USDA recently released slaughter reports for the month of January 2022 and annually for 2022, noting an increase of 1.7 billion pounds of total live weight processed in 2022 versus 2021. Further information, including USDA’s monthly slaughter report, can be found below.
The report noted that 9.545 billion chickens were slaughtered in 2022 compared to 9.325 billion in 2021, representing a 220 million bird or 2.36 percent increase year-over-year.
In addition to bird totals, total live weight increased in 2022. The report showed that 61.987 billion pounds of weight was processed in 2022 as compared to 60.266 billion pounds in 2021, indicating an increase of 1.72 billion pounds or 2.86 percent for 2022.
The average live weight per chicken in 2022 was 6.49 pounds. In 2021, the average weight per bird was 6.46 pounds. This is an increase of 0.03 pounds in 2022, or a 0.46 percent increase in 2022.
More details and the full report from USDA can be found here.
USDA also recently released its monthly poultry slaughter report for the month of January. The report indicated that ready-to-cook (RTC) weight increased seven percent (4.46 billion pounds total) from January 2022. The December 2022 revised certified total was up three percent (4.55 million pounds total) from December’s preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during January 2023 was 5.89 billion pounds, up seven percent from 5.53 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.25 billion pounds, up seven percent from January 2022. Mature chickens, at 63.2 million pounds, were up three percent from the previous year.
Young chickens slaughtered during January 2023 averaged 6.55 pounds per bird, up one percent from January 2022. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.93 pounds per bird, up four percent from a year ago.
Ante-mortem condemnations during January 2023 totaled 13.6 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.23 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.25 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 28.2 million pounds, were 0.63 percent of quantities inspected, unchanged from a year earlier.
USDA’s full January slaughter report can be found here.
