Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released February 22, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 2 Percent from Last Year January 2023 contained 22 weekdays (including 2 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. January 2024 contained 23 weekdays (including 2 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during January 2024 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.55 billion pounds, up 2 percent from the amount certified in January 2023. The December 2023 revised certified total at 4.06 billion pounds, was down 6 percent from December 2022. The December revision represented an increase of 603 thousand pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during January 2024 was 6.00 billion pounds, up 2 percent from 5.90 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.36 billion pounds, up 2 percent from January 2023. Mature chickens, at 68.0 million pounds, were up 1 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 551 million pounds, down 1 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 17.9 million pounds, up 6 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during January 2024 averaged 6.58 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from January 2023. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.95 pounds per bird, down 1 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during January 2024 averaged 33.4 pounds per bird, up 2 percent from January 2023. Ante-mortem condemnations during January 2024 totaled 14.8 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.25 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.23 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 28.4 million pounds, were 0.62 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 0.63 percent a year earlier. Poultry Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2024 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ----- percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 804,096 723,802 815,293 101 113 804,096 815,293 101 Mature ...........: 9,633 8,800 9,783 102 111 9,633 9,783 102 Light ..........: 2,744 2,693 2,883 105 107 2,744 2,883 105 Heavy ..........: 6,889 6,107 6,900 100 113 6,889 6,900 100 Total ............: 813,729 732,602 825,076 101 113 813,729 825,076 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 16,878 15,628 16,367 97 105 16,878 16,367 97 Old ..............: 190 86 160 84 186 190 160 84 Total ............: 17,068 15,714 16,527 97 105 17,068 16,527 97 : Ducks ..............: 2,342 2,337 2,497 107 107 2,342 2,497 107 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ---- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 5,259,826 4,785,540 5,362,009 102 112 5,259,826 5,362,009 102 Mature ...........: 67,541 59,967 67,976 101 113 67,541 67,976 101 Light ..........: 9,637 9,271 10,051 104 108 9,637 10,051 104 Heavy ..........: 57,904 50,696 57,925 100 114 57,904 57,925 100 Total ............: 5,327,367 4,845,507 5,429,985 102 112 5,327,367 5,429,985 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 552,620 493,208 546,344 99 111 552,620 546,344 99 Old ..............: 5,597 2,764 4,794 86 173 5,597 4,794 86 Total ............: 558,217 495,972 551,138 99 111 558,217 551,138 99 : Ducks ..............: 17,001 16,637 17,945 106 108 17,001 17,945 106 : Other 1/ ...........: 199 203 176 88 87 199 176 88 : Total ..............: 5,902,784 5,358,319 5,999,244 102 112 5,902,784 5,999,244 102 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.54 6.61 6.58 101 100 6.54 6.58 101 Mature ...........: 7.01 6.81 6.95 99 102 7.01 6.95 99 Light ..........: 3.51 3.44 3.49 99 101 3.51 3.49 99 Heavy ..........: 8.41 8.30 8.39 100 101 8.41 8.39 100 Total ............: 6.55 6.61 6.58 100 100 6.55 6.58 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 32.74 31.56 33.38 102 106 32.74 33.38 102 Old ..............: 29.46 32.14 29.96 102 93 29.46 29.96 102 Total ............: 32.71 31.56 33.35 102 106 32.71 33.35 102 : Ducks ..............: 7.26 7.12 7.19 99 101 7.26 7.19 99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab. Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type - United States [Ready-to-cook weights] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2024 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ---- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,724,233 3,374,394 3,771,421 101 112 3,724,233 3,771,421 101 Mature ...........: 46,525 41,530 47,121 101 113 46,525 47,121 101 Light ..........: 5,003 4,958 5,391 108 109 5,003 5,391 108 Heavy ..........: 41,522 36,572 41,730 101 114 41,522 41,730 101 Total ............: 3,770,758 3,415,924 3,818,542 101 112 3,770,758 3,818,542 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 270,905 249,470 275,263 102 110 270,905 275,263 102 Old ..............: 3,816 1,943 3,439 90 177 3,816 3,439 90 Total ............: 274,721 251,413 278,702 101 111 274,721 278,702 101 : Ducks ..............: 4,487 4,654 5,195 116 112 4,487 5,195 116 : Other 1/ ...........: 123 131 107 87 82 123 107 87 : Total ..............: 4,050,089 3,672,122 4,102,546 101 112 4,050,089 4,102,546 101 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 247,659 241,174 280,273 113 116 247,659 280,273 113 Mature ...........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Heavy ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Total ............: 247,659 241,174 280,273 113 116 247,659 280,273 113 : Turkeys : Young ............: 169,963 141,398 156,232 92 110 169,963 156,232 92 Old ..............: 495 184 228 46 124 495 228 46 Total ............: 170,458 141,582 156,460 92 111 170,458 156,460 92 : Ducks ..............: 7,848 7,630 7,961 101 104 7,848 7,961 101 : Other 1/ ...........: 16 18 16 100 89 16 16 100 : Total ..............: 425,981 390,404 444,710 104 114 425,981 444,710 104 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,971,892 3,615,568 4,051,694 102 112 3,971,892 4,051,694 102 Mature ...........: 46,525 41,530 47,121 101 113 46,525 47,121 101 Light ..........: 5,003 4,958 5,391 108 109 5,003 5,391 108 Heavy ..........: 41,522 36,572 41,730 101 114 41,522 41,730 101 Total ............: 4,018,417 3,657,098 4,098,815 102 112 4,018,417 4,098,815 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 440,868 390,868 431,495 98 110 440,868 431,495 98 Old ..............: 4,311 2,127 3,667 85 172 4,311 3,667 85 Total ............: 445,179 392,995 435,162 98 111 445,179 435,162 98 : Ducks ..............: 12,335 12,284 13,156 107 107 12,335 13,156 107 : Other 1/ ...........: 139 149 123 88 83 139 123 88 : Total ..............: 4,476,070 4,062,526 4,547,256 102 112 4,476,070 4,547,256 102 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2024 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 11,011 9,409 11,866 108 126 11,011 11,866 108 Mature ...........: 876 733 905 103 123 876 905 103 Light ..........: 116 46 65 56 141 116 65 56 Heavy ..........: 760 687 840 111 122 760 840 111 Total ............: 11,887 10,142 12,771 107 126 11,887 12,771 107 : Turkeys ............: Young ............: 1,652 1,432 1,921 116 134 1,652 1,921 116 Old ..............: 48 23 50 104 217 48 50 104 Total ............: 1,700 1,455 1,971 116 135 1,700 1,971 116 : Ducks ..............: 75 76 107 143 141 75 107 143 : Total 1/ ...........: 13,662 11,673 14,849 109 127 13,662 14,849 109 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.21 0.20 0.22 105 110 0.21 0.22 105 Mature ...........: 1.30 1.22 1.33 102 109 1.30 1.33 102 Light ..........: 1.20 0.50 0.65 54 130 1.20 0.65 54 Heavy ..........: 1.31 1.36 1.45 111 107 1.31 1.45 111 Total ............: 0.22 0.21 0.24 109 114 0.22 0.24 109 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.30 0.29 0.35 117 121 0.30 0.35 117 Old ..............: 0.86 0.83 1.04 121 125 0.86 1.04 121 Total ............: 0.30 0.29 0.36 120 124 0.30 0.36 120 : Ducks ..............: 0.44 0.46 0.60 136 130 0.44 0.60 136 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.23 0.22 0.25 109 114 0.23 0.25 109 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. 2/ Pounds condemned as a percent of live weight pounds inspected. Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally condemned and establishment sorted and removed] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2024 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2023 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 20,712 16,413 19,694 95 120 20,712 19,694 95 Mature ...........: 1,793 1,474 1,726 96 117 1,793 1,726 96 Light ..........: 440 348 418 95 120 440 418 95 Heavy ..........: 1,353 1,126 1,308 97 116 1,353 1,308 97 Total ............: 22,505 17,887 21,420 95 120 22,505 21,420 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 5,287 6,018 6,569 124 109 5,287 6,569 124 Old ..............: 207 95 157 76 165 207 157 76 Total ............: 5,494 6,113 6,726 122 110 5,494 6,726 122 : Ducks ..............: 245 217 221 90 102 245 221 90 : Other 1/ ...........: 3 3 3 100 100 3 3 100 : Total ..............: 28,247 24,220 28,370 100 117 28,247 28,370 100 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.52 0.45 0.48 92 107 0.52 0.48 92 Mature ...........: 3.71 3.43 3.53 95 103 3.71 3.53 95 Light ..........: 8.08 6.56 7.20 89 110 8.08 7.20 89 Heavy ..........: 3.16 2.99 3.04 96 102 3.16 3.04 96 Total ............: 0.56 0.49 0.52 93 106 0.56 0.52 93 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.19 1.52 1.50 126 99 1.19 1.50 126 Old ..............: 4.58 4.28 4.11 90 96 4.58 4.11 90 Total ............: 1.22 1.53 1.52 125 99 1.22 1.52 125 : Ducks ..............: 1.95 1.74 1.65 85 95 1.95 1.65 85 : Other 1/ ...........: 2.11 1.97 2.38 113 121 2.11 2.38 113 : Total ..............: 0.63 0.59 0.62 98 105 0.63 0.62 98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. 2/ Pounds condemned as a percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause and Type - United States: December 2023 and January 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 144 190 88,135 102,178 Mature ..........: - - 14 15 46,148 45,919 Light .........: - - 12 11 39,689 39,264 Heavy .........: - - 2 4 6,459 6,655 Total ...........: - - 158 205 134,283 148,097 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 8 6 5,337 5,262 Old .............: - - - 1 356 671 Total ...........: - - 8 7 5,693 5,933 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 105,138 144,087 482 725 1,989 2,927 Mature ..........: 9,325 11,023 154 131 13,399 19,324 Light .........: 3,872 4,618 8 11 9,143 15,036 Heavy .........: 5,453 6,405 146 120 4,256 4,288 Total ...........: 114,463 155,110 636 856 15,388 22,251 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 928 1,281 88 59 49 16 Old .............: 222 427 9 16 97 193 Total ...........: 1,150 1,708 97 75 146 209 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 4,268 4,901 974 1,348 36,813 42,101 Mature ..........: 2,393 2,579 97 76 15,150 18,728 Light .........: 2,005 2,094 82 50 14,547 18,083 Heavy .........: 388 485 15 26 603 645 Total ...........: 6,661 7,480 1,071 1,424 51,963 60,829 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 54 51 203 528 772 658 Old .............: 15 8 7 11 52 70 Total ...........: 69 59 210 539 824 728 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 4,168 5,107 85,295 112,435 1,843,842 2,067,178 Mature ..........: 113 104 30,547 32,414 25,411 34,053 Light .........: 97 50 22,590 24,081 - - Heavy .........: 16 54 7,957 8,333 25,411 34,053 Total ...........: 4,281 5,211 115,842 144,849 1,869,253 2,101,231 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 130 126 2,791 2,373 83,231 89,851 Old .............: 3 6 98 88 343 236 Total ...........: 133 132 2,889 2,461 83,574 90,087 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. 1/ Includes any portion of the carcass affected by an inflammatory process, plant rejected carcasses, missing viscera, or ascites fluid preventing proper inspection of the carcass. 2/ Birds condemned with no cause given by federal inspectors and establishment sorters. Young Chickens Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight - States and United States: December 2023 and January 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 89,994 99,255 497,835 544,233 5.53 5.48 Arkansas ........: 77,506 88,863 571,730 653,935 7.38 7.36 Delaware ........: 30,164 32,979 238,470 258,753 7.91 7.85 Georgia .........: 98,881 112,609 609,753 687,353 6.17 6.10 Illinois ........: 44 69 288 447 6.50 6.43 Indiana .........: 5,519 6,208 25,880 28,914 4.69 4.66 Iowa ............: 1,349 1,729 7,898 10,078 5.85 5.83 Kentucky ........: 21,399 25,102 140,311 161,038 6.56 6.42 Louisiana .......: 13,494 15,059 90,364 101,090 6.70 6.71 Maryland ........: 11,483 12,352 71,023 78,867 6.18 6.38 : Mississippi .....: 54,576 59,225 366,177 395,176 6.71 6.67 Missouri ........: 24,843 27,679 136,012 150,503 5.47 5.44 Nebraska ........: 9,518 10,193 61,787 68,019 6.49 6.67 New Jersey ......: 261 238 1,319 1,200 5.05 5.04 New York ........: 2,531 2,818 12,185 13,547 4.81 4.81 North Carolina ..: 72,219 83,371 615,523 703,783 8.52 8.44 Ohio ............: 10,472 10,398 47,769 46,901 4.56 4.51 Oklahoma ........: 8,203 8,128 62,428 64,420 7.61 7.93 Pennsylvania ....: 12,472 15,000 73,313 87,131 5.88 5.81 South Carolina ..: 24,784 26,091 185,805 192,632 7.50 7.38 : Tennessee .......: 28,811 34,322 177,488 207,390 6.16 6.04 Texas ...........: 56,084 61,444 392,298 429,029 6.99 6.98 Virginia ........: 23,163 26,918 149,915 176,865 6.47 6.57 : United States ...: 723,802 815,293 4,785,540 5,362,009 6.61 6.58 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: December 2023 and January 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-mortem condemnations :Total chilled and frozen :----------------------------------------------- State : pounds certified 1/ : Carcass and parts : Percent 2/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 382,656 419,907 1,600 1,801 0.42 0.43 Arkansas ........: 429,821 489,180 1,775 2,280 0.41 0.46 Delaware ........: 184,762 200,827 886 1,032 0.48 0.51 Georgia .........: 459,200 518,749 2,327 2,796 0.50 0.54 Illinois ........: 215 332 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 18,830 20,983 138 144 0.73 0.68 Iowa ............: 5,316 6,957 341 402 6.03 5.47 Kentucky ........: 105,844 121,814 513 590 0.48 0.48 Louisiana .......: 67,967 75,546 301 447 0.44 0.59 Maryland ........: 52,878 58,899 392 455 0.74 0.77 : Mississippi .....: 270,868 293,903 793 1,057 0.29 0.36 Missouri ........: 99,505 109,750 239 273 0.24 0.25 Nebraska ........: 47,256 51,944 234 309 0.49 0.59 New Jersey ......: 967 879 23 11 2.35 1.18 New York ........: 7,516 8,363 147 142 1.91 1.67 North Carolina ..: 473,366 541,379 1,206 1,572 0.25 0.29 Ohio ............: 35,901 35,096 224 230 0.62 0.65 Oklahoma ........: 46,855 48,317 107 147 0.23 0.30 Pennsylvania ....: 51,938 62,055 762 899 1.45 1.43 South Carolina ..: 140,058 145,535 984 912 0.70 0.62 : Tennessee .......: 131,131 153,133 253 321 0.19 0.21 Texas ...........: 301,998 329,202 683 890 0.23 0.27 Virginia ........: 114,425 134,996 367 394 0.32 0.29 : United States ...: 3,615,568 4,051,694 16,413 19,694 0.45 0.48 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause - States and United States: December 2023 and January 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - 12 4 10,086 11,483 Arkansas ..........: - - - - 307 746 Delaware ..........: - - - 2 12,347 11,929 Georgia ...........: - - - 14 14,421 16,290 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - 1 1 Texas .............: - - 3 - 6,262 10,860 Virginia ..........: - - 1 2 1,620 1,496 : United States .....: - - 144 190 88,135 102,178 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 4,081 4,073 2 2 154 132 Arkansas ..........: 324 241 23 63 - - Delaware ..........: 7,084 7,283 9 6 28 38 Georgia ...........: 27,827 34,224 5 8 308 420 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 1 - - - - 2 Texas .............: 6,314 10,351 5 - 381 534 Virginia ..........: 324 366 1 1 24 21 : United States .....: 105,138 144,087 482 725 1,989 2,927 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 423 412 100 187 3,462 2,952 Arkansas ..........: 10 34 - - 55 84 Delaware ..........: 697 538 34 17 2,522 2,174 Georgia ...........: 736 1,221 225 384 3,703 3,398 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 1 2 - 3 - - Texas .............: 109 140 3 5 292 613 Virginia ..........: 10 10 4 6 166 114 : United States .....: 4,268 4,901 974 1,348 36,813 42,101 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 1,004 1,261 6,246 13,689 144,336 148,558 Arkansas ..........: 17 6 155 116 166,228 209,380 Delaware ..........: 396 352 5,247 3,856 5,913 10,144 Georgia ...........: 224 336 10,644 15,750 162,344 188,810 Mississippi .......: - - - - 125,845 169,565 North Carolina ....: - - - - 90,153 120,648 Texas .............: 214 684 771 1,102 61,432 75,742 Virginia ..........: 753 670 3,379 5,001 136,876 157,729 : United States .....: 4,168 5,107 85,295 112,435 1,843,842 2,067,178 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. 1/ Includes any portion of the carcass affected by an inflammatory process, plant rejected carcasses, missing viscera, or ascites fluid preventing proper inspection of the carcass. 2/ Birds condemned with no cause given by federal inspectors and establishment sorters. Young Turkeys Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight - States and United States: December 2023 and January 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : California ......: 349 293 12,742 11,315 36.51 38.67 Illinois ........: 1 (Z) 39 6 26.97 20.58 Indiana .........: 1,738 1,868 72,304 80,360 41.60 43.02 Iowa ............: 984 970 43,613 45,343 44.31 46.73 Michigan ........: 414 444 17,368 19,095 41.94 43.03 North Carolina ..: 1,662 1,788 62,468 69,784 37.58 39.03 Ohio ............: 622 610 28,426 28,869 45.73 47.33 Pennsylvania ....: 546 627 14,699 18,564 26.91 29.60 South Carolina ..: 567 625 25,438 29,468 44.89 47.12 South Dakota ....: 237 211 10,838 9,250 45.73 43.93 : Vermont .........: 5 - 166 - 31.55 - : United States ...: 15,628 16,367 493,208 546,344 31.56 33.38 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: December 2023 and January 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-mortem condemnations :Total chilled and frozen :----------------------------------------------- State : pounds certified 1/ : Carcass and parts : Percent 2/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 10,191 9,053 64 56 0.63 0.62 Illinois ........: 29 4 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 57,842 64,185 934 994 1.59 1.52 Iowa ............: 34,273 35,503 522 538 1.50 1.49 Michigan ........: 13,460 14,799 186 209 1.36 1.39 North Carolina ..: 48,746 54,780 287 314 0.58 0.57 Ohio ............: 22,698 23,085 458 335 1.98 1.43 Pennsylvania ....: 11,663 14,705 209 212 1.76 1.42 South Carolina ..: 17,592 18,924 971 1,151 5.23 5.73 South Dakota ....: 8,687 7,387 144 142 1.63 1.89 : Vermont .........: 129 - - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 390,868 431,495 6,018 6,569 1.52 1.50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Terms and Definitions Used for Poultry Slaughter Estimates Ante-Mortem Condemnations: Birds federally condemned prior to entry into the slaughter plant which includes Dead-On-Arrival (DOA) and condemned for other causes. Average Live Weight: The weight of the whole bird, before slaughter. Excludes post-mortem condemnations. Certified Ready-to-Cook: The weight of poultry certified wholesome by inspection after post-mortem condemnation pounds are removed. Ready-to-cook represents poultry meat ready for the marketing channel. Dressing Percent: Usually expressed as a percentage yield of frozen and chilled carcass in relation to the weight of the live bird. Ducks: Includes all ducks regardless of age and weight. Federally Inspected (FI) Plants: Plants that transport meat interstate must employ federal inspectors to assure compliance with USDA standards. Mature Chickens: Fowl from breeder and market egg flocks and stags and cocks. Number of Head: Includes post-mortem condemnations. Old Turkeys: Fully matured birds held for egg production, usually over 15 months of age. Plant, Slaughter: An establishment where birds are killed and butchered. Post-Mortem Condemnations: Carcasses or parts of birds condemned includes federally inspected and establishment sorted because of disease or mishandling and removed from the slaughter line and destroyed. Slaughter: Killing and butchering of birds primarily for food. Total Live Weight: The total weight of live birds, before slaughter. Excludes post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens: Commercially grown broilers-fryers and other young immature birds such as roasters and capons. Young Turkeys: Young birds grown to a matured market age, and other turkeys such as fryers/roasters and young breeders. Statistical Methodology Data Sources: Data for poultry slaughter estimates are collected by inspectors of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA for all Federally Inspected plants. Over 99 percent of the total United States slaughter for any species is under Federal Inspection. The number of head slaughtered daily, by species and class, as well as condemnations and total live and dressed weights are obtained by shift for each plant. Approximately 352 plants slaughtered poultry in the United States under Federal Inspection in 2023. Young chickens were slaughtered in 38 States, young turkeys in 30 States. Revision Policy: Data for the previous month and year-to-date totals are subject to revision the following month after the initial monthly estimates are published. Final data are published in the annual summary released in February and include any revisions made to current and previous year's published data. Revisions are generally the result of late reports or corrections received by FSIS from plants and are usually less than one-half of one percent. No revisions will be made to the previous year's data after publication of the annual summary in February. Procedures and Reliability: Plant inspectors submit data electronically for each shift a plant operates. An edit provides checks for the detection of errors such as invalid plant information, duplication, and erroneous data. Data are accumulated to monthly totals for this release. Data for major slaughter plants with missing reports are adjusted prior to publication to assure that all plants slaughtering a significant portion of a specific class are included. Estimates for missing shifts are made only after verifying that the plant was in operation. Adjustments are based on a shift determined to be similar to the one missing. Late reports replace imputed data as they become available. While there is a varying degree of incompleteness from month to month, it has only a minimal impact on the published totals. Poultry slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating plants and, therefore, have no sampling error. However, they may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplications, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. These errors are minimized through strict quality controls in the edit and summarization process, and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@usda.gov Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ............................... (202) 692-0069 Jean Porter, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section .......... (202) 690-3223 Holly Brenize - Poultry Slaughter................................... (202) 720-0585 Liana Cuffman - Catfish and Trout, Mink, Census of Aquaculture ..... (202) 720-8784 Fatema Haque - Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ..................... (202) 720-3244 Derron Martin - Chicken Hatchery, Egg Products...................... (202) 690-3237 Seth Riggins - Honey, Honey Bee Colonies ........................... (202) 690-4870 Shulonda Shaw - Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses .. (202) 720-3240 Autumn Stone - Layers, Eggs ........................................ (202) 690-3676 Takiyah Walker - Broiler Hatchery................................... (202) 720-6147 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit www.nass.usda.gov and click on "National" or "State" in upper right corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive. Cornell's Mann Library has launched a new website housing NASS's and other agency's archived reports. The new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. All email subscriptions containing reports will be sent from the new website, https://usda.library.cornell.edu. To continue receiving the reports via e-mail, you will have to go to the new website, create a new account and re-subscribe to the reports. If you need instructions to set up an account or subscribe, they are located at: https://usda.library.cornell.edu/help. You should whitelist notifications@usda-esmis.library.cornell.edu in your email client to avoid the emails going into spam/junk folders. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@usda.gov. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination against its customers, employees, and applicants for employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program, or protected genetic information in employment or in any program or activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (PDF), found online at www.ascr.usda.gov/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, or at any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the form. You may also write a letter containing all of the information requested in the form. Send your completed complaint form or letter to us by mail at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@usda.gov.