Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released March 25, 2024, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 4 Percent from Last Year February 2023 contained 20 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. February 2024 contained 21 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during February 2024 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.21 billion pounds, up 4 percent from the amount certified in February 2023. The January 2024 revised certified total at 4.55 billion pounds, was up 2 percent from January 2023. The January revision represented an increase of 301 thousand pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during February 2024 was 5.55 billion pounds, up 4 percent from 5.35 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 4.94 billion pounds, up 4 percent from February 2023. Mature chickens, at 63.1 million pounds, were up 1 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 531 million pounds, up 1 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 14.4 million pounds, down 7 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during February 2024 averaged 6.49 pounds per bird, unchanged from February 2023. The average live weight of mature chickens was 7.02 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during February 2024 averaged 32.5 pounds per bird, down 1 percent from February 2023. Ante-mortem condemnations during February 2024 totaled 12.2 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.22 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.23 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 26.5 million pounds, were 0.63 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2024 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ------ percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 731,001 815,273 761,068 104 93 1,535,097 1,576,341 103 Mature ...........: 8,996 9,822 8,980 100 91 18,629 18,802 101 Light ..........: 2,716 2,883 2,447 90 85 5,460 5,330 98 Heavy ..........: 6,280 6,939 6,533 104 94 13,169 13,472 102 Total ............: 739,997 825,095 770,048 104 93 1,553,726 1,595,143 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 15,829 16,367 16,181 102 99 32,707 32,548 100 Old ..............: 146 160 165 113 103 336 325 97 Total ............: 15,975 16,527 16,346 102 99 33,043 32,873 99 : Ducks ..............: 2,177 2,570 2,008 92 78 4,519 4,578 101 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 4,745,133 5,362,059 4,940,932 104 92 10,004,959 10,302,991 103 Mature ...........: 62,355 68,303 63,084 101 92 129,896 131,387 101 Light ..........: 9,423 10,051 8,384 89 83 19,060 18,435 97 Heavy ..........: 52,932 58,252 54,700 103 94 110,836 112,952 102 Total ............: 4,807,488 5,430,362 5,004,016 104 92 10,134,855 10,434,378 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 519,506 546,344 526,344 101 96 1,072,126 1,072,688 100 Old ..............: 4,541 4,794 5,074 112 106 10,138 9,868 97 Total ............: 524,047 551,138 531,418 101 96 1,082,264 1,082,556 100 : Ducks ..............: 15,461 18,456 14,367 93 78 32,462 32,823 101 : Other 1/ ...........: 135 176 164 121 93 334 340 102 : Total ..............: 5,347,131 6,000,132 5,549,965 104 92 11,249,915 11,550,097 103 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.49 6.58 6.49 100 99 6.52 6.54 100 Mature ...........: 6.93 6.95 7.02 101 101 6.97 6.99 100 Light ..........: 3.47 3.49 3.43 99 98 3.49 3.46 99 Heavy ..........: 8.43 8.39 8.37 99 100 8.42 8.38 100 Total ............: 6.50 6.58 6.50 100 99 6.52 6.54 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 32.82 33.38 32.53 99 97 32.78 32.96 101 Old ..............: 31.10 29.96 30.75 99 103 30.17 30.36 101 Total ............: 32.80 33.35 32.51 99 97 32.75 32.93 101 : Ducks ..............: 7.10 7.18 7.15 101 100 7.18 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2024 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ---- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,340,493 3,770,945 3,481,825 104 92 7,064,726 7,252,770 103 Mature ...........: 43,813 47,368 44,424 101 94 90,338 91,792 102 Light ..........: 5,148 5,391 4,385 85 81 10,151 9,776 96 Heavy ..........: 38,665 41,977 40,039 104 95 80,187 82,016 102 Total ............: 3,384,306 3,818,313 3,526,249 104 92 7,155,064 7,344,562 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 254,773 275,263 268,535 105 98 525,678 543,798 103 Old ..............: 3,311 3,439 3,702 112 108 7,127 7,141 100 Total ............: 258,084 278,702 272,237 105 98 532,805 550,939 103 : Ducks ..............: 3,493 5,206 3,505 100 67 7,980 8,711 109 : Other 1/ ...........: 96 107 104 108 97 219 211 96 : Total ..............: 3,645,979 4,102,328 3,802,095 104 93 7,696,068 7,904,423 103 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 244,475 280,419 252,502 103 90 492,134 532,921 108 Mature ...........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Heavy ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Total ............: 244,475 280,419 252,502 103 90 492,134 532,921 108 : Turkeys : Young ............: 160,946 156,232 151,487 94 97 330,909 307,719 93 Old ..............: 175 228 188 107 82 670 416 62 Total ............: 161,121 156,460 151,675 94 97 331,579 308,135 93 : Ducks ..............: 7,646 8,334 7,008 92 84 15,494 15,342 99 : Other 1/ ...........: - 16 13 (X) 81 16 29 181 : Total ..............: 413,242 445,229 411,198 100 92 839,223 856,427 102 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,584,968 4,051,364 3,734,327 104 92 7,556,860 7,785,691 103 Mature ...........: 43,813 47,368 44,424 101 94 90,338 91,792 102 Light ..........: 5,148 5,391 4,385 85 81 10,151 9,776 96 Heavy ..........: 38,665 41,977 40,039 104 95 80,187 82,016 102 Total ............: 3,628,781 4,098,732 3,778,751 104 92 7,647,198 7,877,483 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 415,719 431,495 420,022 101 97 856,587 851,517 99 Old ..............: 3,486 3,667 3,890 112 106 7,797 7,557 97 Total ............: 419,205 435,162 423,912 101 97 864,384 859,074 99 : Ducks ..............: 11,139 13,540 10,513 94 78 23,474 24,053 102 : Other 1/ ...........: 96 123 117 122 95 235 240 102 : Total ..............: 4,059,221 4,547,557 4,213,293 104 93 8,535,291 8,760,850 103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2024 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 9,528 11,869 9,586 101 81 20,539 21,455 104 Mature ...........: 803 910 807 100 89 1,679 1,717 102 Light ..........: 115 65 40 35 62 231 105 45 Heavy ..........: 688 845 767 111 91 1,448 1,612 111 Total ............: 10,331 12,779 10,393 101 81 22,218 23,172 104 : Turkeys ............: Young ............: 1,606 1,921 1,690 105 88 3,258 3,611 111 Old ..............: 35 50 50 143 100 83 100 120 Total ............: 1,641 1,971 1,740 106 88 3,341 3,711 111 : Ducks ..............: 74 108 83 112 77 149 191 128 : Total 1/ ...........: 12,046 14,858 12,216 101 82 25,708 27,074 105 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.20 0.22 0.19 95 86 0.21 0.21 100 Mature ...........: 1.29 1.33 1.28 99 96 1.29 1.31 102 Light ..........: 1.22 0.65 0.48 39 74 1.21 0.57 47 Heavy ..........: 1.30 1.45 1.40 108 97 1.31 1.43 109 Total ............: 0.21 0.24 0.21 100 88 0.22 0.22 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.31 0.35 0.32 103 91 0.30 0.34 113 Old ..............: 0.77 1.04 0.99 129 95 0.82 1.01 123 Total ............: 0.31 0.36 0.33 106 92 0.31 0.34 110 : Ducks ..............: 0.48 0.59 0.58 121 98 0.46 0.58 126 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.23 0.25 0.22 96 88 0.23 0.23 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2024 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2024 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2023 : 2024 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 : 2023 : 2024 :of 2023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 18,904 19,694 17,975 95 91 39,616 37,669 95 Mature ...........: 1,744 1,736 1,616 93 93 3,537 3,352 95 Light ..........: 383 418 381 99 91 823 799 97 Heavy ..........: 1,361 1,318 1,235 91 94 2,714 2,553 94 Total ............: 20,648 21,430 19,591 95 91 43,153 41,021 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 4,744 6,569 6,566 138 100 10,031 13,135 131 Old ..............: 188 157 139 74 89 395 296 75 Total ............: 4,932 6,726 6,705 136 100 10,426 13,431 129 : Ducks ..............: 210 225 206 98 92 455 431 95 : Other 1/ ...........: 2 3 3 150 100 5 6 120 : Total ..............: 25,792 28,384 26,505 103 93 54,039 54,889 102 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.52 0.48 0.48 92 100 0.52 0.48 92 Mature ...........: 3.83 3.54 3.51 92 99 3.77 3.52 93 Light ..........: 6.92 7.20 7.99 115 111 7.50 7.56 101 Heavy ..........: 3.40 3.04 2.99 88 98 3.27 3.02 92 Total ............: 0.57 0.52 0.52 91 100 0.56 0.52 93 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.13 1.50 1.54 136 103 1.16 1.52 131 Old ..............: 5.12 4.11 3.45 67 84 4.82 3.77 78 Total ............: 1.16 1.52 1.56 134 103 1.19 1.54 129 : Ducks ..............: 1.85 1.63 1.92 104 118 1.90 1.76 93 : Other 1/ ...........: 2.04 2.38 2.50 123 105 2.08 2.44 117 : Total ..............: 0.63 0.62 0.63 100 102 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: January and February 2024 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 190 118 101,755 93,686 Mature ..........: - - 15 1 46,011 47,223 Light .........: - - 11 1 39,264 39,140 Heavy .........: - - 4 - 6,747 8,083 Total ...........: - - 205 119 147,766 140,909 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 6 3 5,262 6,086 Old .............: - - 1 1 671 654 Total ...........: - - 7 4 5,933 6,740 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 144,136 175,019 725 741 2,931 2,342 Mature ..........: 11,338 11,046 137 97 19,324 17,512 Light .........: 4,618 4,750 11 3 15,036 13,951 Heavy .........: 6,720 6,296 126 94 4,288 3,561 Total ...........: 155,474 186,065 862 838 22,255 19,854 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,281 1,838 59 3 16 141 Old .............: 427 420 16 19 193 278 Total ...........: 1,708 2,258 75 22 209 419 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 4,902 4,846 1,348 1,340 42,103 37,729 Mature ..........: 2,579 3,219 76 102 18,728 15,196 Light .........: 2,094 2,607 50 86 18,083 14,537 Heavy .........: 485 612 26 16 645 659 Total ...........: 7,481 8,065 1,424 1,442 60,831 52,925 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 51 63 528 493 658 931 Old .............: 8 13 11 13 70 62 Total ...........: 59 76 539 506 728 993 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 5,107 5,053 112,471 114,355 2,067,278 1,826,981 Mature ..........: 104 144 32,444 29,995 34,053 34,506 Light .........: 50 57 24,081 22,538 - - Heavy .........: 54 87 8,363 7,457 34,053 34,506 Total ...........: 5,211 5,197 144,915 144,350 2,101,331 1,861,487 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 126 59 2,373 3,304 89,851 83,336 Old .............: 6 19 88 45 236 281 Total ...........: 132 78 2,461 3,349 90,087 83,617 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: January and February 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 99,249 94,052 544,233 516,368 5.48 5.49 Arkansas ........: 88,867 84,225 653,935 614,252 7.36 7.29 Delaware ........: 32,949 30,557 258,469 237,847 7.84 7.78 Georgia .........: 112,575 104,026 687,353 621,996 6.11 5.98 Illinois ........: 69 56 447 358 6.43 6.38 Indiana .........: 6,208 5,678 28,914 27,583 4.66 4.86 Iowa ............: 1,729 1,685 10,078 9,780 5.83 5.80 Kentucky ........: 25,102 23,824 161,038 153,788 6.42 6.46 Louisiana .......: 15,059 14,670 101,090 97,105 6.71 6.62 Maryland ........: 12,352 11,762 78,867 73,062 6.38 6.21 : Mississippi .....: 59,225 57,370 395,176 380,888 6.67 6.64 Missouri ........: 27,679 25,672 150,503 134,639 5.44 5.24 Nebraska ........: 10,193 9,538 68,019 62,516 6.67 6.55 New Jersey ......: 228 268 1,134 1,463 4.97 5.46 New York ........: 2,818 2,768 13,547 13,476 4.81 4.87 North Carolina ..: 83,371 75,484 703,783 626,298 8.44 8.30 Ohio ............: 10,398 10,054 46,901 45,861 4.51 4.56 Oklahoma ........: 8,128 7,766 64,420 61,611 7.93 7.93 Pennsylvania ....: 15,059 13,778 87,428 78,195 5.81 5.68 South Carolina ..: 26,091 24,207 192,632 176,737 7.38 7.30 : Tennessee .......: 34,322 33,042 207,390 198,976 6.04 6.02 Texas ...........: 61,408 58,413 429,029 397,322 6.99 6.80 Virginia ........: 26,823 24,092 176,218 151,231 6.57 6.28 : United States ...: 815,273 761,068 5,362,059 4,940,932 6.58 6.49 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: January and February 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 419,907 398,235 1,801 1,752 0.43 0.44 Arkansas ........: 489,180 458,120 2,280 2,108 0.46 0.46 Delaware ........: 200,600 184,055 1,027 1,018 0.51 0.55 Georgia .........: 518,749 471,884 2,796 2,668 0.54 0.56 Illinois ........: 332 267 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 20,983 19,880 144 130 0.68 0.65 Iowa ............: 6,957 7,082 402 390 5.47 5.22 Kentucky ........: 121,814 116,478 590 560 0.48 0.48 Louisiana .......: 75,546 73,236 447 300 0.59 0.41 Maryland ........: 58,899 54,333 455 518 0.77 0.94 : Mississippi .....: 293,540 281,623 1,057 906 0.36 0.32 Missouri ........: 109,750 98,154 273 243 0.25 0.25 Nebraska ........: 51,944 47,907 309 239 0.59 0.50 New Jersey ......: 829 1,078 11 8 1.26 0.70 New York ........: 8,363 8,347 142 113 1.67 1.33 North Carolina ..: 541,379 483,045 1,572 1,211 0.29 0.25 Ohio ............: 35,096 34,288 230 198 0.65 0.57 Oklahoma ........: 48,317 46,219 147 138 0.30 0.30 Pennsylvania ....: 62,256 55,290 900 782 1.42 1.39 South Carolina ..: 145,535 133,284 912 978 0.62 0.73 : Tennessee .......: 153,133 146,832 321 307 0.21 0.21 Texas ...........: 329,202 305,543 890 842 0.27 0.27 Virginia ........: 134,546 115,248 392 360 0.29 0.31 : United States ...: 4,051,364 3,734,327 19,694 17,975 0.48 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: January and February 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - 4 17 11,483 10,461 Arkansas ..........: - - - - 176 120 Delaware ..........: - - 2 37 11,929 8,980 Georgia ...........: - - 14 2 16,290 13,573 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - 1 1 Texas .............: - - - - 10,860 12,694 Virginia ..........: - - 2 1 1,496 1,572 : United States .....: - - 190 118 101,755 93,686 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 4,073 4,621 2 5 132 134 Arkansas ..........: 241 9 63 13 - - Delaware ..........: 7,283 7,550 6 1 38 36 Georgia ...........: 34,224 33,768 8 36 420 276 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - 2 - Texas .............: 10,351 14,167 - 14 534 394 Virginia ..........: 366 531 1 3 21 29 : United States .....: 144,136 175,019 725 741 2,931 2,342 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 412 322 187 134 2,952 2,249 Arkansas ..........: 34 - - - 84 5 Delaware ..........: 538 303 17 31 2,174 1,406 Georgia ...........: 1,221 1,744 384 396 3,398 4,528 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 2 2 3 5 - - Texas .............: 140 130 5 2 613 284 Virginia ..........: 10 14 6 6 114 195 : United States .....: 4,902 4,846 1,348 1,340 42,103 37,729 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: 1,261 1,010 13,689 17,175 148,558 160,105 Arkansas ..........: 6 - 116 50 209,380 218,917 Delaware ..........: 352 770 3,856 3,498 10,144 8,046 Georgia ...........: 336 440 15,750 18,820 188,810 202,774 Mississippi .......: - - - - 169,565 138,848 North Carolina ....: - - - - 120,648 98,795 Texas .............: 684 360 1,102 1,250 75,742 69,401 Virginia ..........: 670 136 5,001 6,192 157,729 129,760 : United States .....: 5,107 5,053 112,471 114,355 2,067,278 1,826,981 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: January and February 2024 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : California ......: 293 295 11,315 10,848 38.67 36.78 Illinois ........: (Z) (Z) 6 (Z) 20.58 27.17 Indiana .........: 1,868 1,899 80,360 81,599 43.02 42.96 Iowa ............: 970 1,134 45,343 53,323 46.73 47.02 Michigan ........: 444 457 19,095 19,760 43.03 43.28 North Carolina ..: 1,788 1,617 69,784 60,271 39.03 37.27 Ohio ............: 610 554 28,869 26,162 47.33 47.22 Pennsylvania ....: 627 553 18,564 17,071 29.60 30.89 South Carolina ..: 625 574 29,468 26,377 47.12 45.94 South Dakota ....: 211 160 9,250 7,160 43.93 44.84 : Vermont .........: - - - - - - : United States ...: 16,367 16,181 546,344 526,344 33.38 32.53 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: January and February 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 9,053 8,655 56 69 0.62 0.79 Illinois ........: 4 (Z) - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 64,185 65,715 994 998 1.52 1.50 Iowa ............: 35,503 42,138 538 745 1.49 1.74 Michigan ........: 14,799 15,314 209 234 1.39 1.50 North Carolina ..: 54,780 47,635 314 247 0.57 0.51 Ohio ............: 23,085 20,920 335 360 1.43 1.69 Pennsylvania ....: 14,705 13,491 212 238 1.42 1.73 South Carolina ..: 18,924 19,374 1,151 1,080 5.73 5.28 South Dakota ....: 7,387 5,728 142 116 1.89 1.98 : Vermont .........: - - - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 431,495 420,022 6,569 6,566 1.50 1.54 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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 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.