Poultry Slaughter - Release

Poultry Slaughter
ISSN: 1949-1581
Released May 23, 2024, 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
April 2023 contained 20 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 5 Saturdays.
April 2024 contained 22 weekdays (including 0 holidays) and 4 Saturdays.
Poultry certified wholesome during April 2024 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.43 billion pounds, up 10 percent from
the amount certified in April 2023. The March 2024 certified total at 4.10 billion pounds, was down 10 percent from
March 2023, unchanged from last month’s preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during April 2024 was 5.82 billion pounds, up
10 percent from 5.31 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.17 billion pounds, up 10 percent from
April 2023. Mature chickens, at 67.7 million pounds, were up 7 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled
565 million pounds, up 6 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 16.2 million pounds, up 4 percent from last year.
Young chickens slaughtered during April 2024 averaged 6.52 pounds per bird, up slightly from April 2023. The average
live weight of mature chickens was 6.90 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during
April 2024 averaged 33.3 pounds per bird, up 2 percent from April 2023.
Ante-mortem condemnations during April 2024 totaled 11.9 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.20 percent of the
live weight inspected, as compared with 0.21 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 26.8 million pounds,
were 0.60 percent of quantities inspected, unchanged from a year earlier.

Poultry Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type – United States
[Federally inspected only]
Commodity

April
2023

March
2024

April
2024

January
to April

April 2024 as % of
April
2023

March
2024

2023

2024

2024 as
percent
of 2023

(percent)

(percent)

(1,000 head)

(1,000 head)

(percent)

(1,000 head)

(1,000 head)

(1,000 head)

Slaughtered
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ...................
Total .........................

724,124
9,235
2,864
6,371
733,359

744,888
8,940
2,581
6,359
753,828

792,881
9,809
2,842
6,967
802,690

109
106
99
109
109

106
110
110
110
106

3,075,306
38,374
11,361
27,013
3,113,680

3,116,006
37,650
10,753
26,897
3,153,656

101
98
95
100
101

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total .........................

16,281
164
16,445

15,395
113
15,508

16,876
126
17,002

104
77
103

110
112
110

67,762
650
68,412

64,819
564
65,383

96
87
96

Ducks ...........................

2,173

2,096

2,265

104

108

8,996

8,939

99

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(percent)

(1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds)

(percent)

(percent)

Total live weight
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ...................
Total .........................

4,698,567
63,003
10,033
52,970
4,761,570

4,816,338
62,196
8,924
53,272
4,878,534

5,172,487
67,684
9,744
57,940
5,240,171

110
107
97
109
110

107
109
109
109
107

19,992,931
266,408
39,438
226,970
20,259,339

20,302,204
262,084
37,103
224,981
20,564,288

102
98
94
99
102

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total .........................

529,335
4,909
534,244

510,572
3,640
514,212

561,485
3,929
565,414

106
80
106

110
108
110

2,202,216
19,640
2,221,856

2,144,745
17,437
2,162,182

97
89
97

Ducks ...........................

15,546

15,012

16,244

104

108

64,346

64,079

100

.........................

149

148

169

113

114

665

657

99

Total ............................

5,311,509

5,407,906

5,821,998

110

108

22,546,206

22,791,206

101

(pounds)

(pounds)

Other

1

(pounds)

(pounds)

(pounds)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

Average live weight
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ...................
Total .........................

6.49
6.82
3.50
8.31
6.49

6.47
6.96
3.46
8.38
6.47

6.52
6.90
3.43
8.32
6.53

100
101
98
100
101

101
99
99
99
101

6.50
6.94
3.47
8.40
6.51

6.52
6.96
3.45
8.36
6.52

100
100
99
100
100

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total .........................

32.51
29.93
32.49

33.16
32.21
33.16

33.27
31.18
33.26

102
104
102

100
97
100

32.50
30.22
32.48

33.09
30.92
33.07

102
102
102

Ducks ...........................

7.15

7.16

7.17

100

100

7.15

7.17

100

1

2

Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, and squab.

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified by Type – United States
[Ready-to-cook weights]
Commodity

April
2023

March
2024

January
to April

April 2024 as % of

April
2024

(1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds)

April
2023

March
2024

2023

2024

2024 as
percent
of 2023

(percent)

(percent)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(percent)

Chilled
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ..................
Total ........................

3,303,459
44,002
5,149
38,853
3,347,461

3,400,230
42,854
4,649
38,205
3,443,084

3,658,932
47,177
5,204
41,973
3,706,109

111
107
101
108
111

108
110
112
110
108

14,096,399
186,210
20,719
165,491
14,282,609

14,319,602
182,444
19,629
162,815
14,502,046

102
98
95
98
102

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total ........................

272,951
2,702
275,653

254,668
2,687
257,355

286,108
2,881
288,989

105
107
105

112
107
112

1,106,924
12,290
1,119,214

1,084,574
12,709
1,097,283

98
103
98

Ducks ..........................

3,425

3,763

3,742

109

99

15,329

16,216

106

Other 1 .........................

90

93

102

113

110

419

406

97

Total ............................

3,626,629

3,704,295

3,998,942

110

108

15,417,571

15,615,951

101

Frozen
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ..................
Total ........................

242,637
242,637

236,574
236,574

257,129
257,129

106
(X)
(X)
(X)
106

109
(X)
(X)
(X)
109

998,794
998,794

1,026,479
1,026,479

103
(X)
(X)
(X)
103

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total ........................

152,004
1,082
153,086

152,076
68
152,144

161,591
75
161,666

106
7
106

106
110
106

655,323
2,828
658,151

621,386
559
621,945

95
20
94

Ducks ..........................

7,848

7,272

8,159

104

112

31,278

30,773

98

Other 1 .........................

15

11

16

107

145

49

56

114

Total ............................

403,586

396,001

426,970

106

108

1,688,272

1,679,253

99

Chilled and frozen
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ..................
Total ........................

3,546,096
44,002
5,149
38,853
3,590,098

3,636,804
42,854
4,649
38,205
3,679,658

3,916,061
47,177
5,204
41,973
3,963,238

110
107
101
108
110

108
110
112
110
108

15,095,193
186,210
20,719
165,491
15,281,403

15,346,081
182,444
19,629
162,815
15,528,525

102
98
95
98
102

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total ........................

424,955
3,784
428,739

406,744
2,755
409,499

447,699
2,956
450,655

105
78
105

110
107
110

1,762,247
15,118
1,777,365

1,705,960
13,268
1,719,228

97
88
97

Ducks ..........................

11,273

11,035

11,901

106

108

46,607

46,989

101

Other 1 .........................

105

104

118

112

113

468

462

99

Total ............................

4,030,215

4,100,296

4,425,912

110

108

17,105,843

17,295,204

101

- Represents zero.
(X) Not applicable.
1
Includes geese, guineas, and squab.

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

3

Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type – United States
[Federally inspected only]
Commodity

April
2023

March
2024

January
to April

April 2024 as % of

April
2024

(1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds)

April
2023

March
2024

2023

2024

2024 as
percent
of 2023

(percent)

(percent)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(percent)

Live weight
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ...................
Total .........................

8,815
716
87
629
9,531

8,910
727
41
686
9,637

9,301
726
41
685
10,027

106
101
47
109
105

104
100
100
100
104

39,556
3,344
403
2,941
42,900

39,703
3,175
187
2,988
42,878

100
95
46
102
100

Turkeys ........................
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total .........................

1,487
19
1,506

1,624
40
1,664

1,692
39
1,731

114
205
115

104
98
104

6,384
128
6,512

6,927
179
7,106

109
140
109

Ducks ...........................

74

84

101

136

120

304

376

124

Total 1 ..........................

11,111

11,385

11,859

107

104

49,716

50,360

101

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

Percent of live
weight condemned 2
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ...................
Total .........................

0.19
1.14
0.87
1.19
0.20

0.18
1.17
0.46
1.29
0.20

0.18
1.07
0.42
1.18
0.19

95
94
48
99
95

100
91
91
91
95

0.20
1.26
1.02
1.30
0.21

0.20
1.21
0.50
1.33
0.21

100
96
49
102
100

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total .........................

0.28
0.39
0.28

0.32
1.10
0.32

0.30
0.99
0.31

107
254
111

94
90
97

0.29
0.65
0.29

0.32
1.03
0.33

110
158
114

Ducks ...........................

0.48

0.56

0.62

129

111

0.47

0.59

126

Total 1 ..........................

0.21

0.21

0.20

95

95

0.22

0.22

100

1

Includes geese, guineas, and squab.
2
Pounds condemned as a percent of live weight pounds inspected.

4

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type – United States
[Federally condemned and establishment sorted and removed]
Commodity

April
2023

March
2024

January
to April

April 2024 as % of

April
2024

(1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds) (1,000 pounds)

April
2023

March
2024

2023

2024

2024 as
percent
of 2023

(percent)

(percent)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(percent)

Carcass and parts
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ..................
Total ........................

17,249
1,715
435
1,280
18,964

18,025
1,578
419
1,159
19,603

17,944
1,937
406
1,531
19,881

104
113
93
120
105

100
123
97
132
101

77,158
7,135
1,661
5,474
84,293

73,760
6,877
1,624
5,253
80,637

96
96
98
96
96

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total ........................

4,881
190
5,071

5,821
126
5,947

6,553
147
6,700

134
77
132

113
117
113

20,425
761
21,186

25,509
569
26,078

125
75
123

Ducks ..........................

188

171

185

98

108

879

787

90

Other 1 .........................

2

3

3

150

100

9

12

133

Total ............................

24,225

25,724

26,769

111

104

106,367

107,514

101

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

(percent)

Percent of
weight condemned 2
Chickens
Young ......................
Mature .....................
Light .....................
Heavy ..................
Total ........................

0.48
3.75
7.79
3.19
0.53

0.49
3.55
8.27
2.94
0.53

0.46
3.94
7.24
3.52
0.50

96
105
93
110
94

94
111
88
120
94

0.51
3.69
7.42
3.20
0.55

0.48
3.63
7.64
3.13
0.52

94
98
103
98
95

Turkeys
Young ......................
Old ...........................
Total ........................

1.14
4.78
1.17

1.41
4.37
1.43

1.44
4.74
1.46

126
99
125

102
108
102

1.15
4.79
1.18

1.47
4.11
1.49

128
86
126

Ducks ..........................

1.64

1.53

1.53

93

100

1.85

1.65

89

Other 1 .........................

1.87

2.80

2.48

133

89

1.89

2.53

134

Total ............................

0.60

0.62

0.60

100

97

0.62

0.62

100

1

Includes geese, guineas, and squab.
2
Pounds condemned as a percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations.

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

5

Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause and Type – United States: March and April 2024
Commodity

Tuberculosis

Leukosis

Septicaemia

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Chickens
Young ...................................
Mature ..................................
Light ..................................
Heavy ................................
Total ......................................

-

-

379
24
22
2
403

356
12
11
1
368

107,710
46,905
39,816
7,089
154,615

103,089
56,272
46,774
9,498
159,361

Turkeys
Young ...................................
Old ........................................
Total ......................................

-

-

5
2
7

2
1
3

3,877
920
4,797

4,062
1,134
5,196

Commodity

Airsacculitis

Synovitis

Tumors

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Chickens
Young ...................................
Mature ..................................
Light ..................................
Heavy ................................
Total ......................................

187,422
12,970
5,729
7,241
200,392

200,907
13,836
5,039
8,797
214,743

462
90
10
80
552

549
108
7
101
657

1,945
20,324
15,884
4,440
22,269

1,939
20,219
15,690
4,529
22,158

Turkeys
Young ...................................
Old ........................................
Total ......................................

1,281
506
1,787

1,396
427
1,823

10
14
24

33
11
44

36
252
288

52
204
256

Commodity

Bruises

Cadaver

Contamination

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Chickens
Young ...................................
Mature ..................................
Light ..................................
Heavy ................................
Total ......................................

4,312
2,204
1,720
484
6,516

3,758
2,145
1,464
681
5,903

1,480
328
298
30
1,808

1,272
148
120
28
1,420

44,708
18,877
18,106
771
63,585

39,479
22,620
21,992
628
62,099

Turkeys
Young ...................................
Old ........................................
Total ......................................

74
7
81

56
14
70

240
14
254

295
4
299

845
41
886

389
98
487

Commodity

Miscellaneous 1

Overscald

Unknown 2

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Chickens
Young ...................................
Mature ..................................
Light ..................................
Heavy ................................
Total ......................................

4,857
36
31
5
4,893

4,098
111
57
54
4,209

129,803
29,385
22,032
7,353
159,188

97,985
33,654
24,596
9,058
131,639

1,840,300
24,423
24,423
1,864,723

1,842,192
27,456
27,456
1,869,648

Turkeys
Young ...................................
Old ........................................
Total ......................................

91
1
92

164
10
174

1,644
100
1,744

1,952
76
2,028

71,495
100
71,595

85,241
35
85,276

- Represents zero.
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.
1

6

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Young Chickens Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight – States and United States:
March and April 2024
[Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure]
Total
live weight

Slaughtered

State

Average
live weight

March

April

March

April

March

April

(1,000 head)

(1,000 head)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(pounds)

(pounds)

Alabama ...........................
Arkansas ..........................
Delaware ..........................
Georgia ............................
Illinois ...............................
Indiana .............................
Iowa ..................................
Kentucky ...........................
Louisiana ..........................
Maryland ...........................

93,629
79,431
29,539
101,944
50
3,536
1,988
24,302
14,443
11,608

100,497
87,054
31,359
107,490
66
3,731
1,767
25,131
15,267
12,066

505,661
574,212
226,744
609,595
316
19,130
11,727
159,825
96,372
71,782

546,258
634,757
242,478
642,113
418
20,233
10,152
169,972
102,876
75,460

5.40
7.23
7.68
5.98
6.31
5.41
5.90
6.58
6.67
6.18

5.44
7.29
7.73
5.97
6.37
5.42
5.74
6.76
6.74
6.25

Mississippi ........................
Missouri ............................
Nebraska ..........................
New Jersey .......................
New York ..........................
North Carolina ..................
Ohio ..................................
Oklahoma .........................
Pennsylvania ....................
South Carolina ..................

55,235
25,027
9,533
224
2,744
73,861
9,987
7,837
13,459
23,974

59,810
27,334
10,682
214
2,708
77,917
10,891
8,585
14,091
25,380

363,175
133,031
61,934
1,171
13,412
619,223
45,295
59,087
76,773
171,953

397,284
147,577
71,396
1,102
13,166
658,055
50,008
68,212
81,295
183,610

6.58
5.32
6.50
5.23
4.89
8.38
4.54
7.54
5.70
7.17

6.64
5.40
6.68
5.14
4.86
8.45
4.59
7.95
5.77
7.23

Tennessee ........................
Texas ...............................
Virginia .............................

32,388
56,642
24,346

32,703
60,494
25,450

192,870
378,910
155,010

197,645
411,707
161,809

5.95
6.69
6.37

6.04
6.81
6.36

United States ....................

744,888

792,881

4,816,338

5,172,487

6.47

6.52

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

7

Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations – States and United States:
March and April 2024
[Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure]
State

Post-mortem condemnations

Total chilled and frozen
pounds certified 1

Percent 2

Carcass and parts

March

April

March

April

March

April

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(percent)

(percent)

Alabama ..........................
Arkansas ..........................
Delaware .........................
Georgia ............................
Illinois ...............................
Indiana .............................
Iowa .................................
Kentucky ..........................
Louisiana .........................
Maryland ..........................

387,330
429,907
175,423
460,621
235
13,701
8,586
120,938
72,182
53,316

421,266
476,078
188,074
486,639
312
14,475
7,378
128,449
76,541
56,056

1,795
1,883
1,068
2,701
54
307
638
329
578

1,660
1,900
1,143
2,680
70
379
492
333
622

0.46
0.44
0.61
0.58
(X)
0.39
3.45
0.52
0.45
1.07

0.39
0.40
0.60
0.55
(X)
0.48
4.89
0.38
0.43
1.10

Mississippi .......................
Missouri ...........................
Nebraska .........................
New Jersey ......................
New York .........................
North Carolina ..................
Ohio .................................
Oklahoma ........................
Pennsylvania ...................
South Carolina .................

269,111
96,969
47,461
857
8,266
477,125
33,962
44,256
54,402
129,777

299,216
107,643
54,232
807
8,173
506,820
37,347
51,169
57,857
138,460

875
355
232
9
119
1,143
209
167
713
1,005

985
317
184
9
138
1,273
239
195
724
862

0.32
0.36
0.49
1.04
1.42
0.24
0.61
0.38
1.29
0.77

0.33
0.29
0.34
1.15
1.66
0.25
0.63
0.38
1.24
0.62

Tennessee .......................
Texas ...............................
Virginia .............................

142,585
291,159
117,611

146,627
316,482
122,995

299
968
358

291
874
359

0.21
0.33
0.30

0.20
0.28
0.29

United States ...................

3,636,804

3,916,061

18,025

17,944

0.49

0.46

- Represents zero.
(X) Not applicable.
1
Ready-to-cook weights.
2
Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations.

8

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Young Chickens Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause – States and United States: March and April 2024
[Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure]
State

Tuberculosis

Septicaemia

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Georgia ....................................
Mississippi ................................
North Carolina ..........................
Texas .......................................
Virginia .....................................
United States ............................
State

Leukosis

March
-

-

6
1
3

3
-

10,875
18
10,503
11,998
17,798
2,085

10,178
169
9,184
12,495
2
17,883
1,921

-

-

379

356

107,710

103,089

Airsacculitis

Synovitis

Tumors

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Georgia ....................................
Mississippi ................................
North Carolina ..........................
Texas .......................................
Virginia .....................................

4,300
49
8,675
37,413
16,912
387

4,539
116
9,329
43,313
5
19,591
432

1
2
44
11
2
1

7
7
5
1
-

United States ............................

187,422

200,907

462

549

State

Bruises

Cadaver

153
30
314
275
13

1,945

1,939

Contamination

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Georgia ....................................
Mississippi ................................
North Carolina ..........................
Texas .......................................
Virginia .....................................

355
1
284
1,199
120
21

364
7
427
659
92
12

United States ............................

4,312

3,758

State

93
45
255
231
13

133
14
352
6
4

147
14
382
5
1

2,407
8
1,542
3,970
408
181

1,967
35
1,432
4,211
367
187

1,480

1,272

44,708

39,479

Miscellaneous 1

Overscald

Unknown 2

March

April

March

April

March

April

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

(head)

Alabama ...................................
Arkansas ..................................
Delaware ..................................
Georgia ....................................
Mississippi ................................
North Carolina ..........................
Texas .......................................
Virginia .....................................

466
344
440
660
10

427
1
659
633
508
145

34,184
42
2,017
19,803
1
1,679
5,778

7,727
124
2,596
18,331
1
1,783
6,520

151,749
186,008
11,298
209,627
137,323
93,067
79,392
151,222

161,203
178,975
19,750
227,404
154,698
107,525
63,149
147,572

United States ............................

4,857

4,098

129,803

97,985

1,840,300

1,842,192

- 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.

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

9

Young Turkeys Slaughtered, Total Live Weight, and Average Live Weight – States and United States:
March and April 2024
[Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure]
Total
live weight

Slaughtered

State
March

April

(1,000 head)

(1,000 head)

Average
live weight

March

April

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

March

April

(pounds)

(pounds)

California .........................
Illinois ...............................
Indiana .............................
Iowa .................................
Michigan ..........................
North Carolina ..................
Ohio .................................
Pennsylvania ...................
South Carolina .................
South Dakota ...................

286
1
1,847
1,040
414
1,745
494
558
501
157

287
(Z)
1,916
1,242
508
1,707
568
525
609
264

11,257
21
78,034
49,212
18,132
66,357
23,192
17,500
22,134
7,293

11,521
(Z)
84,093
59,956
22,386
64,177
26,861
16,630
25,496
11,767

39.35
33.23
42.24
47.33
43.75
38.02
46.95
31.34
44.21
46.54

40.16
33.00
43.89
48.25
44.07
37.60
47.29
31.66
41.84
44.56

Vermont ...........................

-

-

-

-

-

-

United States ...................

15,395

16,876

510,572

561,485

33.16

33.27

- Represents zero.
(Z) Less than half of the unit shown.

Young Turkeys Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations – States and United States: March
and April 2024
[Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure]
State

Post-mortem condemnations

Total chilled and frozen
pounds certified 1

Percent 2

Carcass and parts

March

April

March

April

March

April

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(1,000 pounds)

(percent)

(percent)

California .........................
Illinois ...............................
Indiana .............................
Iowa .................................
Michigan ..........................
North Carolina ..................
Ohio .................................
Pennsylvania ...................
South Carolina .................
South Dakota ...................

9,003
16
62,577
38,503
14,052
52,422
18,522
13,691
16,434
5,846

9,217
(Z)
67,551
47,141
17,349
50,630
21,464
13,069
18,744
9,387

43
893
575
207
271
344
273
705
96

34
1,075
736
252
284
410
294
708
131

0.48
(X)
1.41
1.47
1.45
0.51
1.83
1.96
4.11
1.61

0.37
(X)
1.57
1.54
1.43
0.56
1.87
2.20
3.64
1.38

Vermont ...........................

-

-

-

-

(X)

(X)

United States ...................

406,744

447,699

5,821

6,553

1.41

1.44

- 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.

10

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Terms and Definitions Used for Poultry Slaughter Estimates
Ante-Mortem Condemnations: Birds federally condemned prior to entry into the slaughter plant which includes DeadOn-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.

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

11

Statistical Methodology
Data Sources: Data for poultry slaughter estimates are collected by inspectors of the Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS), USDA for all Federally Inspected plants. Over 99 percent of the total United States slaughter for any species is
under Federal Inspection. The number of head slaughtered daily, by species and class, as well as condemnations and total
live and dressed weights are obtained by shift for each plant. Approximately 352 plants slaughtered poultry in the United
States under Federal Inspection in 2023. Young chickens were slaughtered in 38 States, young turkeys in 30 States.
Revision Policy: Data for the previous month and year-to-date totals are subject to revision the following month after the
initial monthly estimates are published. Final data are published in the annual summary released in February and include
any revisions made to current and previous year’s published data. Revisions are generally the result of late reports or
corrections received by FSIS from plants and are usually less than one-half of one percent. No revisions will be made to
the previous year’s data after publication of the annual summary in February.
Procedures and Reliability: Plant inspectors submit data electronically for each shift a plant operates. An edit provides
checks for the detection of errors such as invalid plant information, duplication, and erroneous data. Data are accumulated
to monthly totals for this release.
Data for major slaughter plants with missing reports are adjusted prior to publication to assure that all plants slaughtering
a significant portion of a specific class are included. Estimates for missing shifts are made only after verifying that the
plant was in operation. Adjustments are based on a shift determined to be similar to the one missing. Late reports replace
imputed data as they become available. While there is a varying degree of incompleteness from month to month, it has
only a minimal impact on the published totals.
Poultry slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating plants and, therefore, have no sampling error. However,
they may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplications, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the
data. These errors are minimized through strict quality controls in the edit and summarization process, and a careful
review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness.
Information Contacts
Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to
contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to [email protected]
Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ......................................................................................................... (202) 692-0069
Vacant, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section
Holly Brenize – Poultry Slaughter ............................................................................................................. (202) 720-0585
Liana Cuffman – Catfish and Trout, Mink, Census of Aquaculture ......................................................... (202) 720-8784
Fatema Haque – Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised ................................................................................. (202) 720-3244
Derron Martin – Chicken Hatchery, Egg Products .................................................................................... (202) 690-3237
Seth Riggins – Honey, Honey Bee Colonies ............................................................................................ (202) 690-4870
Shulonda Shaw – Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses ................................................... (202) 720-3240
Autumn Stone – Layers, Eggs .................................................................................................................. (202) 690-3676
Takiyah Walker – Broiler Hatchery........................................................................................................... (202) 720-6147

12

Poultry Slaughter (May 2024)
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service

Access to NASS Reports
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