Chicken Price in Nigeria (October 2026): Live Broiler, Old Layer and Frozen Chicken

📌 Quick answer (checked 14 October 2026): No official body publishes a national “price of chicken today”. The most recent dated figures we could verify are: a carton of local frozen chicken lap at ₦48,000 and an imported brand at ₦62,000 in Lagos markets in September 2026 (Nairametrics Food Price Watch, 2 October 2026); live broilers listed at ₦15,000–₦27,000 and cleaned old layers at ₦10,000–₦15,000 in a Lagos weekly price guide (24 Hours Market, August 2026). Last December, a Nairametrics market survey found adult broilers selling for ₦18,000–₦30,000, so expect prices to climb again as Christmas approaches.

Chicken is the protein Nigerians reach for at parties, Sunday rice, pepper soup joints and suya spots, so its price matters to almost every household. The difficulty is that chicken is sold in many forms — live birds, cleaned birds, frozen cartons, laps, wings, per kilogram — and prices swing by market, size of bird and season. This guide pulls together only figures that a named source published with a date, explains what each one actually measures, and shows you how to check today’s price in your own market before you spend.

Because no Nigerian government agency currently publishes a regular, national price for live or dressed chicken, you will not find a single “official” figure here. Where we could not find a recent, sourced number for a product (for example chicken wings per kg or gizzard per kg), we say so rather than guess.

Chicken prices in Nigeria: the latest sourced figures

How to read this table. The September 2026 carton prices are the most recent verified figures and come from a monthly survey of the same four Lagos markets, which makes them useful for spotting direction. The articles do not state the carton weight, and cartons sold in Nigerian markets vary, so do not divide them by an assumed weight to get a per-kg price. The December 2025 per-kg and live-bird figures are older, but they are the latest dated, survey-based numbers we found for those formats — and they show what happens to prices in the festive season.

What we could not verify

Earlier versions of this page listed prices for chicken wings per kg, gizzard per kg, drumsticks per piece and city-by-city ranges for Abuja, Ibadan, Port Harcourt and Kano. We could not find a named, dated source for any of those figures in 2026, so we have removed them. If you need those numbers, use the checking method below.

How the frozen chicken price has moved in Lagos in 2026

Nairametrics’ monthly survey of Mushin, Daleko, Mile 12 and Oyingbo markets gives the clearest picture of frozen chicken through 2026:

• January 2026: frozen chicken laps averaged ₦59,000 a carton, up 7.27% from December 2025.
• June to July 2026: a carton of frozen chicken lap jumped from ₦47,000 to ₦61,000 — a rise of almost 30% in one month.
• August to September 2026: the survey now separates local and imported product. The local lap rose 6.67% to ₦48,000; the imported brand eased from ₦65,000 to ₦62,000.

Two lessons stand out. First, frozen chicken prices can move by double digits in a single month, so a price you saw a few weeks ago may already be out of date. Second, the gap between “local” and “imported brand” cartons is large — around ₦14,000 in September 2026 — so always ask which one a trader is quoting.

Live chicken vs frozen chicken: which should you buy?

Old layers vs broilers. An “old layer” is a hen that has finished her egg-laying life. She is smaller and her meat is tougher, so she suits long-cooked soups and pepper soup. Broilers are raised for meat in about six to eight weeks and are softer — better for frying and grilling. In the August 2026 Lagos guide, a cleaned old layer was listed at ₦10,000–₦15,000 against ₦15,000–₦27,000 for a live broiler, which is why many households buy old layers for soup.

Why chicken became so expensive in 2026

1. The day-old chick shortage

Every broiler and every laying hen starts as a day-old chick bought from a hatchery. In March 2026, BusinessDay reported that day-old chick prices had surged 67% in three months, and Weekend Trust reported farmers paying ₦2,500–₦3,000 for commercial layer chicks, with waits of several months. The President of the Poultry Association of Nigeria, Chief Sunday Ezeobiora, told the paper that parent-stock chicks were costing up to ₦9,000 each. When chicks are scarce and dear, fewer birds reach market and each bird costs more to raise.

2. Feed costs

Feed is widely put at about 70% of the cost of raising poultry (Vanguard editorial, 3 September 2026). Maize and soya make up most of a feed bag, so when grain prices or the exchange rate move, the cost of a grown bird follows. To see current feed bag prices, read our poultry farm startup guide, which lists prices from online feed sellers checked this month.

3. Imports remain banned

The Federal Government’s revised import prohibition list, dated 1 April 2026, keeps live or dead birds, including frozen poultry, on the banned list for all ports of entry (THISDAY, 19 April 2026). That protects local farmers, but it also means domestic supply cannot easily be topped up when chicks and feed are short. Any “imported” frozen chicken you see on sale therefore did not come in through a legal port, so buy from sellers you trust.

4. Energy and transport

Commercial farms run brooders, pumps and lights, often on generators, and birds must be moved from farms in Ogun, Oyo, Kaduna and elsewhere to city markets. Higher diesel and transport costs show up in the final price, particularly in Lagos and Abuja.

How to check the chicken price in your area today

1. Ask at least three sellers for the same product. Specify live broiler or old layer, approximate size (ask the seller to weigh it if they have a scale), and whether the price includes slaughtering and dressing.
2. For frozen chicken, ask “local or imported?” and “how many kg in the carton?” Cartons differ, and the local/imported gap in Lagos was about ₦14,000 in September 2026.
3. Compare with the latest monthly survey. Nairametrics publishes its Lagos Food Price Watch early each month; the NBS also publishes monthly food price reports and state CPI notes on its website.
4. Call a farm directly. Many commercial farms sell live broilers at the farm gate, especially when a batch is ready. Ask the bird’s age and average weight.
5. Write down the date. Prices change month to month; a figure without a date is not much use when you plan a party budget.

Worked example: budgeting chicken for a 50-guest party

This example uses only the dated figures above, so you can redo the maths with prices you collect yourself.

• Option A — live broilers. Suppose you plan one piece per guest and get roughly eight usable pieces from a broiler. You would need about seven birds. At the August 2026 Lagos guide range of ₦15,000–₦27,000 per bird, that is ₦105,000–₦189,000 before slaughtering and transport.
• Option B — frozen laps. One lap per guest means 50 laps. Count how many laps are in the carton your trader sells (it varies by carton size), then work out how many cartons you need. At ₦48,000 (local) or ₦62,000 (imported) per carton in September 2026, even two cartons will cost ₦96,000–₦124,000.

Whichever option you choose, the December 2025 survey suggests prices can rise sharply in the run-up to Christmas — live broilers moved from ₦15,000–₦25,000 to ₦18,000–₦30,000 year on year. If you have freezer space and steady power, buying frozen chicken a few weeks before the festive rush can save money.

Tips to spend less on chicken

• Buy whole birds and portion at home. Pre-cut pieces carry the butcher’s margin.
• Use everything. Gizzard, liver, neck and the carcass make stock and pepper soup; nothing needs to be wasted.
• Old layers for soup. If you are pressure-cooking, a cleaned old layer is usually cheaper than a broiler.
• Buy before festive peaks. Christmas, Easter and Sallah periods push prices up.
• Rotate proteins. Alternate chicken with eggs, beans and fish during the week. See our egg price guide and beans price guide to compare.

Buying chicken safely

• Fresh meat: pale pink flesh, firm texture that springs back, no sour or ammonia smell, no slimy skin.
• Live birds: bright eyes, alert and active, clean feathers around the vent, no wheezing.
• Frozen chicken: buy from sellers with working freezers; avoid cartons that have clearly thawed and refrozen; be wary of unusually cheap “imported” chicken, which may be smuggled.
• At home: refrigerate or freeze promptly, thaw in the fridge rather than on the counter, and cook until no pink flesh or red juice remains. For symptoms to watch for, read our food poisoning guide.

Cooking for a crowd? Try our Nigerian party fried chicken recipe or chicken pepper soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a live broiler chicken in Nigeria now?

The most recent dated listing we found was ₦15,000–₦27,000 for a live broiler in a Lagos weekly price guide dated 5 August 2026 (24 Hours Market). Prices vary with the size of the bird and the market, and they usually climb from November into December.

How much is a carton of frozen chicken in Lagos?

In September 2026, Nairametrics’ survey of four Lagos markets found a carton of local frozen chicken lap at ₦48,000 and an imported brand at ₦62,000. Carton sizes vary, so ask the seller for the weight.

What is the price of chicken per kg in Nigeria?

The latest survey-based per-kg figure we could verify is ₦5,500–₦6,500 per kg for frozen chicken, from a Nairametrics market survey published on 2 December 2025. We found no newer, sourced per-kg figure, so check with your local cold room or supermarket.

Why is chicken so expensive in Nigeria in 2026?

The main reasons reported this year are a shortage and price surge in day-old chicks (up 67% in three months, BusinessDay, March 2026), high feed costs (about 70% of production cost), the continued ban on frozen poultry imports, and higher energy and transport costs.

Is it legal to import frozen chicken into Nigeria?

No. The revised import prohibition list dated 1 April 2026 keeps live or dead birds, including frozen poultry, banned at all ports of entry, according to THISDAY’s 19 April 2026 report.

Will chicken be cheaper or more expensive at Christmas 2026?

Nobody can say for certain, but festive demand has pushed prices up before. Nairametrics’ December 2025 survey found adult broilers at ₦18,000–₦30,000, up from ₦15,000–₦25,000 a year earlier. Planning and buying early is the safest approach.

Sources

1. Nairametrics, “Lagos food prices: Egusi jumps 29.73% as major staples record wider declines in September”, 2 October 2026
2. Nairametrics, “Lagos food prices: Onion climbs 40% as cooking gas eases in July survey”, 4 August 2026
3. Nairametrics, “Prices of chicken surge: What families should expect this Christmas”, 2 December 2025
4. 24 Hours Market, “Food Prices in Lagos Today (Weekly Market Price Guide)”, 5 August 2026
5. THISDAY, “To protect domestic firms, manage forex, FG bans importation of paracetamol, other medicines… frozen poultry”, 19 April 2026

Last updated: 14 October 2026 · NaijaSabi.