USDA’s February 2024 Poultry Slaughter report showed that during January 2024, the read-to-cook weight totaled 4.55 billion pounds, up two percent from the prior year.
The December 2023 revised certified total of 4.06 billion pounds was down six percent from December 2022. The December revision represented an increase of 603 thousand pounds from last month’s preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during January 2024 was 6.00 billion pounds, up two percent from 5.90 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.36 billion pounds, up two percent from January 2023. Mature chickens, at 68.0 million pounds, were up one percent from the previous year.
Young chickens slaughtered during January 2024 averaged 6.58 pounds per bird, up one percent from January 2023. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.95 pounds per bird, down one percent from a year ago.
Ante-mortem condemnations during January 2024 totaled 14.8 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.25 percent of the live weight inspected compared to 0.23 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 28.4 million pounds, were 0.62 percent of quantities inspected compared to 0.63 percent a year earlier.
USDA’s full report can be found here.
