A chicken house fire is two claims on one farm. The company's birds, and your houses, equipment and pay.
Last updated: October 2026
The integrator usually owns and insures the flock. You own the houses, the fans and controllers, the generator and the loan. We document and negotiate that loss for the grower, and we tell you plainly when a question belongs with your attorney.
Start a claim review
Tell us what happened. A licensed Texas public adjuster will review the loss with you and tell you straight whether you have a fight worth having. It is confidential, and there is no cost.
For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.
Texas lets dead birds stay on the farm up to 72 hours in a closed, leakproof container. After that they must be refrigerated or disposed of by an approved method. Your proof of the loss has to be captured before they leave.
Source: 30 TAC §335.25; TCEQ RG-326 (2009).
What to do in the first 72 hours after a chicken house fire in Texas
The houses may still be smoking while the company's field staff, the fire department and your insurance agent all want answers. What you count, photograph and keep in these first days sets up the rest of the claim.
Call the company and your insurer
One catastrophic-mortality plan lists the company's growout manager or flock supervisor first on its emergency contact list. Give written notice to your agent and insurer the same day, and log every claim number.
Count and photograph before anything moves
Take time-stamped photos and video of every house, burned or not, before carcasses are removed. Confirm head counts by house with the integrator's representative, and keep your own count.
Watch the carcass clock
Dead birds may stay on site up to 72 hours in a closed, varmint-proof, leakproof container. After that they must be refrigerated at 40°F or below or disposed of by an approved method.
If disease is possible, call TAHC before disposal
The Texas Animal Health Commission number is 800-550-8242.
Keep the equipment that could explain the fire
Heaters, brooders, wiring, controllers, fans, the generator and the transfer switch are the cause evidence. Agree in writing with the carrier before removing them, and log what left, who took it and when.
Save controller and alarm data before anything is reset
Controller logs may record power losses and generator exercise runs. Pull alarm and auto-dialer records too, and get the utility's outage confirmation for any power-failure loss.
Expect the scene to stay unsafe
At the January 2024 Bryan fire, more than 100 firefighters were still working the next afternoon, shuttling water with no hydrants. The site was too dangerous to enter, so early photos and flock records may be all you have.
Start the expense file now
Temporary generators, hauling, carcass handling and temporary repairs that bring undamaged houses back sooner all cost money. Keep every receipt and ticket.
Sources: Malone, Univ. of Delaware; Ohio State Farm Office (2023); 30 TAC §335.25; TCEQ carcass disposal page; MSU Extension IS1952; Scripps News and Hoodline (Jan 2024).
Your houses, the company's birds: who claims what
Under a typical broiler contract, the integrator supplies the chicks, the feed and a field service representative, and owns the birds. The grower supplies the land, houses, equipment, labor and utilities, and handles dead birds and litter. The integrator usually owns and insures the flock.
So a grower's claim usually covers the buildings, the equipment, cleanup and carcass handling, lost grower pay and extra expense. Breeder growers are in the same position: the company owns the hens, and pay is per dozen eggs plus bonuses. Independent owners, such as some layer operations, may own and insure their own birds.
| Piece of the loss | Usually owned by | Where it is usually claimed | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birds: broilers, breeder hens, pullets, turkeys | The integrator, under a contract | The integrator's own insurance | Whether you carry any bird coverage at all; usually only independent owners do |
| Feed in the bins | The integrator | The integrator | Feed delivery records for the flock on hand |
| Houses, tin, curtains, insulation | The grower | Farm property policy, house by house | Each house's limit, valuation and coinsurance |
| Fans, inlets, cool cells, brooders, heaters, feeders, drinkers, controllers | The grower | As building or personal property, depending on the policy | Which schedule each item sits on, and whether equipment breakdown was bought |
| Generator, transfer switch, alarm | The grower | Property policy; equipment breakdown if bought | Service and exercise records |
| Dead-bird handling and cleanup | The grower's duty | Debris removal, to its sublimit | Receipts, weights and tickets kept separately |
| Lost flock pay | The grower | Business income, if bought | Its limit and period of restoration |
| Added costs to keep going | The grower | Extra expense, if bought | Every invoice |
What your growing contract says, including any Acts of God clause or other term that shifts risk, is a question for your attorney. We document the loss to what you own.
Sources: UMD Extension EB-431 (2017); Nationwide, poultry farm insurance; UGA Bulletin 1214 (2024); Maine Bureau of Insurance; OSU AGEC-202.
Dead-bird disposal in Texas: the 72-hour rule, burial and composting
TCEQ's poultry carcass guidance applies to facility owners and operators whether or not they own the birds. So the 72-hour clock is the grower's, even when the flock belongs to the company. The rule behind it is 30 TAC §335.25.
Burial siting: the newest guidance against the poultry guide
TCEQ's newest disaster carcass guide (RG-591, 2022) and its poultry guide (RG-326, 2009) differ on two rows.
| Siting item | RG-591, Aug 2022 | RG-326, Aug 2009 |
|---|---|---|
| Public water well | At least 50 ft | At least 500 ft |
| Private water well | At least 150 ft | At least 150 ft |
| Creek, pond, lake or river | At least 50 ft | At least 50 ft |
| Property line | At least 50 ft (200 ft recommended) | At least 50 ft (200 ft or more recommended) |
| Floodplain | Outside the 100-year floodplain | Outside the 100-year floodplain |
| Pit and cover | 3 to 5 ft pit, at least 3 ft of soil the same day | At least 2 ft of soil cover |
The cautious choice is the stricter figure in each row. Confirm with the TCEQ regional office before digging, and call 811 first.
Why it matters to the claim
Head counts, weights, the method used, renderer or landfill tickets, compost logs and the burial location prove both the loss and its cost. Whether your debris coverage pays for carcass hauling, composting or landfill fees depends on the wording, so track those costs separately from day one. In declared disasters, FEMA Public Assistance can cover carcass removal and disposal, and FEMA accepts a TCEQ form affidavit as proof of livestock loss.
Which rule or setback applies on your land is a question for TCEQ and your attorney. We document the count and the cost.
Sources: 30 TAC §335.25; TCEQ RG-326 (2009), RG-591 (2022), carcass disposal page, and storm carcass guidance (2017).
How poultry farm losses happen: fire, power failure, wind, ice and litter
In 2022 to 2024, 328 fatal U.S. barn fires killed 2,534,800 farm animals, and 96.7% were chickens. Where a cause was reported, about 70% involved heating or electrical systems. Only about 34% had a reported cause, so expect the cause to be argued.
farm animals killed in fatal U.S. barn fires, 2022 to 2024. The count covers only fires that killed animals, drawn largely from media reports, so it runs low.
AWI, 2025
of fatal barn fires happened October through March.
AWI, 2025
for a power failure in an enclosed house to cause catastrophic losses.
UT Extension D257, 2025
House fire
Heat lamps, space heaters, brooders and electrical faults lead the known causes. Dust, ammonia and moisture help faults start, and rodents chew wiring.
What it means for your claim
Keep the heaters, brooders, wiring, controllers and fans. They are the cause evidence and the basis of any recovery from a third party.
Spread, smoke and lost power
Fire runs the length of long metal houses far from hydrants. About 80,000 hens died in a building that lost power during a 2020 New Jersey fire.
What it means for your claim
Count and photograph losses in every house, burned or not.
Power or ventilation failure
A utility outage plus a generator, battery, fuel or transfer-switch failure. Birds survive about 20 to 30 minutes above 97°F in still air. In one analysis, 45% of catastrophic losses involved the generator, transfer switch or related switches.
What it means for your claim
Expect a maintenance argument, answered with controller logs, generator exercise and service records and fuel tickets.
Wind and tornado
An EF-0 tornado (75 mph) heavily damaged a Mississippi chicken house roof. An EF-1 destroyed 9 barns on a Temple, Texas farm in May 2024.
What it means for your claim
Roofs, tin, curtains and fans; each house may carry its own limit and deductible, and debris and later weather stretch the restoration period.
Wind and hail percentage deductible calculatorIce and snow
Ice and snow collapse roofs, and long ice-storm outages add bird deaths.
What it means for your claim
Weight of ice and snow is often an add-on. See the ice and snow section below.
Stored litter
Fresh, wet litter stacked against older, drier litter heats up. UGA advises piles under 7 ft, or 4 ft against a wooden wall. A 2019 Georgia litter pile ignited about 100 hay rolls through a wooden wall.
What it means for your claim
Storage practice becomes the cause evidence.
Hay barns
Hay baled at more than 20% moisture cannot shed its own heat, and ignition typically comes 5 to 10 weeks after storage.
What it means for your claim
The barn, hay and stored equipment burn together. A recovery from whoever baled or stored the hay is a question for your attorney.
Feed mills and grain dust
OSHA's grain handling standard covers elevators, feed mills and similar plants. It requires removing dust over 1/8 inch in priority areas, hot work permits, and correcting overheated bearings and slipping belts on inside bucket elevators.
What it means for your claim
Those records become evidence. Whether the standard reaches a given farm is a question for your attorney.
Early theories change
In Texas, the Brazos County Sheriff's Office ruled the January 2024 Bryan fire accidental. At Southfork Dairy near Dimmitt in April 2023, a fire killed nearly 18,000 cattle. Early reports blamed insulation and methane. The State Fire Marshal later traced it to a manure vacuum truck's engine fire. Keep the equipment until the investigation ends.
Insurers look for someone else to pay
A faulty ventilation fan component started a 2019 Pennsylvania fire that killed 37,000 hens. After a 2020 Nebraska layer-house fire, the insurer paid $22.4 million and sued the builder for the full $24.9 million loss over a manure blower fan assembly. That recovery from a third party is called subrogation. Any claim against a maker, builder or electrician is for your attorney.
Damage to document
Smoke and power loss reach houses the fire never touched. Where smoke or contamination spreads beyond the burn, we bring in industrial hygienists to document how far it traveled.
Sources: AWI, Barn Fires (2025); UT Extension D257 (2025); MSU IS1952; Univ. of Kentucky; ThePoultrySite (2020); NWS Jackson; Fox Weather (2024); UGA (2019); Farm Progress (2012); Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer (2023); 29 CFR 1910.272; Lead Stories (2024); Agriland (2023); Texas Tribune (2023); AWI (2019); WATTPoultry (2022).
How your houses will be valued, and why today's rebuild cost matters
Actual cash value is replacement cost minus depreciation. Many replacement-cost policies pay actual cash value first and hold back the rest until you rebuild. Some insurers set valuation by house age. Georgia Farm Bureau, for example, offers replacement cost on houses 10 years old or less and agreed value on houses 10 to 20 years old.
Older houses draw depreciation arguments. Upgrade invoices support a lower effective age, which FSA appraisal guidance weighs against actual age. Actual cash value and depreciation calculator.
What it costs to build a house now
Published figures disagree, and no current Texas figure was found. Your own contractor and equipment quotes set your number. These are the public benchmarks, by date.
| Data year | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Breeder houses: often more than $280,000 each | UGA Bulletin 1214 |
| 2024 | Broiler house: $12.10 per sq ft, an assumed figure in an Alabama impact study | Decision Innovation Solutions |
| 2023 | Broiler houses: $18 to $22 per sq ft; an 8-barn farm about $6 million | Choices |
| 2023 | Breeder houses: $32.50 per sq ft; a 4-house farm about $2.6 million or more | Southern Ag Today |
| 2018 or earlier | About $225,000 to build one poultry house, per UGA Extension | Georgia Farm Bureau |
| 2017 | Generator and transfer switch $26,500, plus $8,400 per house for generator wiring and alarm | UMD Extension EB-431 |
| About 2006 | About $9.00 per sq ft; a 20,000 sq ft house about $185,000 to $190,000 | WATTAgNet |
| Early 2000s | Broiler houses: $10 to $12 per sq ft | Choices |
Rebuilding usually costs far more than the old house did. After Alabama's 2011 tornadoes, rebuilding cost about double what older houses had cost. Construction pricing ran about 20% above the prior year in 2021, and automatic inflation guards may lag. Steel mill product prices rose 27.6% in the 12 months to September 2026.
Coinsurance
When a building is insured below the required share of its value, coinsurance pays (amount carried ÷ amount required) × the loss, minus the deductible. A $600,000 building insured for $500,000 at 100% coinsurance collects about 83%. Illustrative math: on a $300,000 partial loss to that house, about $250,000 before the deductible. Check each house's limit against today's rebuild cost, and the coinsurance percentage. Coinsurance penalty calculator.
A total fire loss
Texas's valued policy law, Insurance Code §862.053, treats a total fire loss of real property as a claim for the full policy amount, except for personal property. How it applies to your houses is a question for your attorney.
Sources: Pork Business, sponsored by Hog Slat (2021); Georgia Farm Bureau (2018); FSA appraisal addendum (2017); table sources as listed; Meat+Poultry (2011); BLS PPI Table 2 (Oct 2026); Maine Bureau of Insurance; TDI commercial property filing checklist.
Ice and snow collapse: the endorsement that decides the claim
Weight of ice and snow is often an endorsement rather than part of the base policy. Georgia Farm Bureau offers one, FPP-416. Oklahoma State calls ice coverage expensive and missing from some policies. Basic and broad forms name their perils; a special form covers everything not excluded.
In January 2021, snow collapsed several empty 50 by 600 foot barns on a poultry farm near West, Texas. The owner said his adjuster found no snow-weight coverage, and he estimated $250,000 to $300,000 per barn.
A month later, Winter Storm Uri cost Texas agriculture at least $600 million, including at least $228 million for livestock and poultry combined. Poultry losses included dead birds, housing damage and higher heating costs. After an early-2026 Arkansas storm, about 70 poultry houses collapsed in the Arkansas River Valley alone, and an extension chair said many older houses no longer carried collapse coverage.
What to do
- Check the declarations for an ice and snow endorsement or a broad or special form before the claim is filed
- Photograph the roof line, trusses and any standing houses the same day
- If the insurer rejects the claim, Texas law requires it in writing with the reasons, so ask for the policy language it relies on
- Bird deaths from a qualifying winter storm may fall under USDA's LIP (see below)
Sources: GFB Insurance (2021); OSU AGEC-202; Maine Bureau of Insurance; KWTX (Jan 2021); Texas Farm Bureau (Mar 2021); Talk Business & Politics (Feb 2026); Malone, Univ. of Delaware; Tex. Ins. Code §542.056.
Your lost flock pay: settlement sheets, placements and the real rebuild timeline
A contract grower's income loss is lost flock pay, plus the bills that keep coming while the houses are empty. Business income and extra expense are optional on farm policies, so check whether they were bought, their limits, and how the policy defines the period of restoration.
How grower pay is set
- Broilers: pay per pound of usable birds, usually with a floor price, adjusted by ranking against growers who sold the same week
- Breeders: pay per dozen eggs plus bonuses; new breeder farms average about $4.60 per sq ft per year
- Benchmark: Southeastern lenders put broiler gross revenue at $2.75 to $3.25 per sq ft per year in 2022
Worked example (illustrative)
One 2017 Maryland budget paid $0.33 per sq ft per flock. For a 36,000 sq ft house, that is about $11,880 per missed flock. At 6.8 flocks a year, four such houses earned $323,136. Your own settlement sheets set the real figure.
How we build it
Expected pay is lost flocks times expected pay per flock, from your settlement history, checked against the dealer's 5-year pay table. Subtract the costs that stop while houses are empty, which depend on your contract. In the Maryland model, the integrator furnished propane and the grower paid electricity. Add the costs that keep running, such as loan payments: a modeled four-house breeder farm carries about $284,677 a year, and banks want a 1.30 debt service coverage ratio.
We do not hand the carrier one calculation. We model the loss several independent ways, against your settlement history, the rebuild and the restart on the company's schedule, and use those models against each other. The look-back period matters too: a soft year inside a multi-year average can drag your baseline down when it does not reflect normal operations.
Track every payment the integrator makes after the loss, and check how your policy treats it.
The records that prove pay
A 2023 USDA rule makes a broiler dealer's Disclosure Document show 5 years of average gross pay per sq ft, by housing tier. It also requires placement disclosures and settlement disclosures for ranked pay. USDA's 2026 regulatory agenda lists a planned rescission of that rule, though no proposal had been published as of October 20, 2026. A separate 2025 payment-systems rule was delayed to December 31, 2027. Ask for your Disclosure Document and settlement records now.
Placements while you rebuild
Broiler contracts must state the minimum placements a year and the minimum stocking density. The Disclosure Document must describe any dealer policy on natural disasters, including appeal rights, or state that none exists. Whether a minimum still applies when houses are destroyed is a question for your attorney. In past disasters, an Alabama grower kept placing birds in his damaged houses that stayed standing, and in 2011 Tyson helped growers relocate flocks.
What sets the restoration period
- Debris and weather: crews were still pulling tin about two months after an October 2010 Alabama tornado, and the rebuild was unfinished in late February
- Regional disasters: after the 2011 outbreak, Wayne Farms said full recovery could take up to a year, especially for growers
- Financing and specs: almost all growers need FSA loan help, and FSA appraisals must estimate the cost to meet integrator standards
- Restart: breeder houses need 3 to 4 weeks of cleanout between flocks, and placements resume on the integrator's schedule, not when construction ends
- Policy terms: under the standard commercial business income form, income loss is covered from 72 hours after the loss, and extended business income runs 60 days after operations resume unless more was bought. Check your farm policy's own terms.
Extra expense to document
- Temporary generators
- Hauling
- Temporary repairs that bring undamaged houses back sooner
- Carcass handling
- Bulking agent such as shavings for composting, which runs about $10,000 per house for flood-killed birds
Sources: UMD Extension EB-431 (2017); OSU AGEC-202; Southern Ag Today (2022, 2023); Hogan Lovells (2023); USDA AMS fact sheet and FAQ (2024); Federal Register (Jun and Aug 2026); Texas Farm Bureau (Jul 2026); Alfa Farmers (2011); Meat+Poultry (2011); Choices (2023); FSA appraisal addendum; UGA B1214; ISO CP 00 30; Malone.
USDA help: LIP for weather deaths, and why bird flu goes through APHIS
Federal programs run alongside your insurance claim, not through it. Each has its own rules and deadlines.
| Program | What it pays | Where poultry growers stand |
|---|---|---|
| LIP (Livestock Indemnity Program) | Deaths above normal mortality from eligible weather: tornado, straight-line wind, hurricane, flood, hail, lightning, wildfire, extreme heat, extreme cold and qualifying winter storms | Contract growers qualify with a written agreement. Pay is based on average income loss, minus any integrator compensation. Notice and application are due March 1 of the following year. |
| APHIS bird-flu indemnity | Birds destroyed in avian influenza response; about $1.1 billion paid to more than 1,200 producers since 2022 | Since 2016, the grower's share depends on how much of the flock cycle was complete, minus integrator payments. Biosecurity audits are now required before restocking. |
| FSA emergency loans | Loans to replace property, livestock and equipment, or refinance debt | Available in counties with a primary or contiguous disaster designation. |
| FEMA Public Assistance | Carcass removal and disposal in declared disasters | FEMA accepts a TCEQ form affidavit as proof of livestock loss. |
| ELAP | Feed, water and transport losses for listed livestock | FSA's March 2025 fact sheet lists no chickens or turkeys; confirm with your county FSA office. |
LIP requires proof that an eligible event caused the deaths, so keep the weather records for the date and the number, kind and location of the birds. The deadline is months away, but the proof disappears with the carcasses. Ask your county FSA office whether your loss qualifies.
Bird flu runs through APHIS. The LIP fact sheet does not name avian influenza among its eligible causes, so confirm with FSA. In December 2025, TAHC responded when a Shelby County farm lost 260,000 chickens to bird flu. Whether a property policy also responds turns on its disease exclusions, which is a question for your attorney if disputed.
Sources: FSA LIP fact sheet (Jul 2026); APHIS (Dec 2024); NSAC (2016); FSA emergency loans (Aug 2026); TCEQ carcass page and storm guidance; FSA ELAP fact sheet (Mar 2025); KLTV (Dec 2025).
The shortfalls in these claims are predictable. So is how we fight them.
Large losses in this sector are contested on a handful of recurring fronts. None of these mean the carrier is acting in bad faith, it means the policy is complex and the default reading of it favors the insurer unless someone pushes back with documentation. Here is what they try, and what we do about each.
Older houses get heavy depreciation as if nothing had been upgraded.
Our move: We gather upgrade invoices and equipment records that support a lower effective age, the way FSA appraisal guidance weighs it.
A penalty is applied to houses insured at old values.
Our move: We check the calculation house by house, against the values your agent and the insurer had on file.
A generator or transfer-switch failure is framed as wear, tear or poor maintenance.
Our move: We pull controller logs, generator exercise and service records, fuel tickets and the utility's outage confirmation.
Most farm fires never get a confirmed cause, and the gap gets used against the grower.
Our move: We document the scene and keep the heaters, brooders, wiring, controllers and fans for joint inspection. Burden questions under your policy are for your attorney.
Upgrades the company requires are called betterment beyond like kind and quality.
Our move: We document the company's housing specification letters and the cost to meet them. Whether ordinance or upgrade coverage applies is a policy question, and a dispute belongs with your attorney.
Fans, controllers and generators get placed on whichever schedule pays least.
Our move: We match each item to the building or personal property schedule using invoices, models and serial numbers.
Carcass handling gets folded into a small debris sublimit.
Our move: We keep carcass costs separate with receipts, weights and tickets so each cost is presented on its own.
The period ends when construction ends.
Our move: Debris and weather records, FSA financing steps, cleanout time and the company's placement schedule set the real period.
Texas poultry, and the Texas rules on your side
Texas raised 731.8 million broilers worth $3.62 billion in 2025, and its eggs were worth $1.90 billion. It ranks 5th in broiler liveweight. In 2022, 910 Texas farms raised broilers under production contracts, clustered in East Texas and Gonzales County.
| County | Broilers raised and delivered under contract, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Gonzales | 94,440,102 |
| Shelby | 90,518,747 |
| Nacogdoches | 86,982,238 |
| San Augustine | 54,615,790 |
| Titus | 38,846,340 |
Counties with withheld figures are left out. Source: USDA NASS 2022 Census of Agriculture, Texas Table 38.
Water quality plans
The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board requires a water quality management plan for poultry operators. A certified plan changes the burial steps: TCEQ's notice letter and the deed record apply when there is no certified plan.
Insurer deadlines
Texas gives insurers 15 days to acknowledge a written claim notice, 15 business days to accept or reject once requested items arrive, and 5 business days to pay an accepted claim. A rejection must be in writing with reasons. In a TDI-designated weather catastrophe, each deadline gets 15 more days. Surplus lines insurers get longer on some steps. What a missed deadline means for your claim is a question for your attorney. Texas prompt payment deadline calculator.
Your right to a public adjuster
A commercial or residential policy may not prohibit an insured from hiring a licensed public adjuster. TDI applies this to policies delivered, issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2024.
Texas weather
Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 damaged poultry housing across the state. A tornado nearly destroyed three barns and killed laying hens near Greenville in April 2014, and an EF-1 destroyed 9 barns near Temple in May 2024. After Hurricane Ike, TAHC coordinated large-scale carcass disposal with NRCS. Extreme heat is an LIP-eligible event.
Sources: USDA NASS (Apr 2026); National Chicken Council; USDA NASS 2022 Census Table 38; Texas Farm Credit (2025); TCEQ RG-326 and RG-591; Tex. Ins. Code §§542.051 to 542.059 and §4102.007; TDI filing checklist; Texas Farm Bureau (2021); The American Conservative (2014); Fox Weather (2024); Drovers; FSA LIP fact sheet.
Texas poultry and farm losses on record
Two of these fires destroyed empty houses, which national fire counts never capture. No birds lost still means a claim for the houses, the equipment and the next flocks' pay.
| Date | Where | What happened | Lesson for the grower |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2013 | Near Calvert, Robertson County | Two empty Sanderson Farms contract houses burned; six departments responded | Houses, equipment and the next flocks' pay are at stake even with no birds lost. |
| Apr 2014 | Rehoboth Ranch, Greenville | Tornado; three barns a near-total loss, laying hens killed, the home damaged | One storm hits several buildings; each needs its own schedule, limit and deductible. |
| Mar 2017 | South of Center, Shelby County | Two empty houses a total loss; co-op linemen cut power and disengaged the generators | The electrical and generator systems are part of the scene. |
| Jan 2021 | Near West, McLennan County | Snow collapsed several empty barns; the owner estimated $250,000 to $300,000 per barn | The owner said his adjuster found no snow-weight coverage. Check for the endorsement. |
| Feb 2021 | Statewide | Winter Storm Uri: at least $600 million in Texas ag losses, $228 million of it livestock and poultry | Ice collapse and cold deaths turn on endorsements and timely LIP filings. |
| Apr 2023 | Southfork Dairy, near Dimmitt, Castro County | Nearly 18,000 cattle killed; the State Fire Marshal traced it to a manure vacuum truck engine fire | Early theories change; preserve the equipment until the investigation ends. |
| Jan 2024 | Feather Crest Farms, Bryan, Brazos County | Fire burned for days; the hen count was never disclosed, and the sheriff ruled it accidental | When the scene is unsafe, the claim is rebuilt from early photos, flock records and official reports. |
| May 2024 | Robinson Family Farm, Temple | EF-1 tornado destroyed 9 barns; heavy rain slowed cleanup | Weather after the storm stretches the restoration period. |
| Dec 2025 | Shelby County | Bird flu; 260,000 chickens, with TAHC responding | Disease losses run through TAHC and APHIS; a property policy's disease exclusions are for your attorney. |
Sources: WATTPoultry (2013); The American Conservative (2014); Shelby County Today (2017); KWTX (2021); Texas Farm Bureau (2021); Texas Tribune (2023); Scripps News and Lead Stories (2024); Fox Weather (2024); KLTV (2025).
Documents to pull now: a grower's checklist
Scene photos and carcass counts come first, because they disappear within days.
The scene
- Time-stamped photos and video of every house, burned or not, before carcass removal
- The integrator representative's head count and your own count by house
- Fire department incident report and the sheriff or State Fire Marshal case number
- Utility outage confirmation
- Weather records for the date
Carcass disposal
- Head counts and weights, the method used, renderer or landfill tickets
- Compost logs
- A copy of any TCEQ notification letter
- Burial location and deed record where required
- Notes of any TAHC contact
Policy
- The full policy, with declarations and every endorsement (replacement cost, agreed value, ice and snow, business income)
- Building and equipment schedules and deductibles
- Agent emails and insurer inspection reports about values
Contract and pay
- The growing contract, including any Acts of God clause
- The integrator's Disclosure Document with its natural-disaster policy, appeal rights and 5-year pay tables
- Several years of settlement sheets
- Placement disclosures
- Housing-specification or upgrade letters
- Records of any integrator payments after the loss
The flock at the time of loss
- Birds placed, age, mortality logs, latest weights and feed deliveries
- For LIP, the number and kind of birds and where they died
Buildings and equipment
- Construction contracts, plans, specs and original invoices
- Invoices, models and serial numbers for fans, inlets, curtains, cool cells, feeders, drinkers, brooders, heaters, controllers, generators, transfer switches and alarms
- Upgrade invoices
Maintenance and monitoring
- Controller data and logs, including power-loss events
- Alarm and auto-dialer records
- Generator exercise and service records and fuel delivery tickets
- Electrical work and inspections
- Pest-control records
- For hay or litter, storage agreements and moisture and temperature logs
- For feed or grain handling, dust housekeeping, hot work permits and equipment inspections
USDA, lender and financials
- LIP notice of loss and application, due March 1 of the following year
- Loan agreements, insurance requirements and loss-payee details
- Tax returns, Schedule F, expense records and loan amortization schedules
Sources: Ohio State Farm Office (2023); TCEQ RG-326 and RG-591; Georgia Farm Bureau (2018); Alfa Farmers (2011); OSU AGEC-202; Hogan Lovells (2023); FSA LIP fact sheet; FSA appraisal addendum; MSU IS1952; UT D257; Malone; MWL (2023); 29 CFR 1910.272.
The insurance company's adjuster works for the insurance company.
After a major loss, the carrier sends its own adjuster, and often a forensic accountant and engineering consultants, all retained by the insurer. They are competent and they are not neutral; their job is to resolve the claim on terms favorable to the company that pays them. A public adjuster is the licensed counterweight: we represent the policyholder only, we build and present the claim, and we negotiate the settlement.
On a poultry farm loss the asymmetry is the whole problem. The carrier typically brings a cause-and-origin investigator, often with an electrical engineer, plus a structural engineer for wind or ice collapse, a building estimator using poultry-equipment vendor quotes, a forensic accountant and sometimes a generator technician. We document the full loss with the same rigor, and we are paid a percentage of what we recover, so our incentive is your number. We are licensed public adjusters, not attorneys: when a question turns on your growing contract, carcass disposal compliance, a disease exclusion, how policy language applies in a dispute, or a claim against a builder or equipment maker, we work alongside your attorney rather than in place of one.
What happens after you call.
Loss review and policy analysis
We read the actual policy, including limits, valuation, equipment schedules, any livestock provisions, business income, endorsements and exclusions, and assess the full scope before anyone commits to a number.
Document the loss fast, before the evidence is gone
Houses, climate-control and ventilation equipment, generators and controllers, head counts in every house, and smoke and contamination beyond the burn. We move quickly and bring in industrial hygienists where contamination spreads beyond the burn.
Build the business-interruption claim, modeled against the real restart
From real production and financial records: the rebuild-and-restock timeline, the grow-out cycle to return to production, and the right look-back baseline, documented to substantiate the full loss.
Present, negotiate, and settle
We present the documented claim, contest the predictable shortfalls, and negotiate the settlement on your behalf through to resolution.
Questions poultry and agricultural operators ask
Who pays for the dead birds when my chicken house burns, me or the integrator?
Under a typical integration contract, the integrator owns and usually insures the birds. Your claim usually covers the houses, equipment, cleanup and carcass handling, your lost grower pay and extra expense. Independent owners may carry their own bird coverage.
How long do I have to dispose of dead birds in Texas?
Dead birds may stay on site up to 72 hours in a closed, varmint-proof, leakproof container. After that they must be refrigerated at 40°F or below or disposed of by an approved method. If disease is possible, call TAHC at 800-550-8242 before disposal.
Can I bury dead chickens on my farm in Texas?
Only in a major die-off, 0.3% or more of the flock dying in a day, that exceeds your normal capacity. Without a certified water quality management plan, notify TCEQ by letter first, and call the regional office before burying 10 or more. Which rules apply on your land is a question for TCEQ and your attorney.
Will my policy pay to rebuild my poultry house at today's cost?
It depends on the valuation in your declarations: replacement cost, agreed value or actual cash value. Many replacement-cost policies pay actual cash value first and the rest after you rebuild. Published figures put new broiler houses at $12.10 to $22 per sq ft in 2023 and 2024.
What is coinsurance, and can it reduce my claim?
If a house is insured below the required share of its value, the payment is cut in proportion. A $600,000 building insured for $500,000 at 100% coinsurance collects about 83% of the loss, minus the deductible.
Is a roof collapse from ice or snow covered on a chicken house?
Only if your policy covers weight of ice and snow, which is often an endorsement. A grower near West, Texas said his adjuster found no snow-weight coverage after his barns collapsed in 2021. Check your declarations now.
Are bird losses from a power outage or generator failure covered?
The birds usually belong to the company, so that loss is usually theirs. Your side is the equipment and your lost pay, and whether a generator failure is covered depends on your forms, such as equipment breakdown. Expect a maintenance argument; controller logs and generator exercise records answer it.
How is a contract grower's lost income figured while the houses are rebuilt?
From lost flocks times expected pay per flock, using your settlement sheets and the dealer's 5-year pay table, less costs that stop, plus costs that continue such as loan payments. It needs business income coverage on your policy.
Can a contract grower get USDA LIP payments for birds killed by a storm, freeze or heat?
Yes, with a written agreement, for deaths above normal mortality from eligible weather. Pay is based on average income loss, minus any integrator compensation. Notice and application are due March 1 of the year after the loss.
Does insurance cover bird flu losses?
Bird flu indemnity runs through USDA APHIS, which has paid about $1.1 billion to more than 1,200 producers since 2022. Whether a property policy also responds turns on its disease exclusions. If that is disputed, it is a question for your attorney.
Should I clean up before the adjuster inspects the damage?
Not beyond what safety and the 72-hour carcass rule require. Photograph every house first, keep heaters, controllers, fans and generator parts, and agree in writing with the carrier before removing equipment.
Will the company keep placing birds in my houses that are still standing?
That depends on your contract and the company's disaster policy, which its Disclosure Document must describe. One Alabama grower kept placing birds in his standing houses after a 2010 tornado. What your contract requires is a question for your attorney.
What does it cost to hire a public adjuster?
We work on a percentage of the recovery, with no upfront cost. We are only paid if and when you recover, which aligns our incentive with maximizing your settlement. Fee specifics are discussed up front before you commit to anything.
Tell us what happened. We will tell you straight whether you have a fight worth having.
No cost, no obligation. The fastest path is the phone - for a major loss, call and talk to a person today. A licensed Texas public insurance adjuster will review the loss with you.
713-369-4300Start a claim review
Tell us what happened. A licensed Texas public adjuster will review the loss with you and tell you straight whether you have a fight worth having. It is confidential, and there is no cost.
For fire claims, we call you back within 1 hour and visit your property within 24 hours or less.
A major loss is decided in the first moves. Make yours count.
Talk to a public adjuster who works only for you. No upfront cost - we are paid a percentage only if you recover.
713-369-4300Crossroads Insurance Recovery Advocates · TDI License 1924788
This page is general educational information about commercial property claims, not legal advice or advice on your specific claim. Crossroads Insurance Recovery Advocates, Texas public adjuster entity license #1924788.
Don't take our word for it
- 30 TAC §335.25 (Cornell LII)
- TCEQ RG-326: carcasses from poultry operations (Aug 2009)
- TCEQ RG-591: carcasses after a declared disaster (Aug 2022)
- TCEQ: carcass disposal page
- TCEQ: storm carcass guidance (Aug 2017)
- AWI: Barn Fires, A Deadly Threat to Farmed Animals, 3rd ed. (2025)
- AWI: 2019 barn fire update
- ThePoultrySite: 2020 barn fire report
- UT Extension D257 (Apr 2025)
- MSU Extension IS1952: backup generator reliability
- University of Kentucky: Emergency Ventilation
- Malone: Developing a Catastrophic Mortality Plan for Broiler Farms (Univ. of Delaware)
- UGA Field Report: poultry litter fires (2019)
- Farm Progress: high-moisture hay (2012)
- Matthiesen, Wickert & Lehrer: hay fires and subrogation (2023)
- OSHA: 29 CFR 1910.272, grain handling facilities
- NWS Jackson: March 21, 2012 tornadoes
- Fox Weather: Temple tornado (2024)
- WATTPoultry: insurer sues over egg farm fire (2022)
- Pork Business, sponsored by Hog Slat: building costs and insurance (2021)
- Maine Bureau of Insurance: Insuring Your Farm
- Georgia Farm Bureau: poultry coverage (2018)
- GFB Insurance: poultry insurance (2021)
- Georgia Farm Bureau: UGA construction recommendations (2018)
- Nationwide: poultry farm insurance
- Ohio State Farm Office: claims and payouts (2023)
- FSA: appraisal guidelines, poultry addendum (2017)
- UMD Extension EB-431: broiler production management (2017)
- Oklahoma State AGEC-202
- UGA Bulletin 1214: contract hatching-egg producers (2024)
- Choices: Brothers, Goeringer and Thompson (2023)
- Southern Ag Today: breeder housing (2023)
- Southern Ag Today: broiler revenue (2022)
- Decision Innovation Solutions: Alabama broiler house (2024)
- WATTAgNet: cash flow for new construction
- Meat+Poultry: Nature's fury (2011)
- Alfa Farmers: DeKalb grower (2011)
- BLS: PPI Detailed Report, Table 2
- Hogan Lovells: AMS transparency rule (2023)
- USDA AMS: poultry grower fact sheet
- USDA AMS: transparency rule FAQ (2024)
- Federal Register: 2026 Unified Agenda
- Federal Register: payment-systems rule delay (2026)
- Texas Farm Bureau: USDA to rescind competition rules (2026)
- FSA: LIP fact sheet (Jul 2026)
- FSA: ELAP livestock assistance fact sheet (2025)
- FSA: emergency loans (Aug 2026)
- APHIS: HPAI indemnity interim rule (2024)
- NSAC: avian flu indemnity for growers (2016)
- Drovers: livestock disposal plans
- USDA NASS: Poultry Production and Value 2025 Summary
- National Chicken Council: top broiler states
- USDA NASS: 2022 Census, Texas Table 38
- Texas Farm Credit: Texas poultry guide (2025)
- Texas Farm Bureau: Winter Storm Uri ag losses (2021)
- KWTX: snow collapses barns at local poultry farm (2021)
- Talk Business & Politics: Arkansas winter storm (2026)
- Scripps News: Bryan fire (2024)
- Hoodline: Bryan fire (2024)
- Lead Stories: Bryan fire fact check (2024)
- Texas Tribune: how the Southfork Dairy fire started (2023)
- Agriland: Southfork Dairy (2023)
- WATTPoultry: Calvert fire (2013)
- Shelby County Today: Center fire (2017)
- The American Conservative: Greenville tornado (2014)
- KLTV: Shelby County bird flu (2025)
- ISO CP 00 30 10 12: Business Income (and Extra Expense) Coverage Form
- TDI: commercial property filing checklist
- Tex. Ins. Code §542.055
- Tex. Ins. Code §542.056
- Tex. Ins. Code §542.057
- Tex. Ins. Code §542.059
- Tex. Ins. Code Chapter 4102 (§4102.007)