Dive Brief:

• The world's largest chicken breeder says a genetic disorder is leaving roosters unable to mate, according to an exclusive story by Reuters. As a result, chicken and egg supplies have declined and prices are rising.
• Aviagen Group, which supplies roosters to chicken farms across the country, says something has gone wrong with its standard Ross male birds, which are the fathers of roughly 25% of the chickens consumed in America. 
• The cause of the problem is unclear, but is apparently connected to a change Aviagen made to the genetics of the breed, which left the animals prone to overeating and fertility problems. 

Dive Insight:

There are more questions than answers at this point in the rooster crisis. While Aviagen is being transparent about what it knows, the other major supplier of breeder stock in the U.S., Cobb Vantress, owned by Tyson Foods, declined to speak to Reuters.