Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released May 23, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 10 Percent from Last Year April 2023 contained 20 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 5 Saturdays. April 2024 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during April 2024 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.43 billion pounds, up 10 percent from the amount certified in April 2023. The March 2024 certified total at 4.10 billion pounds, was down 10 percent from March 2023, unchanged from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during April 2024 was 5.82 billion pounds, up 10 percent from 5.31 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.17 billion pounds, up 10 percent from April 2023. Mature chickens, at 67.7 million pounds, were up 7 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 565 million pounds, up 6 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 16.2 million pounds, up 4 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during April 2024 averaged 6.52 pounds per bird, up slightly from April 2023. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.90 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during April 2024 averaged 33.3 pounds per bird, up 2 percent from April 2023. Ante-mortem condemnations during April 2024 totaled 11.9 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.20 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.21 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 26.8 million pounds, were 0.60 percent of quantities inspected, unchanged from a year earlier. Poultry Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2024 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ------ percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 724,124 744,888 792,881 109 106 3,075,306 3,116,006 101 Mature ...........: 9,235 8,940 9,809 106 110 38,374 37,650 98 Light ..........: 2,864 2,581 2,842 99 110 11,361 10,753 95 Heavy ..........: 6,371 6,359 6,967 109 110 27,013 26,897 100 Total ............: 733,359 753,828 802,690 109 106 3,113,680 3,153,656 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 16,281 15,395 16,876 104 110 67,762 64,819 96 Old ..............: 164 113 126 77 112 650 564 87 Total ............: 16,445 15,508 17,002 103 110 68,412 65,383 96 : Ducks ..............: 2,173 2,096 2,265 104 108 8,996 8,939 99 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 4,698,567 4,816,338 5,172,487 110 107 19,992,931 20,302,204 102 Mature ...........: 63,003 62,196 67,684 107 109 266,408 262,084 98 Light ..........: 10,033 8,924 9,744 97 109 39,438 37,103 94 Heavy ..........: 52,970 53,272 57,940 109 109 226,970 224,981 99 Total ............: 4,761,570 4,878,534 5,240,171 110 107 20,259,339 20,564,288 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 529,335 510,572 561,485 106 110 2,202,216 2,144,745 97 Old ..............: 4,909 3,640 3,929 80 108 19,640 17,437 89 Total ............: 534,244 514,212 565,414 106 110 2,221,856 2,162,182 97 : Ducks ..............: 15,546 15,012 16,244 104 108 64,346 64,079 100 : Other 1/ ...........: 149 148 169 113 114 665 657 99 : Total ..............: 5,311,509 5,407,906 5,821,998 110 108 22,546,206 22,791,206 101 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.49 6.47 6.52 100 101 6.50 6.52 100 Mature ...........: 6.82 6.96 6.90 101 99 6.94 6.96 100 Light ..........: 3.50 3.46 3.43 98 99 3.47 3.45 99 Heavy ..........: 8.31 8.38 8.32 100 99 8.40 8.36 100 Total ............: 6.49 6.47 6.53 101 101 6.51 6.52 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 32.51 33.16 33.27 102 100 32.50 33.09 102 Old ..............: 29.93 32.21 31.18 104 97 30.22 30.92 102 Total ............: 32.49 33.16 33.26 102 100 32.48 33.07 102 : Ducks ..............: 7.15 7.16 7.17 100 100 7.15 7.17 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab. Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type - United States [Ready-to-cook weights] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2024 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,303,459 3,400,230 3,658,932 111 108 14,096,399 14,319,602 102 Mature ...........: 44,002 42,854 47,177 107 110 186,210 182,444 98 Light ..........: 5,149 4,649 5,204 101 112 20,719 19,629 95 Heavy ..........: 38,853 38,205 41,973 108 110 165,491 162,815 98 Total ............: 3,347,461 3,443,084 3,706,109 111 108 14,282,609 14,502,046 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 272,951 254,668 286,108 105 112 1,106,924 1,084,574 98 Old ..............: 2,702 2,687 2,881 107 107 12,290 12,709 103 Total ............: 275,653 257,355 288,989 105 112 1,119,214 1,097,283 98 : Ducks ..............: 3,425 3,763 3,742 109 99 15,329 16,216 106 : Other 1/ ...........: 90 93 102 113 110 419 406 97 : Total ..............: 3,626,629 3,704,295 3,998,942 110 108 15,417,571 15,615,951 101 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 242,637 236,574 257,129 106 109 998,794 1,026,479 103 Mature ...........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Heavy ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Total ............: 242,637 236,574 257,129 106 109 998,794 1,026,479 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 152,004 152,076 161,591 106 106 655,323 621,386 95 Old ..............: 1,082 68 75 7 110 2,828 559 20 Total ............: 153,086 152,144 161,666 106 106 658,151 621,945 94 : Ducks ..............: 7,848 7,272 8,159 104 112 31,278 30,773 98 : Other 1/ ...........: 15 11 16 107 145 49 56 114 : Total ..............: 403,586 396,001 426,970 106 108 1,688,272 1,679,253 99 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,546,096 3,636,804 3,916,061 110 108 15,095,193 15,346,081 102 Mature ...........: 44,002 42,854 47,177 107 110 186,210 182,444 98 Light ..........: 5,149 4,649 5,204 101 112 20,719 19,629 95 Heavy ..........: 38,853 38,205 41,973 108 110 165,491 162,815 98 Total ............: 3,590,098 3,679,658 3,963,238 110 108 15,281,403 15,528,525 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 424,955 406,744 447,699 105 110 1,762,247 1,705,960 97 Old ..............: 3,784 2,755 2,956 78 107 15,118 13,268 88 Total ............: 428,739 409,499 450,655 105 110 1,777,365 1,719,228 97 : Ducks ..............: 11,273 11,035 11,901 106 108 46,607 46,989 101 : Other 1/ ...........: 105 104 118 112 113 468 462 99 : Total ..............: 4,030,215 4,100,296 4,425,912 110 108 17,105,843 17,295,204 101 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2024 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 8,815 8,910 9,301 106 104 39,556 39,703 100 Mature ...........: 716 727 726 101 100 3,344 3,175 95 Light ..........: 87 41 41 47 100 403 187 46 Heavy ..........: 629 686 685 109 100 2,941 2,988 102 Total ............: 9,531 9,637 10,027 105 104 42,900 42,878 100 : Turkeys ............: Young ............: 1,487 1,624 1,692 114 104 6,384 6,927 109 Old ..............: 19 40 39 205 98 128 179 140 Total ............: 1,506 1,664 1,731 115 104 6,512 7,106 109 : Ducks ..............: 74 84 101 136 120 304 376 124 : Total 1/ ...........: 11,111 11,385 11,859 107 104 49,716 50,360 101 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.19 0.18 0.18 95 100 0.20 0.20 100 Mature ...........: 1.14 1.17 1.07 94 91 1.26 1.21 96 Light ..........: 0.87 0.46 0.42 48 91 1.02 0.50 49 Heavy ..........: 1.19 1.29 1.18 99 91 1.30 1.33 102 Total ............: 0.20 0.20 0.19 95 95 0.21 0.21 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.28 0.32 0.30 107 94 0.29 0.32 110 Old ..............: 0.39 1.10 0.99 254 90 0.65 1.03 158 Total ............: 0.28 0.32 0.31 111 97 0.29 0.33 114 : Ducks ..............: 0.48 0.56 0.62 129 111 0.47 0.59 126 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.21 0.21 0.20 95 95 0.22 0.22 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2024 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- ---- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 17,249 18,025 17,944 104 100 77,158 73,760 96 Mature ...........: 1,715 1,578 1,937 113 123 7,135 6,877 96 Light ..........: 435 419 406 93 97 1,661 1,624 98 Heavy ..........: 1,280 1,159 1,531 120 132 5,474 5,253 96 Total ............: 18,964 19,603 19,881 105 101 84,293 80,637 96 : Turkeys : Young ............: 4,881 5,821 6,553 134 113 20,425 25,509 125 Old ..............: 190 126 147 77 117 761 569 75 Total ............: 5,071 5,947 6,700 132 113 21,186 26,078 123 : Ducks ..............: 188 171 185 98 108 879 787 90 : Other 1/ ...........: 2 3 3 150 100 9 12 133 : Total ..............: 24,225 25,724 26,769 111 104 106,367 107,514 101 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.48 0.49 0.46 96 94 0.51 0.48 94 Mature ...........: 3.75 3.55 3.94 105 111 3.69 3.63 98 Light ..........: 7.79 8.27 7.24 93 88 7.42 7.64 103 Heavy ..........: 3.19 2.94 3.52 110 120 3.20 3.13 98 Total ............: 0.53 0.53 0.50 94 94 0.55 0.52 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.14 1.41 1.44 126 102 1.15 1.47 128 Old ..............: 4.78 4.37 4.74 99 108 4.79 4.11 86 Total ............: 1.17 1.43 1.46 125 102 1.18 1.49 126 : Ducks ..............: 1.64 1.53 1.53 93 100 1.85 1.65 89 : Other 1/ ...........: 1.87 2.80 2.48 133 89 1.89 2.53 134 : Total ..............: 0.60 0.62 0.60 100 97 0.62 0.62 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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: March and April 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 379 356 107,710 103,089 Mature ..........: - - 24 12 46,905 56,272 Light .........: - - 22 11 39,816 46,774 Heavy .........: - - 2 1 7,089 9,498 Total ...........: - - 403 368 154,615 159,361 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 5 2 3,877 4,062 Old .............: - - 2 1 920 1,134 Total ...........: - - 7 3 4,797 5,196 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 187,422 200,907 462 549 1,945 1,939 Mature ..........: 12,970 13,836 90 108 20,324 20,219 Light .........: 5,729 5,039 10 7 15,884 15,690 Heavy .........: 7,241 8,797 80 101 4,440 4,529 Total ...........: 200,392 214,743 552 657 22,269 22,158 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,281 1,396 10 33 36 52 Old .............: 506 427 14 11 252 204 Total ...........: 1,787 1,823 24 44 288 256 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 4,312 3,758 1,480 1,272 44,708 39,479 Mature ..........: 2,204 2,145 328 148 18,877 22,620 Light .........: 1,720 1,464 298 120 18,106 21,992 Heavy .........: 484 681 30 28 771 628 Total ...........: 6,516 5,903 1,808 1,420 63,585 62,099 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 74 56 240 295 845 389 Old .............: 7 14 14 4 41 98 Total ...........: 81 70 254 299 886 487 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 4,857 4,098 129,803 97,985 1,840,300 1,842,192 Mature ..........: 36 111 29,385 33,654 24,423 27,456 Light .........: 31 57 22,032 24,596 - - Heavy .........: 5 54 7,353 9,058 24,423 27,456 Total ...........: 4,893 4,209 159,188 131,639 1,864,723 1,869,648 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 91 164 1,644 1,952 71,495 85,241 Old .............: 1 10 100 76 100 35 Total ...........: 92 174 1,744 2,028 71,595 85,276 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: March and April 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 93,629 100,497 505,661 546,258 5.40 5.44 Arkansas ........: 79,431 87,054 574,212 634,757 7.23 7.29 Delaware ........: 29,539 31,359 226,744 242,478 7.68 7.73 Georgia .........: 101,944 107,490 609,595 642,113 5.98 5.97 Illinois ........: 50 66 316 418 6.31 6.37 Indiana .........: 3,536 3,731 19,130 20,233 5.41 5.42 Iowa ............: 1,988 1,767 11,727 10,152 5.90 5.74 Kentucky ........: 24,302 25,131 159,825 169,972 6.58 6.76 Louisiana .......: 14,443 15,267 96,372 102,876 6.67 6.74 Maryland ........: 11,608 12,066 71,782 75,460 6.18 6.25 : Mississippi .....: 55,235 59,810 363,175 397,284 6.58 6.64 Missouri ........: 25,027 27,334 133,031 147,577 5.32 5.40 Nebraska ........: 9,533 10,682 61,934 71,396 6.50 6.68 New Jersey ......: 224 214 1,171 1,102 5.23 5.14 New York ........: 2,744 2,708 13,412 13,166 4.89 4.86 North Carolina ..: 73,861 77,917 619,223 658,055 8.38 8.45 Ohio ............: 9,987 10,891 45,295 50,008 4.54 4.59 Oklahoma ........: 7,837 8,585 59,087 68,212 7.54 7.95 Pennsylvania ....: 13,459 14,091 76,773 81,295 5.70 5.77 South Carolina ..: 23,974 25,380 171,953 183,610 7.17 7.23 : Tennessee .......: 32,388 32,703 192,870 197,645 5.95 6.04 Texas ...........: 56,642 60,494 378,910 411,707 6.69 6.81 Virginia ........: 24,346 25,450 155,010 161,809 6.37 6.36 : United States ...: 744,888 792,881 4,816,338 5,172,487 6.47 6.52 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: March and April 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 387,330 421,266 1,795 1,660 0.46 0.39 Arkansas ........: 429,907 476,078 1,883 1,900 0.44 0.40 Delaware ........: 175,423 188,074 1,068 1,143 0.61 0.60 Georgia .........: 460,621 486,639 2,701 2,680 0.58 0.55 Illinois ........: 235 312 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 13,701 14,475 54 70 0.39 0.48 Iowa ............: 8,586 7,378 307 379 3.45 4.89 Kentucky ........: 120,938 128,449 638 492 0.52 0.38 Louisiana .......: 72,182 76,541 329 333 0.45 0.43 Maryland ........: 53,316 56,056 578 622 1.07 1.10 : Mississippi .....: 269,111 299,216 875 985 0.32 0.33 Missouri ........: 96,969 107,643 355 317 0.36 0.29 Nebraska ........: 47,461 54,232 232 184 0.49 0.34 New Jersey ......: 857 807 9 9 1.04 1.15 New York ........: 8,266 8,173 119 138 1.42 1.66 North Carolina ..: 477,125 506,820 1,143 1,273 0.24 0.25 Ohio ............: 33,962 37,347 209 239 0.61 0.63 Oklahoma ........: 44,256 51,169 167 195 0.38 0.38 Pennsylvania ....: 54,402 57,857 713 724 1.29 1.24 South Carolina ..: 129,777 138,460 1,005 862 0.77 0.62 : Tennessee .......: 142,585 146,627 299 291 0.21 0.20 Texas ...........: 291,159 316,482 968 874 0.33 0.28 Virginia ........: 117,611 122,995 358 359 0.30 0.29 : United States ...: 3,636,804 3,916,061 18,025 17,944 0.49 0.46 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: March and April 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - 6 3 10,875 10,178 Arkansas ..........: - - - - 18 169 Delaware ..........: - - 1 - 10,503 9,184 Georgia ...........: - - - - 11,998 12,495 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - 2 Texas .............: - - - - 17,798 17,883 Virginia ..........: - - 3 - 2,085 1,921 : United States .....: - - 379 356 107,710 103,089 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 4,300 4,539 1 - 93 153 Arkansas ..........: 49 116 2 7 - - Delaware ..........: 8,675 9,329 44 7 45 30 Georgia ...........: 37,413 43,313 11 5 255 314 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - 5 - - - - Texas .............: 16,912 19,591 2 1 231 275 Virginia ..........: 387 432 1 - 13 13 : United States .....: 187,422 200,907 462 549 1,945 1,939 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 355 364 133 147 2,407 1,967 Arkansas ..........: 1 7 - - 8 35 Delaware ..........: 284 427 14 14 1,542 1,432 Georgia ...........: 1,199 659 352 382 3,970 4,211 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - - Texas .............: 120 92 6 5 408 367 Virginia ..........: 21 12 4 1 181 187 : United States .....: 4,312 3,758 1,480 1,272 44,708 39,479 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 466 427 34,184 7,727 151,749 161,203 Arkansas ..........: - 1 42 124 186,008 178,975 Delaware ..........: 344 659 2,017 2,596 11,298 19,750 Georgia ...........: 440 633 19,803 18,331 209,627 227,404 Mississippi .......: - - - - 137,323 154,698 North Carolina ....: - - 1 1 93,067 107,525 Texas .............: 660 508 1,679 1,783 79,392 63,149 Virginia ..........: 10 145 5,778 6,520 151,222 147,572 : United States .....: 4,857 4,098 129,803 97,985 1,840,300 1,842,192 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: March and April 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : California ......: 286 287 11,257 11,521 39.35 40.16 Illinois ........: 1 (Z) 21 (Z) 33.23 33.00 Indiana .........: 1,847 1,916 78,034 84,093 42.24 43.89 Iowa ............: 1,040 1,242 49,212 59,956 47.33 48.25 Michigan ........: 414 508 18,132 22,386 43.75 44.07 North Carolina ..: 1,745 1,707 66,357 64,177 38.02 37.60 Ohio ............: 494 568 23,192 26,861 46.95 47.29 Pennsylvania ....: 558 525 17,500 16,630 31.34 31.66 South Carolina ..: 501 609 22,134 25,496 44.21 41.84 South Dakota ....: 157 264 7,293 11,767 46.54 44.56 : Vermont .........: - - - - - - : United States ...: 15,395 16,876 510,572 561,485 33.16 33.27 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: March and April 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 9,003 9,217 43 34 0.48 0.37 Illinois ........: 16 (Z) - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 62,577 67,551 893 1,075 1.41 1.57 Iowa ............: 38,503 47,141 575 736 1.47 1.54 Michigan ........: 14,052 17,349 207 252 1.45 1.43 North Carolina ..: 52,422 50,630 271 284 0.51 0.56 Ohio ............: 18,522 21,464 344 410 1.83 1.87 Pennsylvania ....: 13,691 13,069 273 294 1.96 2.20 South Carolina ..: 16,434 18,744 705 708 4.11 3.64 South Dakota ....: 5,846 9,387 96 131 1.61 1.38 : Vermont .........: - - - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 406,744 447,699 5,821 6,553 1.41 1.44 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. 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 Vacant, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section 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.