinery and equipment are 51% or more, it is the useful life of the equipment, up to 15 years. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 17, Para. A.7 (p. 390).

Fee waiver for food supply chain businesses

For loans approved October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, the upfront guaranty fee is 0% for loans of $700,000 or less to manufacturers (NAICS 31-33), listed food supply chain businesses and businesses in rural areas. SBA's notice lists NAICS 1123, which covers code 112320 among the food supply chain codes. Source: SBA Information Notice 5000-881797, p. 1 (Sept. 3, 2026).

## Who lends

First Financial Bank made the most loans, 92 of 233 (39%).

**Largest lenders by loans, Oct 2023 to Jun 2026**

| Lender | Type | Loans | Share of loans |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [First Financial Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/first-financial-bank-ar/) | Bank | 92 | 39.5% |
| [Live Oak Banking Company](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/live-oak-banking-company/) | Bank | 56 | 24.0% |
| [First Service Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/first-service-bank/) | Bank | 18 | 7.7% |
| [BankPlus](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/bankplus/) | Bank | 14 | 6.0% |
| [Renasant Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/renasant-bank/) | Bank | 12 | 5.2% |

Lenders are ranked by loans and listed only when they made 5 or more. Janover Capital LLC does not represent these lenders, and a lender's past loans do not describe its current credit policy.

See every lender on the [SBA Express lenders](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/) page.

## Where the loans are

Mississippi had the most loans, 59 of 233 (25%).

**Top states by loans, Oct 2023 to Jun 2026**

| State | Loans | Share of loans |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Mississippi](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/broilers-other-meat-type-chicken-production/mississippi/) | 59 | 25.3% |
| [Arkansas](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/arkansas-small-business-loans/) | 43 | 18.5% |
| [Alabama](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/alabama-small-business-loans/) | 27 | 11.6% |
| [Texas](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/texas-small-business-loans/) | 22 | 9.4% |
| [Louisiana](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/) | 14 | 6.0% |

Location is the state of the business, not of the lender.

These states have their own page for this industry, with at least 50 loans from October 1, 2019 to June 30, 2026.

- [Georgia: 80 loans](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/broilers-other-meat-type-chicken-production/georgia/)
- [North Carolina: 59 loans](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/broilers-other-meat-type-chicken-production/north-carolina/)

Compare every state on [SBA loans by state](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-loans-by-state/).

## How often these loans went bad

Fewer than 5 of 322 seasoned loans were charged off, against 3.6% of all SBA 7(a) loans.

322: Seasoned loans

Fewer than 5: Charged off

3.6%: All industries, by loans

Fewer than 5 of the 322 loans approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022 were charged off by June 30, 2026. We show no rate, because a rate beside a group of known size would give the count away.

How we measure this

A seasoned loan is one approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022. Newer loans have not had time to go bad, so they are left out. Charged off means the lender wrote the loan off as a loss, shown as status CHGOFF in SBA's file on June 30, 2026. The rate is charged-off loans divided by seasoned loans. This describes what happened to approved loans. It says nothing about whether an application will be approved.

## SBA size standard

NAICS 112320 has its own size standard.

For NAICS 112320, SBA's size standard is $3.5 million in average annual receipts. A business at or under the standard is small for SBA's purposes. To qualify, a business must fit the size standard for the applicant's primary industry in 13 CFR 121.201, measured in annual receipts or employees. SBA measures size on the date the application is accepted for SBA processing, or for delegated loans the date the lender approves the loan.

A business over the standard can still qualify under the alternative standard: tangible net worth of $20 million or less and average net income after federal income taxes of $6.5 million or less over the prior two fiscal years. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 14); Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.2 (p. 14); 13 CFR § 121.301(b)(2).

Check the code before you rely on it

SBA proposed new size standards for 338 industry groups and industries on August 20, 2026; the change is proposed only. Source: 91 FR 53741 (Aug. 20, 2026).

## A payment example

**Payment on a typical loan**

| Item | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Loan amount | $1.33 million, the median |
| Term | 18 years (216 months), the median |
| Rate | 8.25%, the median at approval |
| Monthly payment | $11,875 |
| Total interest over the term | $1,230,907 |

The example uses the median loan and the median term. The rate is the median at approval for these businesses. It covers principal and interest only, and it assumes the loan runs the full term. It leaves out fees, including the SBA guaranty fee.

On a variable-rate loan, a 1 percentage point move in Prime changes this payment by about $827 a month. Prime is 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026. For a payment at today's rate, use the [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

How to read this

Counts come from SBA's 7(a) loan-level data release, as of June 30, 2026. The file lists loans SBA approved. It does not list declined applications, so it cannot show approval odds. We do not publish any figure built on fewer than 5 loans. Industry is the NAICS code recorded on each loan. This page covers NAICS 112320, Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production. Express share counts SBA Express and Export Express loans. Lines of credit are loans the file marks as revolving. The median rate is the initial rate on loans with a rate on file. The spread is that rate minus Prime on the approval date, for variable-rate loans only. [How we build these pages](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/method/).

## Sources

- [SBA 7(a) loan file, June 30, 2026](https://data.sba.gov/dataset/7a-504-foia)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 19, Para. A (p. 404); Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2 (Para. C begins p. 127); App. 19, Para. B.3 (Para. B begins p. 408); App. 16, Para. B.2 (Para. B begins p. 388); Sec. B, Ch. 2 (p. 125); Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126); Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1 (p. 93); Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 14); Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.2 (p. 14); App. 17, Para. A.2 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.7 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.3 (p. 390); SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876777; 13 CFR § 120.160(a); 13 CFR § 121.301; 13 CFR § 120.212(c)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [13 CFR § 120.100](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.100)
- [SBA Information Notice 5000-881797, p. 1 (Sept. 3, 2026)](https://legacy.sba.gov/document/information-notice-5000-881797-fy-2027-7a-program-fees)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.5 (Para. B begins p. 126); 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(4)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.214)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. A, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 14); 13 CFR § 121.301(b)(2)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-121.301)
- [91 FR 53741 (Aug. 20, 2026)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-20/pdf/2026-17042.pdf)
- [13 CFR § 121.201](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-121.201)