Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released April 25, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Down 10 Percent from Last Year March 2023 contained 23 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. March 2024 contained 21 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 5 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during March 2024 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.10 billion pounds, down 10 percent from the amount certified in March 2023. The February 2024 revised certified total at 4.22 billion pounds, was up 4 percent from February 2023. The February revision represented an increase of 8.15 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during March 2024 was 5.41 billion pounds, down 10 percent from 5.98 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 4.82 billion pounds, down 9 percent from March 2023. Mature chickens, at 62.2 million pounds, were down 15 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 514 million pounds, down 15 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 15.0 million pounds, down 8 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during March 2024 averaged 6.47 pounds per bird, down slightly from March 2023. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.96 pounds per bird, down slightly from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during March 2024 averaged 33.2 pounds per bird, up 4 percent from March 2023. Ante-mortem condemnations during March 2024 totaled 11.4 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.21 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.22 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 25.7 million pounds, were 0.62 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2024 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ------ percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 816,085 762,964 744,883 91 98 2,351,182 2,323,120 99 Mature ...........: 10,510 9,079 8,940 85 98 29,139 27,841 96 Light ..........: 3,037 2,447 2,581 85 105 8,497 7,911 93 Heavy ..........: 7,473 6,632 6,359 85 96 20,642 19,930 97 Total ............: 826,595 772,043 753,823 91 98 2,380,321 2,350,961 99 : Turkeys : Young ............: 18,774 16,181 15,395 82 95 51,481 47,943 93 Old ..............: 150 165 113 75 68 486 438 90 Total ............: 18,924 16,346 15,508 82 95 51,967 48,381 93 : Ducks ..............: 2,304 2,008 2,096 91 104 6,823 6,674 98 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 5,289,405 4,951,320 4,816,338 91 97 15,294,364 15,129,717 99 Mature ...........: 73,509 63,901 62,196 85 97 203,405 194,400 96 Light ..........: 10,345 8,384 8,924 86 106 29,405 27,359 93 Heavy ..........: 63,164 55,517 53,272 84 96 174,000 167,041 96 Total ............: 5,362,914 5,015,221 4,878,534 91 97 15,497,769 15,324,117 99 : Turkeys : Young ............: 600,755 526,344 510,572 85 97 1,672,881 1,583,260 95 Old ..............: 4,593 5,074 3,640 79 72 14,731 13,508 92 Total ............: 605,348 531,418 514,212 85 97 1,687,612 1,596,768 95 : Ducks ..............: 16,338 14,367 15,012 92 104 48,800 47,835 98 : Other 1/ ...........: 182 164 148 81 90 516 488 95 : Total ..............: 5,984,782 5,561,170 5,407,906 90 97 17,234,697 16,969,208 98 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.48 6.49 6.47 100 100 6.50 6.51 100 Mature ...........: 6.99 7.04 6.96 100 99 6.98 6.98 100 Light ..........: 3.41 3.43 3.46 101 101 3.46 3.46 100 Heavy ..........: 8.45 8.37 8.38 99 100 8.43 8.38 99 Total ............: 6.49 6.50 6.47 100 100 6.51 6.52 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 32.00 32.53 33.16 104 102 32.50 33.02 102 Old ..............: 30.62 30.75 32.21 105 105 30.31 30.84 102 Total ............: 31.99 32.51 33.16 104 102 32.47 33.00 102 : Ducks ..............: 7.09 7.15 7.16 101 100 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2024 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,728,214 3,489,495 3,400,230 91 97 10,792,940 10,660,670 99 Mature ...........: 51,870 45,045 42,854 83 95 142,208 135,267 95 Light ..........: 5,419 4,385 4,649 86 106 15,570 14,425 93 Heavy ..........: 46,451 40,660 38,205 82 94 126,638 120,842 95 Total ............: 3,780,084 3,534,540 3,443,084 91 97 10,935,148 10,795,937 99 : Turkeys : Young ............: 308,295 268,535 254,668 83 95 833,973 798,466 96 Old ..............: 2,461 3,702 2,687 109 73 9,588 9,828 103 Total ............: 310,756 272,237 257,355 83 95 843,561 808,294 96 : Ducks ..............: 3,924 3,505 3,763 96 107 11,904 12,474 105 : Other 1/ ...........: 110 104 93 85 89 329 304 92 : Total ..............: 4,094,874 3,810,386 3,704,295 90 97 11,790,942 11,617,009 99 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 264,023 252,357 236,574 90 94 756,157 769,350 102 Mature ...........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Heavy ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Total ............: 264,023 252,357 236,574 90 94 756,157 769,350 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 172,410 151,487 152,076 88 100 503,319 459,795 91 Old ..............: 1,076 188 68 6 36 1,746 484 28 Total ............: 173,486 151,675 152,144 88 100 505,065 460,279 91 : Ducks ..............: 7,936 7,008 7,272 92 104 23,430 22,614 97 : Other 1/ ...........: 18 13 11 61 85 34 40 118 : Total ..............: 445,463 411,053 396,001 89 96 1,284,686 1,252,283 97 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,992,237 3,741,852 3,636,804 91 97 11,549,097 11,430,020 99 Mature ...........: 51,870 45,045 42,854 83 95 142,208 135,267 95 Light ..........: 5,419 4,385 4,649 86 106 15,570 14,425 93 Heavy ..........: 46,451 40,660 38,205 82 94 126,638 120,842 95 Total ............: 4,044,107 3,786,897 3,679,658 91 97 11,691,305 11,565,287 99 : Turkeys : Young ............: 480,705 420,022 406,744 85 97 1,337,292 1,258,261 94 Old ..............: 3,537 3,890 2,755 78 71 11,334 10,312 91 Total ............: 484,242 423,912 409,499 85 97 1,348,626 1,268,573 94 : Ducks ..............: 11,860 10,513 11,035 93 105 35,334 35,088 99 : Other 1/ ...........: 128 117 104 81 89 363 344 95 : Total ..............: 4,540,337 4,221,439 4,100,296 90 97 13,075,628 12,869,292 98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2024 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 10,202 9,623 8,910 87 93 30,741 30,402 99 Mature ...........: 949 812 727 77 90 2,628 2,449 93 Light ..........: 85 40 41 48 103 316 146 46 Heavy ..........: 864 772 686 79 89 2,312 2,303 100 Total ............: 11,151 10,435 9,637 86 92 33,369 32,851 98 : Turkeys ............: Young ............: 1,639 1,690 1,624 99 96 4,897 5,235 107 Old ..............: 26 50 40 154 80 109 140 128 Total ............: 1,665 1,740 1,664 100 96 5,006 5,375 107 : Ducks ..............: 81 83 84 104 101 230 275 120 : Total 1/ ...........: 12,897 12,258 11,385 88 93 38,605 38,501 100 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.19 0.19 0.18 95 95 0.20 0.20 100 Mature ...........: 1.29 1.27 1.17 91 92 1.29 1.26 98 Light ..........: 0.82 0.48 0.46 56 96 1.07 0.53 50 Heavy ..........: 1.37 1.39 1.29 94 93 1.33 1.38 104 Total ............: 0.21 0.21 0.20 95 95 0.22 0.21 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.27 0.32 0.32 119 100 0.29 0.33 114 Old ..............: 0.57 0.99 1.10 193 111 0.74 1.04 141 Total ............: 0.28 0.33 0.32 114 97 0.30 0.34 113 : Ducks ..............: 0.50 0.58 0.56 112 97 0.47 0.57 121 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.22 0.22 0.21 95 95 0.22 0.23 105 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2024 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 20,293 18,097 18,025 89 100 59,909 55,816 93 Mature ...........: 1,883 1,626 1,578 84 97 5,420 4,940 91 Light ..........: 403 381 419 104 110 1,226 1,218 99 Heavy ..........: 1,480 1,245 1,159 78 93 4,194 3,722 89 Total ............: 22,176 19,723 19,603 88 99 65,329 60,756 93 : Turkeys : Young ............: 5,513 6,566 5,821 106 89 15,544 18,956 122 Old ..............: 176 139 126 72 91 571 422 74 Total ............: 5,689 6,705 5,947 105 89 16,115 19,378 120 : Ducks ..............: 236 206 171 72 83 691 602 87 : Other 1/ ...........: 2 3 3 150 100 7 9 129 : Total ..............: 28,103 26,637 25,724 92 97 82,142 80,745 98 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.51 0.48 0.49 96 102 0.52 0.49 94 Mature ...........: 3.50 3.48 3.55 101 102 3.67 3.52 96 Light ..........: 6.92 7.99 8.27 120 104 7.30 7.79 107 Heavy ..........: 3.09 2.97 2.94 95 99 3.21 2.99 93 Total ............: 0.55 0.52 0.53 96 102 0.56 0.52 93 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.13 1.54 1.41 125 92 1.15 1.48 129 Old ..............: 4.74 3.45 4.37 92 127 4.80 3.93 82 Total ............: 1.16 1.56 1.43 123 92 1.18 1.50 127 : Ducks ..............: 1.95 1.92 1.53 78 80 1.92 1.69 88 : Other 1/ ...........: 1.54 2.50 2.80 182 112 1.89 2.55 135 : Total ..............: 0.62 0.63 0.62 100 98 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: February and March 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 146 379 94,804 107,710 Mature ..........: - - 1 24 47,223 46,905 Light .........: - - 1 22 39,140 39,816 Heavy .........: - - - 2 8,083 7,089 Total ...........: - - 147 403 142,027 154,615 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 3 5 6,086 3,877 Old .............: - - 1 2 654 920 Total ...........: - - 4 7 6,740 4,797 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 176,771 187,422 741 462 2,373 1,945 Mature ..........: 11,046 12,970 97 90 17,512 20,324 Light .........: 4,750 5,729 3 10 13,951 15,884 Heavy .........: 6,296 7,241 94 80 3,561 4,440 Total ...........: 187,817 200,392 838 552 19,885 22,269 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,838 1,281 3 10 141 36 Old .............: 420 506 19 14 278 252 Total ...........: 2,258 1,787 22 24 419 288 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 4,856 4,312 1,343 1,480 37,742 44,708 Mature ..........: 3,219 2,204 102 328 15,196 18,877 Light .........: 2,607 1,720 86 298 14,537 18,106 Heavy .........: 612 484 16 30 659 771 Total ...........: 8,075 6,516 1,445 1,808 52,938 63,585 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 63 74 493 240 931 845 Old .............: 13 7 13 14 62 41 Total ...........: 76 81 506 254 993 886 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 5,058 4,857 114,562 129,803 1,845,254 1,840,300 Mature ..........: 144 36 29,995 29,385 34,506 24,423 Light .........: 57 31 22,538 22,032 - - Heavy .........: 87 5 7,457 7,353 34,506 24,423 Total ...........: 5,202 4,893 144,557 159,188 1,879,760 1,864,723 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 59 91 3,304 1,644 83,336 71,495 Old .............: 19 1 45 100 281 100 Total ...........: 78 92 3,349 1,744 83,617 71,595 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: February and March 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 94,284 93,629 517,309 505,661 5.49 5.40 Arkansas ........: 84,238 79,431 614,252 574,212 7.29 7.23 Delaware ........: 30,557 29,539 237,847 226,744 7.78 7.68 Georgia .........: 104,026 101,944 621,996 609,595 5.98 5.98 Illinois ........: 58 50 366 316 6.35 6.31 Indiana .........: 5,678 3,536 27,583 19,130 4.86 5.41 Iowa ............: 1,685 1,988 9,780 11,727 5.80 5.90 Kentucky ........: 23,770 24,302 153,788 159,825 6.47 6.58 Louisiana .......: 14,670 14,443 97,105 96,372 6.62 6.67 Maryland ........: 11,762 11,608 73,062 71,782 6.21 6.18 : Mississippi .....: 57,370 55,235 380,888 363,175 6.64 6.58 Missouri ........: 25,572 25,027 134,639 133,031 5.27 5.32 Nebraska ........: 9,538 9,533 62,516 61,934 6.55 6.50 New Jersey ......: 268 224 1,463 1,171 5.46 5.23 New York ........: 2,768 2,743 13,476 13,412 4.87 4.89 North Carolina ..: 75,621 73,861 627,469 619,223 8.30 8.38 Ohio ............: 10,054 9,987 45,861 45,295 4.56 4.54 Oklahoma ........: 7,766 7,837 61,611 59,087 7.93 7.54 Pennsylvania ....: 13,772 13,455 78,160 76,773 5.68 5.71 South Carolina ..: 24,207 23,974 176,737 171,953 7.30 7.17 : Tennessee .......: 33,042 32,388 198,976 192,870 6.02 5.95 Texas ...........: 58,386 56,642 397,150 378,910 6.80 6.69 Virginia ........: 24,092 24,346 151,231 155,010 6.28 6.37 : United States ...: 762,964 744,883 4,951,320 4,816,338 6.49 6.47 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: February and March 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 398,941 387,330 1,771 1,795 0.44 0.46 Arkansas ........: 458,120 429,907 2,108 1,883 0.46 0.44 Delaware ........: 184,055 175,423 1,018 1,068 0.55 0.61 Georgia .........: 471,884 460,621 2,668 2,701 0.56 0.58 Illinois ........: 272 235 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 19,880 13,701 130 54 0.65 0.39 Iowa ............: 7,082 8,586 390 307 5.22 3.45 Kentucky ........: 116,478 120,938 560 638 0.48 0.52 Louisiana .......: 73,236 72,182 300 329 0.41 0.45 Maryland ........: 54,333 53,316 518 578 0.94 1.07 : Mississippi .....: 281,623 269,111 906 875 0.32 0.32 Missouri ........: 98,154 96,969 243 355 0.25 0.36 Nebraska ........: 47,907 47,461 239 232 0.50 0.49 New Jersey ......: 1,078 857 8 9 0.70 1.04 New York ........: 8,347 8,266 113 119 1.33 1.42 North Carolina ..: 483,880 477,125 1,220 1,143 0.25 0.24 Ohio ............: 34,288 33,962 198 209 0.57 0.61 Oklahoma ........: 46,219 44,256 138 167 0.30 0.38 Pennsylvania ....: 55,227 54,402 782 713 1.40 1.29 South Carolina ..: 133,284 129,777 978 1,005 0.73 0.77 : Tennessee .......: 146,832 142,585 307 299 0.21 0.21 Texas ...........: 305,414 291,159 842 968 0.27 0.33 Virginia ........: 115,248 117,611 360 358 0.31 0.30 : United States ...: 3,741,852 3,636,804 18,097 18,025 0.48 0.49 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: February and March 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - 17 6 10,461 10,875 Arkansas ..........: - - - - 120 18 Delaware ..........: - - 37 1 8,980 10,503 Georgia ...........: - - 2 - 13,573 11,998 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - 1 - Texas .............: - - - - 12,697 17,798 Virginia ..........: - - 1 3 1,572 2,085 : United States .....: - - 146 379 94,804 107,710 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 4,621 4,300 5 1 134 93 Arkansas ..........: 9 49 13 2 - - Delaware ..........: 7,550 8,675 1 44 36 45 Georgia ...........: 33,768 37,413 36 11 276 255 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - - Texas .............: 14,167 16,912 14 2 394 231 Virginia ..........: 531 387 3 1 29 13 : United States .....: 176,771 187,422 741 462 2,373 1,945 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 322 355 134 133 2,249 2,407 Arkansas ..........: - 1 - - 5 8 Delaware ..........: 303 284 31 14 1,406 1,542 Georgia ...........: 1,744 1,199 396 352 4,528 3,970 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 2 - 5 - - - Texas .............: 130 120 4 6 285 408 Virginia ..........: 14 21 6 4 195 181 : United States .....: 4,856 4,312 1,343 1,480 37,742 44,708 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 1,010 466 17,175 34,184 163,105 151,749 Arkansas ..........: - - 50 42 218,917 186,008 Delaware ..........: 770 344 3,498 2,017 8,046 11,298 Georgia ...........: 440 440 18,820 19,803 202,774 209,627 Mississippi .......: - - - - 138,848 137,323 North Carolina ....: - - - 1 98,845 93,067 Texas .............: 360 660 1,252 1,679 69,401 79,392 Virginia ..........: 136 10 6,192 5,778 129,760 151,222 : United States .....: 5,058 4,857 114,562 129,803 1,845,254 1,840,300 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: February and March 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : California ......: 295 286 10,848 11,257 36.78 39.35 Illinois ........: (Z) 1 (Z) 21 27.17 33.23 Indiana .........: 1,899 1,847 81,599 78,034 42.96 42.24 Iowa ............: 1,134 1,040 53,323 49,212 47.02 47.33 Michigan ........: 457 414 19,760 18,132 43.28 43.75 North Carolina ..: 1,617 1,745 60,271 66,357 37.27 38.02 Ohio ............: 554 494 26,162 23,192 47.22 46.95 Pennsylvania ....: 553 558 17,071 17,500 30.89 31.34 South Carolina ..: 574 501 26,377 22,134 45.94 44.21 South Dakota ....: 160 157 7,160 7,293 44.84 46.54 : Vermont .........: - - - - - - : United States ...: 16,181 15,395 526,344 510,572 32.53 33.16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: February and March 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 8,655 9,003 69 43 0.79 0.48 Illinois ........: (Z) 16 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 65,715 62,577 998 893 1.50 1.41 Iowa ............: 42,138 38,503 745 575 1.74 1.47 Michigan ........: 15,314 14,052 234 207 1.50 1.45 North Carolina ..: 47,635 52,422 247 271 0.51 0.51 Ohio ............: 20,920 18,522 360 344 1.69 1.83 Pennsylvania ....: 13,491 13,691 238 273 1.73 1.96 South Carolina ..: 19,374 16,434 1,080 705 5.28 4.11 South Dakota ....: 5,728 5,846 116 96 1.98 1.61 : Vermont .........: - - - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 420,022 406,744 6,566 5,821 1.54 1.41 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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.