During September 2023, the average pound per bird increased one percent from the previous month but decreased three percent from a year ago, USDA’s October Poultry Slaughter report showed. Ready-to-cook weight was down five percent from the amount certified in September 2022.
Poultry certified wholesome during September 2023 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.28 billion pounds, down five percent from the prior year. The August 2023 revised certified total at 4.71 billion pounds, down slightly from August 2022. The August revision represented an increase of 1.54 million pounds from last month’s preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during September 2023 was 5.63 billion pounds, down five percent from 5.91 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.01 billion pounds, down five percent from September 2022. Mature chickens, at 61.2 million pounds, were down fifteen percent from the previous year.
Young chickens slaughtered during September 2023 averaged 6.61 pounds per bird, up one percent from September 2022. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.91 pounds per bird, down three percent from a year ago.
Ante-mortem condemnations during September 2023 totaled 11.7 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 23.2 million pounds, were 0.54 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 0.55 percent a year earlier.
The full report can be found here.
