Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Apr. 30, 2014	May 22, 2014
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Apr. 30, 2014
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	SAFM
Entity Registrant Name	SANDERSON FARMS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000812128
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--10-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		23,071,250