Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released March 27, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 5 Percent from Last Year February 2025 contained 20 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. February 2026 contained 20 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during February 2026 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.25 billion pounds, up 5 percent from the amount certified in February 2025. The January 2026 revised certified total at 4.50 billion pounds, was down 3 percent from January 2025. The January revision represented an increase of 9.5 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during February 2026 was 5.59 billion pounds, up 5 percent from 5.31 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.03 billion pounds, up 5 percent from February 2025. Mature chickens, at 52.9 million pounds, were up 8 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 496 million pounds, up 12 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 12.4 million pounds, down 2 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during February 2026 averaged 6.68 pounds per bird, up 2 percent from February 2025. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.83 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during February 2026 averaged 33.6 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from February 2025. Ante-mortem condemnations during February 2026 totaled 12.1 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.22 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.24 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 26.1 million pounds, were 0.61 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 0.60 percent a year earlier. Poultry Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2026 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ------ percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 731,102 801,189 753,471 103 94 1,555,465 1,554,660 100 Mature ...........: 7,259 9,704 7,744 107 80 17,418 17,448 100 Light ..........: 2,402 2,745 2,487 104 91 5,326 5,232 98 Heavy ..........: 4,857 6,959 5,257 108 76 12,092 12,216 101 Total ............: 738,361 810,893 761,215 103 94 1,572,883 1,572,108 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 13,153 14,900 14,604 111 98 28,527 29,504 103 Old ..............: 121 136 179 148 132 277 315 114 Total ............: 13,274 15,036 14,783 111 98 28,804 29,819 104 : Ducks ..............: 1,804 1,917 1,724 96 90 4,058 3,641 90 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 4,806,476 5,336,298 5,029,456 105 94 10,287,466 10,365,754 101 Mature ...........: 49,119 68,610 52,887 108 77 119,725 121,497 101 Light ..........: 8,308 9,759 8,769 106 90 18,446 18,528 100 Heavy ..........: 40,811 58,851 44,118 108 75 101,279 102,969 102 Total ............: 4,855,595 5,404,908 5,082,343 105 94 10,407,191 10,487,251 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 437,341 496,630 490,319 112 99 955,334 986,949 103 Old ..............: 3,848 4,489 5,595 145 125 8,778 10,084 115 Total ............: 441,189 501,119 495,914 112 99 964,112 997,033 103 : Ducks ..............: 12,621 13,783 12,350 98 90 28,469 26,133 92 : Other 1/ ...........: 150 158 173 115 109 325 331 102 : Total ..............: 5,309,555 5,919,968 5,590,780 105 94 11,400,097 11,510,748 101 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.57 6.66 6.68 102 100 6.61 6.67 101 Mature ...........: 6.77 7.07 6.83 101 97 6.87 6.96 101 Light ..........: 3.46 3.56 3.53 102 99 3.46 3.54 102 Heavy ..........: 8.40 8.46 8.39 100 99 8.38 8.43 101 Total ............: 6.58 6.67 6.68 102 100 6.62 6.67 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 33.25 33.33 33.57 101 101 33.49 33.45 100 Old ..............: 31.80 33.01 31.26 98 95 31.69 32.01 101 Total ............: 33.24 33.33 33.55 101 101 33.47 33.44 100 : Ducks ..............: 7.00 7.19 7.16 102 100 7.02 7.18 102 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab. Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type - United States [Ready-to-cook weights] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2026 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ---- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,390,806 3,783,703 3,552,186 105 94 7,266,658 7,335,889 101 Mature ...........: 33,442 48,290 37,058 111 77 81,468 85,348 105 Light ..........: 4,341 5,040 4,514 104 90 9,702 9,554 98 Heavy ..........: 29,101 43,250 32,544 112 75 71,766 75,794 106 Total ............: 3,424,248 3,831,993 3,589,244 105 94 7,348,126 7,421,237 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 218,702 245,514 235,279 108 96 489,014 480,793 98 Old ..............: 2,906 3,223 3,996 138 124 5,673 7,219 127 Total ............: 221,608 248,737 239,275 108 96 494,687 488,012 99 : Ducks ..............: 2,773 3,319 2,984 108 90 6,307 6,303 100 : Other 1/ ...........: 91 106 110 121 104 196 216 110 : Total ..............: 3,648,720 4,084,155 3,831,613 105 94 7,849,316 7,915,768 101 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 242,370 258,140 254,488 105 99 507,464 512,628 101 Mature ...........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Heavy ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Total ............: 242,370 258,140 254,488 105 99 507,464 512,628 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 128,612 149,746 154,757 120 103 269,754 304,503 113 Old ..............: 39 124 247 633 199 1,037 371 36 Total ............: 128,651 149,870 155,004 120 103 270,791 304,874 113 : Ducks ..............: 6,441 6,878 6,110 95 89 14,488 12,988 90 : Other 1/ ...........: 12 - - (X) (X) 26 - (X) : Total ..............: 377,474 414,888 415,602 110 100 792,769 830,490 105 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,633,176 4,041,843 3,806,674 105 94 7,774,122 7,848,517 101 Mature ...........: 33,442 48,290 37,058 111 77 81,468 85,348 105 Light ..........: 4,341 5,040 4,514 104 90 9,702 9,554 98 Heavy ..........: 29,101 43,250 32,544 112 75 71,766 75,794 106 Total ............: 3,666,618 4,090,133 3,843,732 105 94 7,855,590 7,933,865 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 347,314 395,260 390,036 112 99 758,768 785,296 103 Old ..............: 2,945 3,347 4,243 144 127 6,710 7,590 113 Total ............: 350,259 398,607 394,279 113 99 765,478 792,886 104 : Ducks ..............: 9,214 10,197 9,094 99 89 20,795 19,291 93 : Other 1/ ...........: 103 106 110 107 104 222 216 97 : Total ..............: 4,026,194 4,499,043 4,247,215 105 94 8,642,085 8,746,258 101 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : February 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2026 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 10,177 11,098 9,639 95 87 21,834 20,737 95 Mature ...........: 656 866 658 100 76 1,594 1,524 96 Light ..........: 60 75 71 118 95 128 146 114 Heavy ..........: 596 791 587 98 74 1,466 1,378 94 Total ............: 10,833 11,964 10,297 95 86 23,428 22,261 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1,709 1,847 1,679 98 91 3,706 3,526 95 Old ..............: 34 37 33 97 89 65 70 108 Total ............: 1,743 1,884 1,712 98 91 3,771 3,596 95 : Ducks ..............: 69 100 75 109 75 181 175 97 : Total 1/ ...........: 12,645 13,948 12,084 96 87 27,380 26,032 95 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.21 0.21 0.19 90 90 0.21 0.20 95 Mature ...........: 1.34 1.26 1.24 93 98 1.33 1.25 94 Light ..........: 0.72 0.77 0.81 113 105 0.69 0.79 114 Heavy ..........: 1.46 1.34 1.33 91 99 1.45 1.34 92 Total ............: 0.22 0.22 0.20 91 91 0.23 0.21 91 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.39 0.37 0.34 87 92 0.39 0.36 92 Old ..............: 0.88 0.82 0.59 67 72 0.74 0.69 93 Total ............: 0.40 0.38 0.35 88 92 0.39 0.36 92 : Ducks ..............: 0.55 0.73 0.61 111 84 0.64 0.67 105 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.24 0.24 0.22 92 92 0.24 0.23 96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to February :2026 as Commodity : February : January : February : February : January :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 17,481 18,454 18,450 106 100 37,318 36,904 99 Mature ...........: 1,140 1,556 1,267 111 81 2,785 2,823 101 Light ..........: 388 466 340 88 73 743 806 108 Heavy ..........: 752 1,090 927 123 85 2,042 2,017 99 Total ............: 18,621 20,010 19,717 106 99 40,103 39,727 99 : Turkeys : Young ............: 5,511 5,855 6,028 109 103 11,924 11,883 100 Old ..............: 116 200 225 194 113 293 425 145 Total ............: 5,627 6,055 6,253 111 103 12,217 12,308 101 : Ducks ..............: 158 140 134 85 96 366 274 75 : Other 1/ ...........: 3 2 2 67 100 7 4 57 : Total ..............: 24,409 26,207 26,106 107 100 52,693 52,313 99 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.48 0.45 0.48 100 107 0.48 0.47 98 Mature ...........: 3.30 3.12 3.31 100 106 3.31 3.20 97 Light ..........: 8.20 8.46 7.00 85 83 7.11 7.78 109 Heavy ..........: 2.52 2.46 2.77 110 113 2.77 2.59 94 Total ............: 0.51 0.49 0.51 100 104 0.51 0.50 98 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.56 1.46 1.52 97 104 1.55 1.49 96 Old ..............: 3.79 5.64 5.04 133 89 4.18 5.30 127 Total ............: 1.58 1.50 1.56 99 104 1.57 1.53 97 : Ducks ..............: 1.69 1.35 1.45 86 107 1.73 1.40 81 : Other 1/ ...........: 2.83 1.85 1.79 63 97 3.06 1.82 59 : Total ..............: 0.60 0.58 0.61 102 105 0.61 0.59 97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 168 157 31,812 29,340 Mature ..........: - - 3 15 76,255 57,326 Light .........: - - 3 15 69,403 49,140 Heavy .........: - - - - 6,852 8,186 Total ...........: - - 171 172 108,067 86,666 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 2 - 3,089 2,720 Old .............: - - - - 1,311 2,067 Total ...........: - - 2 - 4,400 4,787 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 51,292 54,246 695 506 276 431 Mature ..........: 3,129 1,946 4 8 19,656 11,217 Light .........: 3,121 1,946 4 7 19,619 11,177 Heavy .........: 8 - - 1 37 40 Total ...........: 54,421 56,192 699 514 19,932 11,648 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,554 1,135 15 3 25 13 Old .............: 1,033 1,203 51 51 474 642 Total ...........: 2,587 2,338 66 54 499 655 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 1,858 1,922 1,046 639 19,557 20,106 Mature ..........: 3,781 2,383 137 102 18,801 12,759 Light .........: 3,778 2,378 135 98 18,799 12,748 Heavy .........: 3 5 2 4 2 11 Total ...........: 5,639 4,305 1,183 741 38,358 32,865 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 57 52 224 219 349 378 Old .............: 25 39 10 8 330 163 Total ...........: 82 91 234 227 679 541 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 971 886 54,166 49,263 2,255,201 2,218,649 Mature ..........: 221 196 35,239 27,189 63,056 40,838 Light .........: 217 195 35,229 27,169 - - Heavy .........: 4 1 10 20 63,056 40,838 Total ...........: 1,192 1,082 89,405 76,452 2,318,257 2,259,487 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 26 9 2,509 3,177 70,437 87,028 Old .............: 23 21 75 130 113 301 Total ...........: 49 30 2,584 3,307 70,550 87,329 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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 2026 [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 .........: 99,105 92,556 543,476 513,277 5.48 5.55 Arkansas ........: 84,950 83,933 630,915 622,568 7.43 7.42 Delaware ........: 34,239 28,446 260,712 226,667 7.61 7.97 Georgia .........: 108,231 104,111 681,161 654,921 6.29 6.29 Illinois ........: 59 53 376 343 6.41 6.46 Kentucky ........: 24,495 24,387 165,154 162,081 6.74 6.65 Louisiana .......: 13,877 14,900 91,979 99,488 6.63 6.68 Maryland ........: 12,074 10,703 76,215 71,692 6.31 6.70 Mississippi .....: 62,117 57,547 434,615 403,483 7.00 7.01 Missouri ........: 27,566 24,792 153,911 136,464 5.58 5.50 : New Jersey ......: 214 158 1,130 810 5.29 5.14 New York ........: 3,183 3,168 16,603 16,076 5.22 5.07 North Carolina ..: 78,701 73,160 661,444 613,268 8.40 8.38 Ohio ............: 11,840 10,670 57,096 52,479 4.82 4.92 Oklahoma ........: 8,432 8,522 67,056 67,302 7.95 7.90 Pennsylvania ....: 16,239 15,592 91,905 87,120 5.66 5.59 South Carolina ..: 23,719 23,694 180,715 179,368 7.62 7.57 Tennessee .......: 32,724 31,274 205,990 191,475 6.29 6.12 Texas ...........: 59,077 56,348 410,723 390,880 6.95 6.94 Vermont .........: 40 43 263 289 6.64 6.68 : Virginia ........: 28,146 24,595 180,456 157,779 6.41 6.42 : United States ...: 801,189 753,471 5,336,298 5,029,456 6.66 6.68 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: January and February 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 417,583 393,831 1,350 1,493 0.32 0.38 Arkansas ........: 480,067 473,935 1,705 1,554 0.35 0.33 Delaware ........: 208,480 181,434 1,237 1,129 0.59 0.62 Georgia .........: 516,850 492,737 2,510 2,492 0.48 0.50 Illinois ........: 280 255 - - (X) (X) Kentucky ........: 124,589 123,218 679 627 0.54 0.51 Louisiana .......: 67,067 72,658 615 667 0.91 0.91 Maryland ........: 57,171 53,731 615 668 1.06 1.23 Mississippi .....: 316,762 294,871 848 759 0.27 0.26 Missouri ........: 112,110 99,824 291 264 0.26 0.26 : New Jersey ......: 833 598 17 12 2.00 1.99 New York ........: 10,464 10,198 76 83 0.72 0.81 North Carolina ..: 513,019 476,384 1,121 1,606 0.22 0.34 Ohio ............: 42,521 39,255 227 162 0.53 0.41 Oklahoma ........: 50,486 50,636 301 298 0.59 0.59 Pennsylvania ....: 65,258 61,258 1,226 1,213 1.84 1.94 South Carolina ..: 135,714 135,026 896 982 0.66 0.72 Tennessee .......: 152,105 141,187 417 373 0.27 0.26 Texas ...........: 315,346 300,935 695 722 0.22 0.24 Vermont .........: 198 218 - - (X) (X) : Virginia ........: 137,887 119,878 268 253 0.19 0.21 : United States ...: 4,041,843 3,806,674 18,454 18,450 0.45 0.48 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause - States and United States: January and February 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: - - - - 46 27 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: - - - - 3,238 2,692 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - 2 Texas .............: - - 11 21 271 494 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: - - 168 157 31,812 29,340 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: 40 50 5 2 - - Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 5,002 4,153 2 2 84 95 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - - Texas .............: 10 23 3 4 8 3 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 51,292 54,246 695 506 276 431 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: 4 - - - 11 4 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 69 72 33 23 365 368 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - - - Texas .............: 21 24 14 12 23 26 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 1,858 1,922 1,046 639 19,557 20,106 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - 201,788 229,584 Arkansas ..........: - 1 8 5 147,023 130,322 Delaware ..........: - - - - 132,713 131,053 Georgia ...........: 42 - 6,016 4,057 227,234 254,218 Mississippi .......: - - - - 137,029 118,321 North Carolina ....: - - 1 - 90,186 96,742 Texas .............: 3 11 259 335 56,644 58,364 Virginia ..........: - - - - 275,888 267,707 : United States .....: 971 886 54,166 49,263 2,255,201 2,218,649 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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 2026 [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 ......: (Z) 16 (Z) 317 33.36 20.02 Illinois ........: 1 (Z) 18 8 27.43 24.92 Indiana .........: 1,657 1,929 75,554 77,200 45.60 40.02 Iowa ............: 1,128 1,063 54,012 49,559 47.87 46.60 Michigan ........: 334 298 15,320 13,043 45.82 43.74 Minnesota .......: 2,897 2,845 90,258 87,058 31.15 30.61 North Carolina ..: 2,273 1,729 76,191 72,057 33.52 41.67 Ohio ............: 539 548 25,645 26,455 47.60 48.28 Pennsylvania ....: 552 547 17,532 17,716 31.79 32.39 South Carolina ..: 560 564 23,042 25,342 41.13 44.90 : Vermont .........: (Z) - 2 (X) 33.32 (X) Wisconsin .......: (Z) (Z) 1 (Z) 17.56 33.67 : United States ...: 14,900 14,604 496,630 490,319 33.33 33.57 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. (Z) Less than half of the unit shown. Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: January and February 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : January : February : January : February : January : February ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: (Z) 253 - - (X) 0.16 Illinois ........: 13 5 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 61,392 62,724 837 815 1.35 1.28 Iowa ............: 42,427 38,881 595 545 1.38 1.38 Michigan ........: 11,873 10,108 213 136 1.76 1.32 Minnesota .......: 72,207 69,555 888 1,134 1.21 1.60 North Carolina ..: 59,811 56,213 336 347 0.56 0.61 Ohio ............: 20,500 21,158 403 377 1.93 1.75 Pennsylvania ....: 13,727 13,879 465 446 3.27 3.11 South Carolina ..: 17,076 18,901 542 735 3.08 3.75 : Vermont .........: 1 (X) - - (X) (X) Wisconsin .......: 1 (Z) - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 395,260 390,036 5,855 6,028 1.46 1.52 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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 359 plants slaughtered poultry in the United States under Federal Inspection in 2025. Young chickens were slaughtered in 40 States, young turkeys in 29 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.