Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released February 20, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Down 3 Percent from Last Year January 2025 contained 23 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. January 2026 contained 22 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 5 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during January 2026 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.49 billion pounds, down 3 percent from the amount certified in January 2025. The December 2025 revised certified total at 4.52 billion pounds, was up 5 percent from December 2024. The December revision represented an increase of 1 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during January 2026 was 5.91 billion pounds, down 3 percent from 6.09 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.32 billion pounds, down 3 percent from January 2025. Mature chickens, at 68.1 million pounds, were down 4 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 501 million pounds, down 4 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 13.8 million pounds, down 13 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during January 2026 averaged 6.66 pounds per bird, up slightly from January 2025. The average live weight of mature chickens was 7.06 pounds per bird, up 2 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during January 2026 averaged 33.3 pounds per bird, down 1 percent from January 2025. Ante-mortem condemnations during January 2026 totaled 13.9 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.24 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.24 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 26.2 million pounds, were 0.58 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 0.61 percent a year earlier. Poultry Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2026 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ----- percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 824,131 817,884 799,080 97 98 824,131 799,080 97 Mature ...........: 10,153 8,415 9,636 95 115 10,153 9,636 95 Light ..........: 2,924 2,794 2,745 94 98 2,924 2,745 94 Heavy ..........: 7,229 5,621 6,891 95 123 7,229 6,891 95 Total ............: 834,284 826,299 808,716 97 98 834,284 808,716 97 : Turkeys : Young ............: 15,374 14,457 14,900 97 103 15,374 14,900 97 Old ..............: 156 187 136 87 73 156 136 87 Total ............: 15,530 14,644 15,036 97 103 15,530 15,036 97 : Ducks ..............: 2,254 2,019 1,917 85 95 2,254 1,917 85 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ---- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 5,479,673 5,399,048 5,323,899 97 99 5,479,673 5,323,899 97 Mature ...........: 70,606 57,938 68,059 96 117 70,606 68,059 96 Light ..........: 10,138 9,852 9,759 96 99 10,138 9,759 96 Heavy ..........: 60,468 48,086 58,300 96 121 60,468 58,300 96 Total ............: 5,550,279 5,456,986 5,391,958 97 99 5,550,279 5,391,958 97 : Turkeys : Young ............: 517,993 479,175 496,630 96 104 517,993 496,630 96 Old ..............: 4,930 5,504 4,489 91 82 4,930 4,489 91 Total ............: 522,923 484,679 501,119 96 103 522,923 501,119 96 : Ducks ..............: 15,848 13,894 13,783 87 99 15,848 13,783 87 : Other 1/ ...........: 175 150 158 90 105 175 158 90 : Total ..............: 6,089,225 5,955,709 5,907,018 97 99 6,089,225 5,907,018 97 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.65 6.60 6.66 100 101 6.65 6.66 100 Mature ...........: 6.95 6.89 7.06 102 102 6.95 7.06 102 Light ..........: 3.47 3.53 3.56 103 101 3.47 3.56 103 Heavy ..........: 8.36 8.55 8.46 101 99 8.36 8.46 101 Total ............: 6.65 6.60 6.67 100 101 6.65 6.67 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 33.69 33.14 33.33 99 101 33.69 33.33 99 Old ..............: 31.60 29.43 33.01 104 112 31.60 33.01 104 Total ............: 33.67 33.10 33.33 99 101 33.67 33.33 99 : Ducks ..............: 7.03 6.88 7.19 102 105 7.03 7.19 102 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab. Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type - United States [Ready-to-cook weights] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2026 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ---- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,874,911 3,807,649 3,774,580 97 99 3,874,911 3,774,580 97 Mature ...........: 48,026 40,361 47,893 100 119 48,026 47,893 100 Light ..........: 5,361 5,282 5,040 94 95 5,361 5,040 94 Heavy ..........: 42,665 35,079 42,853 100 122 42,665 42,853 100 Total ............: 3,922,937 3,848,010 3,822,473 97 99 3,922,937 3,822,473 97 : Turkeys : Young ............: 270,312 236,994 245,514 91 104 270,312 245,514 91 Old ..............: 2,767 3,875 3,223 116 83 2,767 3,223 116 Total ............: 273,079 240,869 248,737 91 103 273,079 248,737 91 : Ducks ..............: 3,534 3,361 3,319 94 99 3,534 3,319 94 : Other 1/ ...........: 105 106 106 101 100 105 106 101 : Total ..............: 4,199,655 4,092,346 4,074,635 97 100 4,199,655 4,074,635 97 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 265,094 277,211 258,127 97 93 265,094 258,127 97 Mature ...........: - - - (X) (X) - 48 (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - 48 (X) Heavy ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Total ............: 265,094 277,211 258,127 97 93 265,094 258,175 97 : Turkeys : Young ............: 141,142 144,480 149,746 106 104 141,142 149,746 106 Old ..............: 998 282 124 12 44 998 124 12 Total ............: 142,140 144,762 149,870 105 104 142,140 149,870 105 : Ducks ..............: 8,047 6,912 6,878 85 100 8,047 6,878 85 : Other 1/ ...........: 14 - - (X) (X) 14 - (X) : Total ..............: 415,295 428,885 414,875 100 97 415,295 414,923 100 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 4,140,005 4,084,860 4,032,707 97 99 4,140,005 4,032,707 97 Mature ...........: 48,026 40,361 47,893 100 119 48,026 47,941 100 Light ..........: 5,361 5,282 5,040 94 95 5,361 5,088 95 Heavy ..........: 42,665 35,079 42,853 100 122 42,665 42,853 100 Total ............: 4,188,031 4,125,221 4,080,600 97 99 4,188,031 4,080,648 97 : Turkeys : Young ............: 411,454 381,474 395,260 96 104 411,454 395,260 96 Old ..............: 3,765 4,157 3,347 89 81 3,765 3,347 89 Total ............: 415,219 385,631 398,607 96 103 415,219 398,607 96 : Ducks ..............: 11,581 10,273 10,197 88 99 11,581 10,197 88 : Other 1/ ...........: 119 106 106 89 100 119 106 89 : Total ..............: 4,614,950 4,521,231 4,489,510 97 99 4,614,950 4,489,558 97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2026 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 11,653 10,458 11,118 95 106 11,653 11,118 95 Mature ...........: 938 743 847 90 114 938 847 90 Light ..........: 68 72 79 116 110 68 79 116 Heavy ..........: 870 671 768 88 114 870 768 88 Total ............: 12,591 11,201 11,965 95 107 12,591 11,965 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1,997 1,611 1,847 92 115 1,997 1,847 92 Old ..............: 31 32 37 119 116 31 37 119 Total ............: 2,028 1,643 1,884 93 115 2,028 1,884 93 : Ducks ..............: 112 100 100 89 100 112 100 89 : Total 1/ ...........: 14,731 12,944 13,949 95 108 14,731 13,949 95 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.21 0.19 0.21 100 111 0.21 0.21 100 Mature ...........: 1.33 1.28 1.24 93 97 1.33 1.24 93 Light ..........: 0.67 0.73 0.81 121 111 0.67 0.81 121 Heavy ..........: 1.44 1.40 1.32 92 94 1.44 1.32 92 Total ............: 0.23 0.21 0.22 96 105 0.23 0.22 96 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.39 0.34 0.37 95 109 0.39 0.37 95 Old ..............: 0.63 0.58 0.82 130 141 0.63 0.82 130 Total ............: 0.39 0.34 0.38 97 112 0.39 0.38 97 : Ducks ..............: 0.71 0.72 0.73 103 101 0.71 0.73 103 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.24 0.22 0.24 100 109 0.24 0.24 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : January 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to January :2026 as Commodity : January : December : January : January : December :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2025 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 19,832 18,341 18,356 93 100 19,832 18,356 93 Mature ...........: 1,645 1,327 1,554 94 117 1,645 1,554 94 Light ..........: 355 423 466 131 110 355 466 131 Heavy ..........: 1,290 904 1,088 84 120 1,290 1,088 84 Total ............: 21,477 19,668 19,910 93 101 21,477 19,910 93 : Turkeys : Young ............: 6,413 5,981 5,855 91 98 6,413 5,855 91 Old ..............: 177 163 247 140 152 177 247 140 Total ............: 6,590 6,144 6,102 93 99 6,590 6,102 93 : Ducks ..............: 208 177 140 67 79 208 140 67 : Other 1/ ...........: 4 3 2 50 67 4 2 50 : Total ..............: 28,279 25,992 26,154 92 101 28,279 26,154 92 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.48 0.45 0.45 94 100 0.48 0.45 94 Mature ...........: 3.31 3.18 3.14 95 99 3.31 3.14 95 Light ..........: 6.21 7.41 8.46 136 114 6.21 8.39 135 Heavy ..........: 2.93 2.51 2.48 85 99 2.93 2.48 85 Total ............: 0.51 0.47 0.49 96 104 0.51 0.49 96 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.53 1.54 1.46 95 95 1.53 1.46 95 Old ..............: 4.49 3.77 6.87 153 182 4.49 6.87 153 Total ............: 1.56 1.57 1.51 97 96 1.56 1.51 97 : Ducks ..............: 1.76 1.69 1.35 77 80 1.76 1.35 77 : Other 1/ ...........: 3.25 2.75 1.85 57 67 3.25 1.85 57 : Total ..............: 0.61 0.57 0.58 95 102 0.61 0.58 95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. 2/ Pounds condemned as a percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause and Type - United States: December 2025 and January 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 174 146 34,234 30,917 Mature ..........: - - 11 3 70,640 76,255 Light .........: - - 11 3 65,146 69,403 Heavy .........: - - - - 5,494 6,852 Total ...........: - - 185 149 104,874 107,172 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 1 2 3,810 3,089 Old .............: - - - - 1,053 1,311 Total ...........: - - 1 2 4,863 4,400 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 55,020 51,156 854 693 361 273 Mature ..........: 2,634 3,129 7 4 13,862 19,656 Light .........: 2,633 3,121 7 4 13,849 19,619 Heavy .........: 1 8 - - 13 37 Total ...........: 57,654 54,285 861 697 14,223 19,929 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,057 1,554 45 15 16 25 Old .............: 1,045 1,033 18 51 386 474 Total ...........: 2,102 2,587 63 66 402 499 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 1,917 1,853 754 1,088 23,672 19,553 Mature ..........: 4,745 3,781 105 137 18,295 18,801 Light .........: 4,732 3,778 103 135 18,284 18,799 Heavy .........: 13 3 2 2 11 2 Total ...........: 6,662 5,634 859 1,225 41,967 38,354 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 104 57 185 224 487 349 Old .............: 25 25 11 10 151 330 Total ...........: 129 82 196 234 638 679 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 1,287 967 59,084 53,745 2,132,213 2,253,994 Mature ..........: 85 221 31,459 35,239 49,236 61,268 Light .........: 85 217 31,448 35,229 - - Heavy .........: - 4 11 10 49,236 61,268 Total ...........: 1,372 1,188 90,543 88,984 2,181,449 2,315,262 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 11 26 2,715 2,509 77,860 70,437 Old .............: 16 23 108 75 147 113 Total ...........: 27 49 2,823 2,584 78,007 70,550 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. 1/ Includes any portion of the carcass affected by an inflammatory process, plant rejected carcasses, missing viscera, or ascites fluid preventing proper inspection of the carcass. 2/ Birds condemned with no cause given by federal inspectors and establishment sorters. Young Chickens Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight - States and United States: December 2025 and January 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 100,961 98,987 561,367 542,800 5.56 5.48 Arkansas ........: 87,420 84,777 643,124 629,619 7.36 7.43 Delaware ........: 32,908 34,239 255,440 260,712 7.76 7.61 Georgia .........: 113,513 108,231 706,218 681,161 6.22 6.29 Illinois ........: 57 59 357 376 6.32 6.41 Iowa ............: 772 646 4,197 3,379 5.44 5.23 Kentucky ........: 24,537 24,495 168,471 165,154 6.87 6.74 Louisiana .......: 16,222 13,877 112,746 91,979 6.95 6.63 Maryland ........: 12,404 12,074 76,950 76,215 6.20 6.31 Mississippi .....: 61,783 62,117 410,607 434,615 6.65 7.00 : Missouri ........: 27,521 27,566 151,975 153,911 5.52 5.58 New Jersey ......: 264 214 1,365 1,130 5.18 5.29 New York ........: 3,406 3,183 17,393 16,603 5.11 5.22 North Carolina ..: 80,916 78,701 674,248 661,444 8.33 8.40 Ohio ............: 11,362 11,840 53,848 57,096 4.74 4.82 Oklahoma ........: 8,873 8,432 71,171 67,056 8.02 7.95 Pennsylvania ....: 16,917 14,645 94,648 82,950 5.59 5.66 South Carolina ..: 23,640 23,719 170,317 180,715 7.20 7.62 Tennessee .......: 33,422 32,724 205,565 205,990 6.15 6.29 Texas ...........: 64,282 59,077 444,932 410,723 6.92 6.95 : Vermont .........: 56 40 369 263 6.61 6.64 Virginia ........: 27,178 28,073 170,669 179,845 6.28 6.41 : United States ...: 817,884 799,080 5,399,048 5,323,899 6.60 6.66 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: December 2025 and January 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-mortem condemnations :Total chilled and frozen :----------------------------------------------- State : pounds certified 1/ : Carcass and parts : Percent 2/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 431,934 416,945 1,401 1,349 0.32 0.32 Arkansas ........: 490,461 479,180 1,625 1,704 0.33 0.35 Delaware ........: 204,352 208,480 1,175 1,237 0.57 0.59 Georgia .........: 536,036 516,850 2,584 2,510 0.48 0.48 Illinois ........: 266 280 - - (X) (X) Iowa ............: 3,029 2,443 89 85 2.85 3.37 Kentucky ........: 127,382 124,589 717 679 0.56 0.54 Louisiana .......: 81,823 67,067 889 615 1.07 0.91 Maryland ........: 57,413 57,171 640 615 1.10 1.06 Mississippi .....: 301,967 316,762 737 848 0.24 0.27 : Missouri ........: 110,138 112,110 234 291 0.21 0.26 New Jersey ......: 1,003 833 24 17 2.30 2.00 New York ........: 10,936 10,464 106 76 0.96 0.72 North Carolina ..: 518,297 513,019 1,268 1,121 0.24 0.22 Ohio ............: 40,421 42,521 179 227 0.44 0.53 Oklahoma ........: 53,616 50,486 244 301 0.45 0.59 Pennsylvania ....: 66,718 58,819 1,260 1,148 1.85 1.91 South Carolina ..: 127,952 135,714 942 896 0.73 0.66 Tennessee .......: 151,740 152,105 565 417 0.37 0.27 Texas ...........: 338,254 315,346 723 695 0.21 0.22 : Vermont .........: 278 198 - - (X) (X) Virginia ........: 130,222 137,358 241 266 0.18 0.19 : United States ...: 4,084,860 4,032,707 18,341 18,356 0.45 0.45 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause - States and United States: December 2025 and January 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: - - - - 384 46 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: - - - - 2,016 3,238 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - - Texas .............: - - - 11 230 271 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: - - 174 146 34,234 30,917 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: 178 40 7 5 - - Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 2,026 5,002 - 2 122 84 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 1 - - - - - Texas .............: 29 10 - 3 10 8 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 55,020 51,156 854 693 361 273 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: 2 4 - - 75 11 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 65 69 17 33 396 365 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - - Texas .............: 58 21 11 44 42 23 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 1,917 1,853 754 1,088 23,672 19,553 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - 199,446 201,743 Arkansas ..........: 1 - 83 8 139,214 146,903 Delaware ..........: - - - - 117,422 132,713 Georgia ...........: 147 42 6,455 6,016 243,167 227,234 Mississippi .......: - - - 1 113,517 137,029 North Carolina ....: - - - 1 154,433 90,186 Texas .............: 2 3 1,166 259 59,945 56,644 Virginia ..........: - - - - 188,122 275,739 : United States .....: 1,287 967 59,084 53,745 2,132,213 2,253,994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. 1/ Includes any portion of the carcass affected by an inflammatory process, plant rejected carcasses, missing viscera, or ascites fluid preventing proper inspection of the carcass. 2/ Birds condemned with no cause given by federal inspectors and establishment sorters. Young Turkeys Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight - States and United States: December 2026 and January 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ---- pounds ---- : California ......: 30 (Z) 766 (Z) 25.33 33.36 Illinois ........: 1 1 42 18 28.75 27.43 Indiana .........: 1,729 1,657 73,091 75,554 42.28 45.60 Iowa ............: 916 1,128 41,614 54,012 45.44 47.87 Michigan ........: 295 334 12,470 15,320 42.32 45.82 Minnesota .......: 3,026 2,897 92,013 90,258 30.41 31.15 North Carolina ..: 1,768 2,273 71,982 76,191 40.72 33.52 Ohio ............: 516 539 23,243 25,645 45.05 47.60 Pennsylvania ....: 648 552 19,204 17,532 29.62 31.79 South Carolina ..: 511 560 23,632 23,042 46.26 41.13 : Vermont .........: 10 (Z) 326 2 33.12 33.32 Wisconsin .......: (Z) (Z) 1 1 24.94 17.56 : United States ...: 14,457 14,900 479,175 496,630 33.14 33.33 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: December 2025 and January 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-mortem condemnations :Total chilled and frozen :----------------------------------------------- State : pounds certified 1/ : Carcass and parts : Percent 2/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : December : January : December : January : December : January ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 609 (X) 4 - 0.63 (X) Illinois ........: 31 13 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 59,328 61,392 961 837 1.59 1.35 Iowa ............: 32,666 42,427 485 595 1.46 1.38 Michigan ........: 9,664 11,873 144 213 1.46 1.76 Minnesota .......: 73,530 72,207 818 888 1.10 1.21 North Carolina ..: 56,366 59,811 327 336 0.58 0.56 Ohio ............: 18,402 20,500 285 403 1.52 1.93 Pennsylvania ....: 15,110 13,727 637 465 4.04 3.27 South Carolina ..: 17,742 17,076 560 542 3.06 3.08 : Vermont .........: 257 1 - - (X) (X) Wisconsin .......: 1 1 - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 381,474 395,260 5,981 5,855 1.54 1.46 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Terms and Definitions Used for Poultry Slaughter Estimates Ante-Mortem Condemnations: Birds federally condemned prior to entry into the slaughter plant which includes Dead-On-Arrival (DOA) and condemned for other causes. Average Live Weight: The weight of the whole bird, before slaughter. Excludes post-mortem condemnations. Certified Ready-to-Cook: The weight of poultry certified wholesome by inspection after post-mortem condemnation pounds are removed. Ready-to-cook represents poultry meat ready for the marketing channel. Dressing Percent: Usually expressed as a percentage yield of frozen and chilled carcass in relation to the weight of the live bird. Ducks: Includes all ducks regardless of age and weight. Federally Inspected (FI) Plants: Plants that transport meat interstate must employ federal inspectors to assure compliance with USDA standards. Mature Chickens: Fowl from breeder and market egg flocks and stags and cocks. Number of Head: Includes post-mortem condemnations. Old Turkeys: Fully matured birds held for egg production, usually over 15 months of age. Plant, Slaughter: An establishment where birds are killed and butchered. Post-Mortem Condemnations: Carcasses or parts of birds condemned includes federally inspected and establishment sorted because of disease or mishandling and removed from the slaughter line and destroyed. Slaughter: Killing and butchering of birds primarily for food. Total Live Weight: The total weight of live birds, before slaughter. Excludes post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens: Commercially grown broilers-fryers and other young immature birds such as roasters and capons. Young Turkeys: Young birds grown to a matured market age, and other turkeys such as fryers/roasters and young breeders. Statistical Methodology Data Sources: Data for poultry slaughter estimates are collected by inspectors of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA for all Federally Inspected plants. Over 99 percent of the total United States slaughter for any species is under Federal Inspection. The number of head slaughtered daily, by species and class, as well as condemnations and total live and dressed weights are obtained by shift for each plant. Approximately 361 plants slaughtered poultry in the United States under Federal Inspection in 2024. 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 Sherry Bertramsen - Livestock Slaughter............................................. (202) 690-8632 Tiffany Byrne - Dairy Products...................................................... (651) 440-7789 Ryan Cowen - Cattle, Cattle on Feed................................................. (202) 720-3040 Kim DaPra - Milk Production......................................................... (202) 720-3278 Fatema Haque - Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised................... (202) 720-3244 Derron Martin - Catfish, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products, Trout................. (202) 690-3237 Ralph Mondesir - Hogs and Pigs...................................................... (202) 720-3106 Suzanne Richards - Cost of Pollination, Honey, Honey Bee Colonies, Sheep and Goats.. (202) 720-4448 Shulonda Shaw - Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses, Cold Storage................... (202) 720-3240 Autumn Stone - Layers, Eggs......................................................... (202) 690-3676 Takiyah Walker - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken 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. The national 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" in upper right corner above "search" box to create an account and select the reports you would like to receive. Economics, Statistics, and Market Information (ESMIS) - National Agricultural Library (NAL) website houses NASS's and other agency archived reports at https://esmis.nal.usda.gov. All email subscriptions containing reports will be sent from https://esmis.nal.usda.gov. To receive the reports via e-mail, you will have to go to the website, create a new account and subscribe to the reports. You should whitelist notifications@esmis.nal.usda.gov 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. If you have specific questions you would like an expert to respond to, please visit our "Ask A Specialist" website at www.nass.usda.gov/Contact_Us/Ask_a_Specialist. In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the responsible Agency or USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English. To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690- 7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov. USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.