The recession has taken a toll on Delmarva's poultry industry, according to WBOC.

The United States Department of Agriculture reports the state of Virginia produced 50 million fewer pounds of chicken in 2008 than in 2007. Delaware saw production fall by 19 million pounds the same year. And Maryland saw a slight increase, producing 1.6 billion pounds of chicken in 2008, according to the USDA.

Poultry farmers said that while this is not a crisis, still things are slow. They said because of a drop in demand, there are now times where their chicken houses are left empty.

"About the last two years, we've been laid out longer between flocks, longer than we have been in the past," said Caroline County poultry farmer, Edward Robinson.

Mr Robinson said recently one of his chicken houses was empty for more than a month.

"It has a big effect on our bottom line. When you don't have birds you're not making any money, you can't pay the bills," he said.

One poultry farmer told WBOC that some chicken companies have told farmers that many people are simply cutting meat out of their diets to try and save money, leading to the drop in demand.