Mathematical Model for the Design of a Broiler Chicken Supply Chain

Research on the design of agrifood supply chains has grown in recent years; however, there are still some sectors, such as the poultry industry, that have not been specifically considered and whose characteristics affect the network configuration decision. This research employed a three-phase methodology: first, characterizing the broiler chicken supply chain; second, developing a linear programming model for designing a supply chain that produces and markets broiler chickens in a Colombian city; and third, conducting a detailed analysis of the solution. As one of the main results, a network that minimizes transportation costs was established by determination of product flows between stakeholders during a year. The processing capacities of hatcheries, broiler farms, and processing plants were also considered. As future research, we intend to include the mortality rate during the transport derived from inadequate practices in the distribution operation of chicks and broiler chickens.