Poultry Slaughter ISSN: 1949-1581 Released May 22, 2026, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 6 Percent from Last Year April 2025 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. April 2026 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry certified wholesome during April 2026 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.62 billion pounds, up 6 percent from the amount certified in April 2025. The March 2026 revised certified total at 4.66 billion pounds, was up 10 percent from March 2025. The March revision represented an increase of 11.8 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during April 2026 was 6.07 billion pounds, up 5 percent from 5.76 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.48 billion pounds, up 5 percent from April 2025. Mature chickens, at 68.7 million pounds, were up 17 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 511 million pounds, up 10 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 13.1 million pounds, down 7 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during April 2026 averaged 6.63 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from April 2025. The average live weight of mature chickens was 7.15 pounds per bird, up 7 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during April 2026 averaged 34.3 pounds per bird, up 13 percent from April 2025. Ante-mortem condemnations during April 2026 totaled 11.8 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.19 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.22 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 27.4 million pounds, were 0.59 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2026 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------------ 1,000 head ----------- --- percent --- ------ 1,000 head ------ percent : Slaughtered : Chickens : Young ............: 796,496 831,698 825,555 104 99 3,119,054 3,212,631 103 Mature ...........: 8,742 9,564 9,616 110 101 34,323 36,629 107 Light ..........: 2,974 2,438 2,646 89 109 11,018 10,317 94 Heavy ..........: 5,768 7,126 6,970 121 98 23,305 26,312 113 Total ............: 805,238 841,262 835,171 104 99 3,153,377 3,249,260 103 : Turkeys : Young ............: 15,159 15,941 14,638 97 92 58,185 59,853 103 Old ..............: 150 156 248 165 159 625 719 115 Total ............: 15,309 16,097 14,886 97 92 58,810 60,572 103 : Ducks ..............: 1,973 2,066 1,806 92 87 8,001 7,597 95 : : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Total live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 5,219,623 5,495,430 5,476,494 105 100 20,529,551 21,321,327 104 Mature ...........: 58,664 69,596 68,730 117 99 233,341 259,665 111 Light ..........: 10,309 8,602 9,011 87 105 37,983 35,983 95 Heavy ..........: 48,355 60,994 59,719 124 98 195,358 223,682 114 Total ............: 5,278,287 5,565,026 5,545,224 105 100 20,762,892 21,580,992 104 : Turkeys : Young ............: 460,446 544,829 502,957 109 92 1,889,052 2,034,743 108 Old ..............: 4,352 4,824 7,632 175 158 18,714 22,540 120 Total ............: 464,798 549,653 510,589 110 93 1,907,766 2,057,283 108 : Ducks ..............: 14,097 14,558 13,115 93 90 56,436 54,393 96 : Other 1/ ...........: 187 162 143 76 88 677 636 94 : Total ..............: 5,757,369 6,129,399 6,069,071 105 99 22,727,771 23,693,304 104 : : ------------ pounds ----------- --- percent --- ------ pounds ----- percent : Average live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 6.55 6.61 6.63 101 100 6.58 6.64 101 Mature ...........: 6.71 7.28 7.15 107 98 6.80 7.09 104 Light ..........: 3.47 3.53 3.41 98 97 3.45 3.49 101 Heavy ..........: 8.38 8.56 8.57 102 100 8.38 8.50 101 Total ............: 6.55 6.62 6.64 101 100 6.58 6.64 101 : Turkeys : Young ............: 30.37 34.18 34.36 113 101 32.47 34.00 105 Old ..............: 29.01 30.92 30.77 106 100 29.94 31.35 105 Total ............: 30.36 34.15 34.30 113 100 32.44 33.96 105 : Ducks ..............: 7.14 7.05 7.26 102 103 7.05 7.16 102 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab. Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type - United States [Ready-to-cook weights] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2026 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----------- 1,000 pounds ---------- --- percent --- ----- 1,000 pounds ----- percent : Chilled : Chickens : Young ............: 3,697,776 3,903,521 3,896,558 105 100 14,513,911 15,126,108 104 Mature ...........: 40,178 50,209 48,163 120 96 158,962 183,596 115 Light ..........: 5,439 4,522 4,619 85 102 20,075 18,571 93 Heavy ..........: 34,739 45,687 43,544 125 95 138,887 165,025 119 Total ............: 3,737,954 3,953,730 3,944,721 106 100 14,672,873 15,309,704 104 : Turkeys : Young ............: 218,489 270,590 240,987 110 89 941,282 992,412 105 Old ..............: 3,261 3,201 5,715 175 179 12,344 16,135 131 Total ............: 221,750 273,791 246,702 111 90 953,626 1,008,547 106 : Ducks ..............: 3,000 3,130 2,950 98 94 12,341 12,395 100 : Other 1/ ...........: 107 117 103 96 88 405 436 108 : Total ..............: 3,962,811 4,230,768 4,194,476 106 99 15,639,245 16,331,082 104 : Frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 257,593 261,909 262,210 102 100 1,012,635 1,034,467 102 Mature ...........: - 93 110 (X) 118 - 203 (X) Light ..........: - - 77 (X) (X) - 77 (X) Heavy ..........: - 93 33 (X) 35 - 126 (X) Total ............: 257,593 262,002 262,320 102 100 1,012,635 1,034,670 102 : Turkeys : Young ............: 149,081 163,395 159,572 107 98 560,840 627,434 112 Old ..............: 55 448 99 180 22 1,934 918 47 Total ............: 149,136 163,843 159,671 107 97 562,774 628,352 112 : Ducks ..............: 7,350 7,550 6,677 91 88 28,994 27,659 95 : Other 1/ ...........: 16 - 1 6 (X) 55 1 2 : Total ..............: 414,095 433,395 428,669 104 99 1,604,458 1,690,682 105 : Chilled and frozen : Chickens : Young ............: 3,955,369 4,165,430 4,158,768 105 100 15,526,546 16,160,575 104 Mature ...........: 40,178 50,302 48,273 120 96 158,962 183,799 116 Light ..........: 5,439 4,522 4,696 86 104 20,075 18,648 93 Heavy ..........: 34,739 45,780 43,577 125 95 138,887 165,151 119 Total ............: 3,995,547 4,215,732 4,207,041 105 100 15,685,508 16,344,374 104 : Turkeys : Young ............: 367,570 433,985 400,559 109 92 1,502,122 1,619,846 108 Old ..............: 3,316 3,649 5,814 175 159 14,278 17,053 119 Total ............: 370,886 437,634 406,373 110 93 1,516,400 1,636,899 108 : Ducks ..............: 10,350 10,680 9,627 93 90 41,335 40,054 97 : Other 1/ ...........: 123 117 104 85 89 460 437 95 : Total ..............: 4,376,906 4,664,163 4,623,145 106 99 17,243,703 18,021,764 105 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ - Represents zero. (X) Not applicable. 1/ Includes geese, guineas, and squab. Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type - United States [Federally inspected only] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2026 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- --- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Live weight : Chickens : Young ............: 9,896 10,033 9,232 93 92 41,646 40,007 96 Mature ...........: 855 703 775 91 110 3,115 3,002 96 Light ..........: 70 78 81 116 104 246 305 124 Heavy ..........: 785 625 694 88 111 2,869 2,697 94 Total ............: 10,751 10,736 10,007 93 93 44,761 43,009 96 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1,527 1,898 1,680 110 89 6,779 7,104 105 Old ..............: 32 37 43 134 116 130 150 115 Total ............: 1,559 1,935 1,723 111 89 6,909 7,254 105 : Ducks ..............: 70 81 79 113 98 331 340 103 : Total 1/ ...........: 12,381 12,752 11,809 95 93 52,002 50,603 97 : : percent : Percent of live : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.19 0.18 0.17 89 94 0.20 0.19 95 Mature ...........: 1.46 1.01 1.13 77 112 1.33 1.16 87 Light ..........: 0.68 0.91 0.90 132 99 0.65 0.85 131 Heavy ..........: 1.62 1.02 1.16 72 114 1.47 1.21 82 Total ............: 0.20 0.19 0.18 90 95 0.22 0.20 91 : Turkeys : Young ............: 0.33 0.35 0.33 100 94 0.36 0.35 97 Old ..............: 0.74 0.77 0.56 76 73 0.69 0.67 97 Total ............: 0.34 0.35 0.34 100 97 0.36 0.35 97 : Ducks ..............: 0.50 0.56 0.60 120 107 0.59 0.63 107 : Total 1/ ...........: 0.22 0.21 0.19 86 90 0.23 0.21 91 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : : : : April 2026 as % of : January : : : : :-----------------------: to April :2026 as Commodity : April : March : April : April : March :---------------------------:percent : 2025 : 2026 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 : 2025 : 2026 :of 2025 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : --------- 1,000 pounds --------- --- percent --- ---- 1,000 pounds --- percent : Carcass and parts : Chickens : Young ............: 18,954 18,533 18,383 97 99 74,586 73,832 99 Mature ...........: 1,329 1,324 1,527 115 115 5,327 5,674 107 Light ..........: 443 301 384 87 128 1,536 1,491 97 Heavy ..........: 886 1,023 1,143 129 112 3,791 4,183 110 Total ............: 20,283 19,857 19,910 98 100 79,913 79,506 99 : Turkeys : Young ............: 5,726 6,415 6,938 121 108 23,146 25,236 109 Old ..............: 158 228 295 187 129 642 948 148 Total ............: 5,884 6,643 7,233 123 109 23,788 26,184 110 : Ducks ..............: 162 153 209 129 137 680 640 94 : Other 1/ ...........: 7 2 2 29 100 17 8 47 : Total ..............: 26,336 26,655 27,354 104 103 104,398 106,338 102 : : percent : Percent of : weight condemned 2/ : Chickens : Young ............: 0.48 0.44 0.44 92 100 0.48 0.45 94 Mature ...........: 3.20 2.56 3.07 96 120 3.24 2.99 92 Light ..........: 7.53 6.24 7.56 100 121 7.11 7.40 104 Heavy ..........: 2.49 2.19 2.56 103 117 2.66 2.47 93 Total ............: 0.51 0.47 0.47 92 100 0.51 0.48 94 : Turkeys : Young ............: 1.53 1.46 1.70 111 116 1.52 1.53 101 Old ..............: 4.55 5.88 4.83 106 82 4.30 5.27 123 Total ............: 1.56 1.50 1.75 112 117 1.54 1.57 102 : Ducks ..............: 1.54 1.41 2.12 138 150 1.62 1.57 97 : Other 1/ ...........: 5.38 1.68 1.89 35 113 3.56 1.80 51 : Total ..............: 0.60 0.57 0.59 98 104 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: March and April 2026 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: - - 213 287 26,777 26,786 Mature ..........: - - 20 9 49,166 74,931 Light .........: - - 15 9 39,266 66,983 Heavy .........: - - 5 - 9,900 7,948 Total ...........: - - 233 296 75,943 101,717 : Turkeys : Young ...........: - - 2 1 3,668 2,163 Old .............: - - - - 1,137 1,715 Total ...........: - - 2 1 4,805 3,878 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 63,851 66,717 518 482 340 307 Mature ..........: 2,111 2,085 13 28 10,134 10,419 Light .........: 2,111 2,085 11 26 10,104 10,366 Heavy .........: - - 2 2 30 53 Total ...........: 65,962 68,802 531 510 10,474 10,726 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 1,777 1,439 42 23 39 15 Old .............: 1,176 1,126 68 53 124 290 Total ...........: 2,953 2,565 110 76 163 305 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 2,109 1,748 693 671 21,304 21,084 Mature ..........: 2,795 1,925 80 64 9,139 15,712 Light .........: 2,789 1,922 71 57 9,136 15,708 Heavy .........: 6 3 9 7 3 4 Total ...........: 4,904 3,673 773 735 30,443 36,796 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 131 134 301 239 369 441 Old .............: 27 40 9 11 239 285 Total ...........: 158 174 310 250 608 726 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodity : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Chickens : Young ...........: 1,083 682 67,895 43,292 2,262,039 2,277,777 Mature ..........: 250 314 25,667 17,824 43,106 59,570 Light .........: 245 313 25,649 17,801 - - Heavy .........: 5 1 18 23 43,106 59,570 Total ...........: 1,333 996 93,562 61,116 2,305,145 2,337,347 : Turkeys : Young ...........: 13 37 2,689 6,162 71,541 57,353 Old .............: 1 41 113 118 103 265 Total ...........: 14 78 2,802 6,280 71,644 57,618 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: March and April 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head ---- ---- 1,000 pounds ---- ---- pounds --- : Alabama .........: 102,268 104,028 543,865 569,687 5.32 5.48 Arkansas ........: 90,700 90,533 667,967 661,121 7.36 7.30 Delaware ........: 33,134 31,955 260,332 253,528 7.86 7.93 Georgia .........: 112,368 108,687 697,066 683,963 6.20 6.29 Illinois ........: 48 56 307 360 6.35 6.41 Kentucky ........: 25,776 27,122 177,548 183,868 6.89 6.78 Louisiana .......: 13,879 14,844 98,006 101,122 7.06 6.81 Maryland ........: 12,017 12,110 82,047 81,864 6.83 6.76 Mississippi .....: 64,777 62,596 436,512 414,805 6.74 6.63 Missouri ........: 28,439 28,074 155,697 153,301 5.47 5.46 : New Jersey ......: 246 226 1,306 1,240 5.30 5.49 New York ........: 3,706 3,035 18,752 15,507 5.06 5.11 North Carolina ..: 82,326 79,624 685,501 660,087 8.33 8.29 Ohio ............: 10,805 11,222 51,636 55,591 4.78 4.95 Oklahoma ........: 9,193 9,317 72,817 74,320 7.92 7.98 Pennsylvania ....: 17,970 15,708 101,701 90,452 5.66 5.76 South Carolina ..: 25,332 24,953 190,747 188,682 7.53 7.56 Tennessee .......: 34,899 34,283 210,588 206,115 6.03 6.01 Texas ...........: 63,455 69,273 448,167 490,151 7.06 7.08 Vermont .........: 47 44 308 294 6.59 6.68 : Virginia ........: 28,587 26,959 174,854 163,799 6.12 6.08 : United States ...: 831,698 825,555 5,495,430 5,476,494 6.61 6.63 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations - States and United States: March and April 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ----------------- 1,000 pounds ---------------- ---- percent ---- : Alabama .........: 419,840 438,412 1,495 1,452 0.35 0.33 Arkansas ........: 508,876 508,550 1,522 1,437 0.30 0.28 Delaware ........: 208,623 202,924 1,227 1,088 0.58 0.53 Georgia .........: 524,280 517,831 2,579 2,718 0.49 0.52 Illinois ........: 228 269 - - (X) (X) Kentucky ........: 135,174 140,590 713 693 0.52 0.49 Louisiana .......: 71,765 74,337 554 581 0.77 0.78 Maryland ........: 61,463 61,389 637 629 1.03 1.01 Mississippi .....: 324,259 305,173 723 677 0.22 0.22 Missouri ........: 113,601 111,959 328 307 0.29 0.27 : New Jersey ......: 969 916 30 18 2.98 1.96 New York ........: 11,986 9,755 78 93 0.65 0.95 North Carolina ..: 528,698 510,649 1,341 1,921 0.25 0.37 Ohio ............: 38,796 41,657 142 141 0.36 0.34 Oklahoma ........: 54,807 55,926 321 252 0.58 0.45 Pennsylvania ....: 72,133 63,637 1,411 1,150 1.92 1.77 South Carolina ..: 143,371 142,132 1,123 1,122 0.78 0.78 Tennessee .......: 155,641 152,404 480 566 0.31 0.37 Texas ...........: 345,674 376,837 735 756 0.21 0.20 Vermont .........: 232 222 - - (X) (X) : Virginia ........: 132,383 124,155 266 267 0.20 0.21 : United States ...: 4,165,430 4,158,768 18,533 18,383 0.44 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: March and April 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: - - - - 107 439 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: - - - - 3,683 2,587 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: - - - - 3 4 Texas .............: - - 23 32 400 170 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: - - 213 287 26,777 26,786 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: 49 105 3 12 - - Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 5,252 5,546 - - 84 89 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 3 - - - - - Texas .............: 21 6 6 2 8 3 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 63,851 66,717 518 482 340 307 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - - - Arkansas ..........: - - - - 153 55 Delaware ..........: - - - - - - Georgia ...........: 131 169 16 19 695 1,078 Mississippi .......: - - - - - - North Carolina ....: 1 2 - - - - Texas .............: 33 21 15 11 12 7 Virginia ..........: - - - - - - : United States .....: 2,109 1,748 693 671 21,304 21,084 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Miscellaneous 1/ : Unknown 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : head : Alabama ...........: - - - - 225,880 203,860 Arkansas ..........: - - 33 53 121,831 104,998 Delaware ..........: - - - - 136,530 123,436 Georgia ...........: 11 46 18,422 5,130 273,781 322,452 Mississippi .......: - - - - 108,765 102,009 North Carolina ....: - - - - 125,033 120,224 Texas .............: 6 - 1,360 799 62,157 57,866 Virginia ..........: - - - - 273,002 286,374 : United States .....: 1,083 682 67,895 43,292 2,262,039 2,277,777 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: March and April 2026 [Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Slaughtered : Total : Average : : live weight : live weight State :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 head --- --- 1,000 pounds --- ----- pounds ---- : California ......: 90 80 2,184 2,302 24.28 28.86 Illinois ........: (Z) (Z) 6 9 32.56 31.13 Indiana .........: 1,953 1,619 87,334 71,804 44.72 44.36 Iowa ............: 1,140 1,163 54,950 55,402 48.22 47.63 Michigan ........: 316 325 14,576 15,234 46.12 46.87 Minnesota .......: 3,364 3,174 99,964 95,035 29.71 29.94 North Carolina ..: 1,869 1,888 78,676 78,821 42.10 41.74 Ohio ............: 626 582 29,139 27,338 46.52 46.94 Pennsylvania ....: 643 584 19,020 17,268 29.59 29.56 South Carolina ..: 644 610 28,443 25,588 44.20 41.92 : Vermont .........: - - (X) (X) (X) (X) Wisconsin .......: (Z) (Z) (Z) (Z) 15.00 26.14 : United States ...: 15,941 14,638 544,829 502,957 34.18 34.36 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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: March and April 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/ :------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March : April : March : April : March : April ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------------- 1,000 pounds --------------- ---- percent ---- : California ......: 1,745 1,838 3 4 0.15 0.21 Illinois ........: 5 7 - - (X) (X) Indiana .........: 71,048 58,364 995 815 1.38 1.38 Iowa ............: 43,266 43,492 683 746 1.55 1.69 Michigan ........: 11,295 11,786 181 86 1.58 0.72 Minnesota .......: 79,963 75,955 817 877 1.01 1.14 North Carolina ..: 61,546 62,244 367 355 0.59 0.57 Ohio ............: 23,115 21,862 448 334 1.90 1.51 Pennsylvania ....: 14,985 13,645 373 279 2.43 2.01 South Carolina ..: 21,249 19,358 580 422 2.66 2.13 : Vermont .........: - - - - (X) (X) Wisconsin .......: (Z) (Z) - - (X) (X) : United States ...: 433,985 400,559 6,415 6,938 1.46 1.70 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - 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 Shulonda Blackmon - Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses, Cold Storage............... (202) 720-3240 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 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.