Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released April 24, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 10 Percent from Last Year March 2025 contained 21 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 5 Saturdays. March 2026 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during March 2026 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.65 billion pounds, up 10 percent from the amount certified in March 2025. The February 2026 revised certified total at 4.24 billion pounds, was up 5 percent from February 2025. The February revision represented an decrease of 11.8 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during March 2026 was 6.12 billion pounds, up 10 percent from 5.57 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.49 billion pounds, up 9 percent from March 2025. Mature chickens, at 69.6 million pounds, were up 27 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 543 million pounds, up 13 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 14.6 million pounds, up 5 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during March 2026 averaged 6.61 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from March 2025. The average live weight of mature chickens was 7.28 pounds per bird, up 8 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during March 2026 averaged 34.4 pounds per bird, up 6 percent from March 2025. Ante-mortem condemnations during March 2026 totaled 12.7 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.21 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.22 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 26.5 million pounds, were 0.57 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2026 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ------ percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 767,093 754,189 830,562 108 110 2,322,558 2,385,940 103 Mature ...........: 8,163 7,745 9,564 117 123 25,581 27,013 106 Light ..........: 2,718 2,488 2,438 90 98 8,044 7,671 95 Heavy ..........: 5,445 5,257 7,126 131 136 17,537 19,342 110 Total ............: 775,256 761,934 840,126 108 110 2,348,139 2,412,953 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 14,499 14,374 15,619 108 109 43,026 44,893 104 Old ..............: 198 179 156 79 87 475 471 99 Total ............: 14,697 14,553 15,775 107 108 43,501 45,364 104 : Ducks ..............: 1,970 1,808 2,066 105 114 6,028 5,791 96 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 5,022,462 5,013,105 5,488,078 109 109 15,309,928 15,837,481 103 Mature ...........: 54,952 52,729 69,596 127 132 174,677 190,935 109 Light ..........: 9,228 8,611 8,602 93 100 27,674 26,972 97 Heavy ..........: 45,724 44,118 60,994 133 138 147,003 163,963 112 Total ............: 5,077,414 5,065,834 5,557,674 109 110 15,484,605 16,028,416 104 : Turkeys : Young ............: 473,272 490,327 537,989 114 110 1,428,606 1,524,946 107 Old ..............: 5,584 5,595 4,824 86 86 14,362 14,908 104 Total ............: 478,856 495,922 542,813 113 109 1,442,968 1,539,854 107 : Ducks ..............: 13,870 12,937 14,558 105 113 42,339 41,278 97 : Other 1/ ...........: 165 173 162 98 94 490 493 101 : Total ..............: 5,570,305 5,574,866 6,115,207 110 110 16,970,402 17,610,041 104 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.55 6.65 6.61 101 99 6.59 6.64 101 Mature ...........: 6.73 6.81 7.28 108 107 6.83 7.07 104 Light ..........: 3.40 3.46 3.53 104 102 3.44 3.52 102 Heavy ..........: 8.40 8.39 8.56 102 102 8.38 8.48 101 Total ............: 6.55 6.65 6.62 101 100 6.59 6.64 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 32.64 34.11 34.44 106 101 33.20 33.97 102 Old ..............: 28.20 31.26 30.92 110 99 30.24 31.65 105 Total ............: 32.58 34.08 34.41 106 101 33.17 33.94 102 : Ducks ..............: 7.04 7.16 7.05 100 98 7.02 7.13 102 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab. Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type - United States [Ready-to-cook weights] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2026 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,549,477 3,542,326 3,897,769 110 110 10,816,135 11,223,798 104 Mature ...........: 37,316 36,934 50,209 135 136 118,784 135,433 114 Light ..........: 4,934 4,390 4,522 92 103 14,636 13,952 95 Heavy ..........: 32,382 32,544 45,687 141 140 104,148 121,481 117 Total ............: 3,586,793 3,579,260 3,947,978 110 110 10,934,919 11,359,231 104 : Turkeys : Young ............: 233,779 235,321 270,460 116 115 722,793 751,295 104 Old ..............: 3,410 3,996 3,201 94 80 9,083 10,420 115 Total ............: 237,189 239,317 273,661 115 114 731,876 761,715 104 : Ducks ..............: 3,034 2,996 3,130 103 104 9,341 9,445 101 : Other 1/ ...........: 102 110 117 115 106 298 333 112 : Total ..............: 3,827,118 3,821,683 4,224,886 110 111 11,676,434 12,130,724 104 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 247,578 252,208 261,900 106 104 755,042 772,248 102 Mature ...........: - - 93 (X) (X) - 93 (X) Light ..........: - - - (X) (X) - - (X) Heavy ..........: - - 93 (X) (X) - 93 (X) Total ............: 247,578 252,208 261,993 106 104 755,042 772,341 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 142,005 154,721 157,523 111 102 411,759 461,990 112 Old ..............: 842 247 448 53 181 1,879 819 44 Total ............: 142,847 154,968 157,971 111 102 413,638 462,809 112 : Ducks ..............: 7,156 6,554 7,550 106 115 21,644 20,982 97 : Other 1/ ...........: 13 - - (X) (X) 39 - (X) : Total ..............: 397,594 413,730 427,514 108 103 1,190,363 1,256,132 106 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,797,055 3,794,534 4,159,669 110 110 11,571,177 11,996,046 104 Mature ...........: 37,316 36,934 50,302 135 136 118,784 135,526 114 Light ..........: 4,934 4,390 4,522 92 103 14,636 13,952 95 Heavy ..........: 32,382 32,544 45,780 141 141 104,148 121,574 117 Total ............: 3,834,371 3,831,468 4,209,971 110 110 11,689,961 12,131,572 104 : Turkeys : Young ............: 375,784 390,042 427,983 114 110 1,134,552 1,213,285 107 Old ..............: 4,252 4,243 3,649 86 86 10,962 11,239 103 Total ............: 380,036 394,285 431,632 114 109 1,145,514 1,224,524 107 : Ducks ..............: 10,190 9,550 10,680 105 112 30,985 30,427 98 : Other 1/ ...........: 115 110 117 102 106 337 333 99 : Total ..............: 4,224,712 4,235,413 4,652,400 110 110 12,866,797 13,386,856 104 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2026 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 9,916 9,644 10,012 101 104 31,750 30,754 97 Mature ...........: 666 658 703 106 107 2,260 2,227 99 Light ..........: 48 71 78 163 110 176 224 127 Heavy ..........: 618 587 625 101 106 2,084 2,003 96 Total ............: 10,582 10,302 10,715 101 104 34,010 32,981 97 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1,546 1,679 1,885 122 112 5,252 5,411 103 Old ..............: 33 33 37 112 112 98 107 109 Total ............: 1,579 1,712 1,922 122 112 5,350 5,518 103 : Ducks ..............: 80 80 81 101 101 261 261 100 : Total 1/ ...........: 12,241 12,094 12,718 104 105 39,621 38,760 98 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.20 0.19 0.18 90 95 0.21 0.19 90 Mature ...........: 1.21 1.25 1.01 83 81 1.29 1.17 91 Light ..........: 0.52 0.82 0.91 175 111 0.64 0.83 130 Heavy ..........: 1.35 1.33 1.02 76 77 1.42 1.22 86 Total ............: 0.21 0.20 0.19 90 95 0.22 0.21 95 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.33 0.34 0.35 106 103 0.37 0.35 95 Old ..............: 0.59 0.59 0.77 131 131 0.68 0.72 106 Total ............: 0.33 0.35 0.35 106 100 0.37 0.36 97 : Ducks ..............: 0.58 0.62 0.56 97 90 0.62 0.63 102 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.22 0.22 0.21 95 95 0.23 0.22 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : March 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to March :2026 as Commodity : March : February : March : March : February :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 18,314 18,462 18,480 101 100 55,632 55,396 100 Mature ...........: 1,213 1,267 1,324 109 104 3,998 4,147 104 Light ..........: 350 340 301 86 89 1,093 1,107 101 Heavy ..........: 863 927 1,023 119 110 2,905 3,040 105 Total ............: 19,527 19,729 19,804 101 100 59,630 59,543 100 : Turkeys : Young ............: 5,496 6,028 6,330 115 105 17,420 18,213 105 Old ..............: 191 225 228 119 101 484 653 135 Total ............: 5,687 6,253 6,558 115 105 17,904 18,866 105 : Ducks ..............: 152 138 153 101 111 518 431 83 : Other 1/ ...........: 3 2 2 67 100 10 6 60 : Total ..............: 25,369 26,122 26,517 105 102 78,062 78,846 101 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.48 0.48 0.44 92 92 0.48 0.46 96 Mature ...........: 3.15 3.32 2.56 81 77 3.26 2.97 91 Light ..........: 6.62 7.19 6.24 94 87 6.95 7.35 106 Heavy ..........: 2.60 2.77 2.19 84 79 2.71 2.44 90 Total ............: 0.51 0.51 0.47 92 92 0.51 0.49 96 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.44 1.52 1.46 101 96 1.51 1.48 98 Old ..............: 4.30 5.04 5.88 137 117 4.23 5.49 130 Total ............: 1.47 1.56 1.50 102 96 1.54 1.52 99 : Ducks ..............: 1.47 1.42 1.41 96 99 1.64 1.40 85 : Other 1/ ...........: 2.54 1.79 1.68 66 94 2.88 1.77 61 : Total ..............: 0.60 0.61 0.57 95 93 0.60 0.59 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: February and March 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 154 213 29,350 26,673 Mature ..........: - - 15 20 57,326 49,166 Light .........: - - 15 15 49,140 39,266 Heavy .........: - - - 5 8,186 9,900 Total ...........: - - 169 233 86,676 75,839 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - - 2 2,720 3,668 Old .............: - - - - 2,067 1,137 Total ...........: - - - 2 4,787 4,805 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 54,246 63,782 506 518 431 334 Mature ..........: 1,947 2,111 8 13 11,217 10,134 Light .........: 1,947 2,111 7 11 11,177 10,104 Heavy .........: - - 1 2 40 30 Total ...........: 56,193 65,893 514 531 11,648 10,468 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,135 1,777 3 42 13 39 Old .............: 1,203 1,176 51 68 642 124 Total ...........: 2,338 2,953 54 110 655 163 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 1,926 2,090 639 689 20,110 21,288 Mature ..........: 2,383 2,795 102 80 12,759 9,139 Light .........: 2,378 2,789 98 71 12,748 9,136 Heavy .........: 5 6 4 9 11 3 Total ...........: 4,309 4,885 741 769 32,869 30,427 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 52 131 219 301 378 369 Old .............: 39 27 8 9 163 239 Total ...........: 91 158 227 310 541 608 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 886 1,035 49,287 67,873 2,221,665 2,253,798 Mature ..........: 193 250 27,189 25,667 40,838 43,106 Light .........: 192 245 27,169 25,649 - - Heavy .........: 1 5 20 18 40,838 43,106 Total ...........: 1,079 1,285 76,476 93,540 2,262,503 2,296,904 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 9 13 3,177 2,689 87,028 71,441 Old .............: 21 1 130 113 301 103 Total ...........: 30 14 3,307 2,802 87,329 71,544 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. 1/ Includes any portion of the carcass affected by an inflammatory process, plant rejected carcasses, missing viscera, or ascites fluid preventing proper inspection of the carcass. 2/ Birds condemned with no cause given by federal inspectors and establishment sorters. Young Chickens Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight - States and United States: February and March 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 92,758 102,165 512,325 543,186 5.52 5.32 Arkansas ........: 84,125 90,700 624,085 667,967 7.42 7.36 Delaware ........: 28,446 33,134 214,632 260,332 7.55 7.86 Georgia .........: 104,111 112,368 654,921 697,066 6.29 6.20 Illinois ........: 53 48 343 307 6.46 6.35 Kentucky ........: 24,387 25,776 162,081 177,548 6.65 6.89 Louisiana .......: 14,900 13,879 99,488 98,006 6.68 7.06 Maryland ........: 10,703 12,017 71,692 82,047 6.70 6.83 Mississippi .....: 57,547 64,777 403,483 436,512 7.01 6.74 Missouri ........: 25,104 29,237 137,666 160,873 5.48 5.50 : New Jersey ......: 158 246 810 1,306 5.14 5.30 New York ........: 3,180 3,699 16,136 18,719 5.07 5.06 North Carolina ..: 73,160 82,326 613,063 685,501 8.38 8.33 Ohio ............: 10,670 10,805 52,478 51,636 4.92 4.78 Oklahoma ........: 8,522 9,193 67,302 72,817 7.90 7.92 Pennsylvania ....: 15,592 17,434 87,120 98,718 5.59 5.66 South Carolina ..: 23,694 25,332 179,902 190,747 7.59 7.53 Tennessee .......: 31,274 34,680 191,475 209,064 6.12 6.03 Texas ...........: 56,348 63,321 390,880 447,224 6.94 7.06 Vermont .........: 43 47 289 308 6.68 6.59 : Virginia ........: 24,595 27,988 151,656 170,559 6.17 6.09 : United States ...: 754,189 830,562 5,013,105 5,488,078 6.65 6.61 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: February and March 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 393,845 419,426 1,494 1,495 0.38 0.36 Arkansas ........: 475,141 508,876 1,555 1,522 0.33 0.30 Delaware ........: 172,303 208,623 1,129 1,227 0.65 0.58 Georgia .........: 492,737 524,280 2,492 2,579 0.50 0.49 Illinois ........: 255 228 - - (X) (X) Kentucky ........: 123,218 135,174 627 713 0.51 0.52 Louisiana .......: 72,658 71,765 667 554 0.91 0.77 Maryland ........: 53,731 61,463 668 637 1.23 1.03 Mississippi .....: 294,871 324,259 759 723 0.26 0.22 Missouri ........: 100,650 117,534 274 328 0.27 0.28 : New Jersey ......: 598 969 12 30 1.99 2.98 New York ........: 10,246 11,960 83 78 0.81 0.65 North Carolina ..: 475,773 528,698 1,606 1,341 0.34 0.25 Ohio ............: 39,360 38,796 162 142 0.41 0.36 Oklahoma ........: 50,636 54,807 298 321 0.59 0.58 Pennsylvania ....: 61,258 70,026 1,213 1,385 1.94 1.94 South Carolina ..: 135,315 143,371 982 1,123 0.72 0.78 Tennessee .......: 141,187 154,560 373 479 0.26 0.31 Texas ...........: 300,935 344,804 722 735 0.24 0.21 Vermont .........: 218 232 - - (X) (X) : Virginia ........: 115,267 128,712 253 243 0.22 0.19 : United States ...: 3,794,534 4,159,669 18,462 18,480 0.48 0.44 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause - States and United States: February and March 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: - - - - 27 107 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: - - - - 2,692 3,683 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - 2 3 Texas .............: - - 18 23 494 400 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: - - 154 213 29,350 26,673 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: 50 49 2 3 - 1 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 4,153 5,252 2 - 95 84 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - 3 - - - 1 Texas .............: 23 21 4 6 3 8 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 54,246 63,782 506 518 431 334 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: - 1 - - 4 153 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 72 131 23 16 368 695 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - 1 - - - - Texas .............: 24 33 12 15 26 12 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 1,926 2,090 639 689 20,110 21,288 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - 229,616 225,785 Arkansas ..........: 1 - 5 33 130,322 121,831 Delaware ..........: - - - - 131,053 136,530 Georgia ...........: - 11 4,057 18,422 254,218 273,781 Mississippi .......: - - - - 118,321 108,765 North Carolina ....: - - - - 96,742 125,033 Texas .............: 11 6 335 1,360 58,364 62,157 Virginia ..........: - - - - 267,707 270,784 : United States .....: 886 1,035 49,287 67,873 2,221,665 2,253,798 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Represents zero. 1/ Includes any portion of the carcass affected by an inflammatory process, plant rejected carcasses, missing viscera, or ascites fluid preventing proper inspection of the carcass. 2/ Birds condemned with no cause given by federal inspectors and establishment sorters. Young Turkeys Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight - States and United States: February and March 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ----- pounds ---- : California ......: 16 90 317 2,184 20.02 24.28 Illinois ........: (Z) (Z) 8 6 24.92 32.56 Indiana .........: 1,699 1,953 77,208 87,334 45.44 44.72 Iowa ............: 1,063 1,140 49,559 54,950 46.60 48.22 Michigan ........: 298 316 13,043 14,576 43.74 46.12 Minnesota .......: 2,845 3,364 87,058 99,964 30.61 29.71 North Carolina ..: 1,729 1,869 72,057 78,676 41.67 42.10 Ohio ............: 548 626 26,455 29,139 48.28 46.52 Pennsylvania ....: 547 643 17,716 19,020 32.39 29.59 South Carolina ..: 564 644 25,342 28,443 44.90 44.20 : Vermont .........: - - (X) (X) (X) (X) Wisconsin .......: (Z) (Z) (Z) (Z) 33.67 15.00 : United States ...: 14,374 15,619 490,327 537,989 34.11 34.44 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: February and March 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February : March : February : March : February : March ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 253 1,745 (Z) 3 0.16 0.15 Illinois ........: 5 5 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 62,730 71,048 815 995 1.28 1.38 Iowa ............: 38,881 43,266 545 683 1.38 1.55 Michigan ........: 10,108 11,295 136 181 1.32 1.58 Minnesota .......: 69,555 79,963 1,134 817 1.60 1.01 North Carolina ..: 56,213 61,546 347 367 0.61 0.59 Ohio ............: 21,158 23,115 377 448 1.75 1.90 Pennsylvania ....: 13,879 14,985 446 373 3.11 2.43 South Carolina ..: 18,901 21,249 735 580 3.75 2.66 : Vermont .........: - - - - (X) (X) Wisconsin .......: (Z) (Z) - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 390,042 427,983 6,028 6,330 1.52 1.46 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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.