May 2, 2007

US poultry ready-to-cook weight drops further in March

Poultry certified wholesome for March 2007 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 3.44 billion pounds, down 7 percent on-year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Poultry Slaughter Report.

This was a drop from February 2007's revised certified total at 3.15 billion pounds, which was down 2 percent from February 2006.

The preliminary total live weight of poultry inspected during March 2007 was 4.65 billion pounds, down 6 percent from 4.94 billion pounds a year ago.

March 2007 contained 22 weekdays and 5 Saturdays, while March 2006 had 23 weekdays and 4 Saturdays.

Young chickens slaughtered during March 2007 averaged 5.45 pounds per bird, up slightly from March 2006. The average live weight of mature chickens was 5.81 pounds per bird, down 5 percent from a year ago.

Young chickens inspected totaled 3.96 billion pounds, down 6 percent from March 2006. Mature chickens, at 63.4 million pounds, were down 11 percent from the previous year.