October 27, 2009

US poultry ready-to-cook weight totalled 3.58 billion pounds in September, down four percent on-year, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Poultry Slaughter report.

The revised certified total for August 2009, which was at 3.53 billion pounds, decreased three percent from August 2008. The August revision represented an increase of 5.49 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified.

The preliminary total live weight of poultry inspected during September was 4.77 billion pounds, down four percent from 4.98 billion pounds in September 2008. Young chickens inspected totalled 4.1 billion pounds, down three percent from September 2008. At 67.8 million pounds, mature chickens were down 12 percent from the previous year.

Turkey inspections totalled 587 million pounds, a decrease of nine percent from a year ago. Ducks totalled 13.1 million pounds, down six percent from last year.

During September, young chickens slaughtered averaged 5.62 pounds per bird, unchanged from September 2008. The average live weight of mature chickens was 5.71 pounds per bird, down four percent from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during September averaged 28.6 pounds per bird, up slightly from September 2008.

Ante-mortem condemnations during September totalled 10.9 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.23 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.28 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 34.9 million pounds, were 0.97 percent of quantities inspected as compared with 1.08 percent a year earlier.