HDR1012000150080503961500Poultry Slaughter Released May 3, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Poultry Slaughter" call Jim Brewster at (202) 720-8784, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Ready-to-Cook Weight Down 2 Percent Poultry Certified Wholesome during March (ready-to-cook weight), totaled 2.62 billion pounds, down 2 percent from the amount certified in March 1995. Updated totals for February 1996 show that 2.65 billion pounds were certified. The January through March cumulative total of pounds certified, at 8.03 billion pounds, was up 7 percent from the same period the previous year. The preliminary total Live Weight of Poultry Inspected during March 1996 was 3.57 billion pounds. Inspections included 2.95 billion pounds of young chickens, 72.0 million pounds of mature chickens, 533 million pounds of turkeys, and 10.2 million pounds of ducks. Young chickens slaughtered during March 1996 averaged 4.79 pounds per bird, up 3 percent from the average live weight a year ago. The average live weight of mature chickens was up 7 percent from 5.01 pounds per bird the previous year to 5.35 pounds. Turkeys slaughtered during March 1996 averaged 23.7 pounds per bird, up slightly from March 1995. Ante-mortem condemnations during March 1996 totaled 14.6 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.41 percent of the live weight inspected, compared with 0.36 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 63.2 million pounds (N.Y. dressed weight), were 1.97 percent of quantities inspected, compared with 1.94 percent a year earlier. March 1996 contained 21 weekdays and five Saturdays, while March 1995 contained 23 weekdays and four Saturdays. Each weekday represents approximately 5 percent of the month's total. Pou 2-1 (5-96) Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, March 1996 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :---------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature 2/ : Total : : :---------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Number Inspected : : Feb 1996 : 618,637 13,349 631,986 1,591 ----- Mar 1995 : 651,072 14,432 665,504 1,687 ----- Mar 1996 : 616,703 13,454 630,157 1,514 ----- : Jan-Mar 1995 : 1,819,013 42,196 1,861,209 4,749 ----- Jan-Mar 1996 : 1,879,461 40,956 1,920,418 4,810 ----- : : 1,000 Pounds Live Weight : : Feb 1996 : 2,969,421 68,246 3,037,667 10,609 535 Mar 1995 : 3,024,117 72,341 3,096,459 11,355 338 Mar 1996 : 2,951,897 71,972 3,023,868 10,212 573 : Jan-Mar 1995 : 8,468,016 209,124 8,677,141 31,843 1,062 Jan-Mar 1996 : 9,038,051 213,338 9,251,389 32,249 1,742 : : Pounds Average Live Weight : : Feb 1996 : 4.80 5.11 4.81 6.67 ----- Mar 1995 : 4.64 5.01 4.65 6.73 ----- Mar 1996 : 4.79 5.35 4.80 6.75 ----- : Jan-Mar 1995 : 4.66 4.96 4.66 6.71 ----- Jan-Mar 1996 : 4.81 5.21 4.82 6.71 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, March 1996 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :--------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young 3/ : Old : Turkeys : :---------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Number Inspected : : Feb 1996 : 29 22,654 138 22,820 ----- Mar 1995 : --- 23,204 139 23,343 ----- Mar 1996 : 16 22,342 116 22,474 ----- : Jan-Mar 1995 : 15 63,438 415 63,867 ----- Jan-Mar 1996 : 44 66,380 426 66,851 ----- : : 1,000 Pounds Live Weight : : Feb 1996 : 286 539,728 3,512 543,526 3,592,337 Mar 1995 : --- 548,215 3,591 551,806 3,659,959 Mar 1996 : 138 529,387 3,024 532,548 3,567,202 : Jan-Mar 1995 : 149 1,508,023 10,221 1,518,393 10,228,439 Jan-Mar 1996 : 424 1,594,216 10,955 1,605,595 10,890,975 : : Pounds Average Live Weight : : Feb 1996 : 9.88 23.83 25.52 23.82 ----- Mar 1995 : --- 23.63 25.82 23.64 ----- Mar 1996 : 8.89 23.69 26.08 23.70 ----- : Jan-Mar 1995 : 10.27 23.77 24.64 23.77 ----- Jan-Mar 1996 : 9.54 24.02 25.70 24.02 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Federally inspected only. Totals may not add due to rounding. 2/ Of the Mature Chickens inspected, the number reported in thousands as heavy fowl (broiler breeding stock) was: March 1995: 5,193, March 1996: 5,930. 3/ Of the Young Turkeys inspected, the number reported in thousands as young breeders was: March 1995: 58, March 1996: 80. Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, March 1996 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :---------------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature : Total : : :---------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Feb 1996 : Chilled : 1,981,174 39,809 2,020,983 3,342 118 Frozen : 187,257 1,647 188,905 4,311 194 : Total : 2,168,431 41,456 2,209,887 7,653 312 : Mar 1995 : Chilled : 2,003,888 41,652 2,045,541 2,512 31 Frozen : 192,835 2,805 195,640 5,695 178 : Total : 2,196,723 44,457 2,241,181 8,207 209 : Mar 1996 : Chilled : 1,974,826 41,272 2,016,098 2,663 138 Frozen : 177,582 2,065 179,647 4,695 197 : Total : 2,152,408 43,337 2,195,745 7,358 334 : : Jan-Mar 1995 : Chilled : 5,617,682 121,006 5,738,688 7,384 152 Frozen : 528,879 6,638 535,517 15,492 509 : Total : 6,146,561 127,644 6,274,205 22,876 662 : Jan-Mar 1996 : Chilled : 6,040,089 123,380 6,163,469 8,987 421 Frozen : 567,209 5,869 573,078 14,244 602 : Total : 6,607,297 129,249 6,736,547 23,231 1,023 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, March 1996 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :------------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young : Old : Turkeys : :---------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Feb 1996 : Chilled : --- 206,057 1,632 207,689 2,232,132 Frozen : 227 220,461 995 221,682 415,092 : Total : 227 426,518 2,627 429,371 2,647,224 : Mar 1995 : Chilled : --- 220,625 2,045 222,670 2,270,754 Frozen : --- 212,503 669 213,172 414,684 : Total : --- 433,128 2,714 435,842 2,685,438 : Mar 1996 : Chilled : --- 211,563 1,634 213,197 2,232,096 Frozen : 109 207,329 602 208,040 392,579 : Total : 109 418,893 2,236 421,237 2,624,675 : : Jan-Mar 1995 : Chilled : --- 605,040 5,448 610,488 6,356,712 Frozen : 111 583,249 2,292 585,652 1,137,170 : Total : 111 1,188,289 7,740 1,196,140 7,493,882 : Jan-Mar 1996 : Chilled : --- 628,664 5,575 634,238 6,807,115 Frozen : 336 629,144 2,697 632,177 1,220,101 : Total : 336 1,257,807 8,272 1,266,415 8,027,216 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. Totals may not add due to rounding. Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, March 1996 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature : Total : : :------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Ante-Mortem : (Live Weight) : : Feb 1996 : 12,674 1,243 13,917 9 1 Mar 1995 : 10,916 963 11,879 11 1 Mar 1996 : 11,833 1,125 12,958 7 3 : Jan-Mar 1995 : 31,755 3,006 34,762 32 5 Jan-Mar 1996 : 40,155 3,474 43,628 24 9 : Percent 2/ : : Mar 1995 : 0.36 1.33 0.38 0.09 0.31 Mar 1996 : 0.40 1.56 0.43 0.06 0.51 : : 1,000 Pounds Post-Mortem : (N.Y. Dressed Weight) : : Feb 1996 : 49,968 4,008 53,976 165 8 Mar 1995 : 49,189 3,409 52,598 185 4 Mar 1996 : 47,914 4,275 52,189 154 5 : Jan-Mar 1995 : 137,016 9,910 146,926 533 15 Jan-Mar 1996 : 150,316 12,331 162,647 479 25 : Percent 3/ : : Mar 1995 : 1.81 5.24 1.89 1.81 1.44 Mar 1996 : 1.80 6.60 1.92 1.68 1.06 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, March 1996 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :--------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young : Old : Turkeys : :------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Ante-Mortem : (Live Weight) : : Feb 1996 : 2 1,763 57 1,822 15,749 Mar 1995 : --- 1,316 43 1,358 13,249 Mar 1996 : --- 1,548 40 1,589 14,556 : Jan-Mar 1995 : 1 3,696 81 3,778 38,577 Jan-Mar 1996 : 2 5,152 153 5,307 48,968 : Percent 2/ : : Mar 1995 : --- 0.24 1.19 0.25 0.36 Mar 1996 : 0.16 0.29 1.33 0.30 0.41 : : 1,000 Pounds Post-Mortem : (N.Y. Dressed Weight) : : Feb 1996 : 3 11,392 257 11,651 65,800 Mar 1995 : --- 10,746 327 11,074 63,861 Mar 1996 : 1 10,629 247 10,877 63,226 : Jan-Mar 1995 : 2 29,955 775 30,732 178,207 Jan-Mar 1996 : 4 33,930 733 34,667 197,817 : Percent 3/ : : Mar 1995 : --- 2.18 10.12 2.23 1.94 Mar 1996 : 1.13 2.23 9.06 2.27 1.97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Federally inspected only. Totals may not add due to rounding. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds (live weight) inspected. Percentages based on unrounded data. 3/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds N.Y. dressed weight of quantity inspected. Percentages based on unrounded data. Young Chickens Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, March 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Average : Number : Live Weight : Live Weight State : Inspected : Inspected : Inspected 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ------ ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : AL : 81,195 73,117 380,152 353,769 4.68 4.84 AR : 98,450 95,323 434,392 450,981 4.41 4.73 CA : 21,664 18,494 109,859 92,892 5.07 5.02 DE : 25,090 22,771 131,995 126,045 5.26 5.54 FL : 13,089 11,301 57,312 50,358 4.38 4.46 GA : 86,750 86,966 410,871 426,474 4.74 4.90 LA : 14,087 13,014 63,977 61,101 4.54 4.69 MD : 18,713 17,270 88,126 82,188 4.71 4.76 MS : 56,077 51,486 259,190 242,497 4.62 4.71 MO : 22,630 25,850 94,258 108,725 4.17 4.21 NC : 56,665 53,896 286,582 278,148 5.06 5.16 PA : 8,551 7,951 43,918 40,348 5.14 5.07 SC : 20,361 18,803 82,321 82,505 4.04 4.39 TN : 14,059 13,520 61,460 59,937 4.37 4.43 TX : 37,317 37,261 166,740 169,459 4.47 4.55 VA : 32,070 28,452 149,627 135,754 4.67 4.77 WA : 3,008 2,833 15,283 14,823 5.08 5.23 : US : 651,072 616,703 3,024,117 2,951,897 4.64 4.79 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Young Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, March 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations : Total :----------------------------------------- State : Certified 1/ : N.Y. Dressed Weight : Percent 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------------ 1,000 Pounds ------------------ -- Percent -- : AL : 276,430 258,700 8,029 7,453 2.35 2.34 AR : 306,751 321,692 6,319 7,203 1.62 1.77 CA : 80,022 68,002 2,583 1,313 2.61 1.57 DE : 95,879 91,373 2,411 2,818 2.03 2.48 FL : 41,831 35,837 489 560 0.95 1.24 GA : 302,301 315,075 6,458 6,602 1.75 1.72 LA : 46,507 44,195 932 1,036 1.62 1.88 MD : 61,160 58,233 1,602 1,452 2.02 1.96 MS : 195,009 182,417 3,569 2,793 1.53 1.28 MO : 67,014 78,646 1,244 1,885 1.47 1.93 NC : 211,727 205,097 4,646 4,108 1.80 1.64 PA : 31,203 28,346 1,108 1,316 2.80 3.62 SC : 61,383 60,976 1,124 1,328 1.52 1.79 TN : 43,777 43,930 742 655 1.34 1.21 TX : 126,030 129,012 2,246 2,160 1.50 1.42 VA : 105,933 94,700 1,887 2,026 1.40 1.66 WA : 11,314 11,035 426 405 3.10 3.03 : US : 2,196,723 2,152,408 49,189 47,914 1.81 1.80 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of equivalent N.Y. dressed weight of quantity inspected. Percentages based on unrounded data. Young Chickens Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, Selected States and United States, March 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : --- --- 242,403 240,436 6,888 17,896 AR : --- 9,231 367,096 235,483 8,757 10,933 CA : --- 8,505 78,949 8,172 1,682 12,329 DE : --- 70,597 140,494 118,068 --- --- FL : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- 5,680 191,260 329,010 1,620 19,302 LA : --- 1,138 47,840 28,870 --- 4,002 MD : --- 31,351 91,468 58,703 --- 8,418 MS : --- 8,060 110,041 53,256 --- 23,265 MO : --- 7,445 116,842 60,488 2,100 2,286 NC : --- 20,722 145,742 82,402 --- 44,396 PA : --- --- 47,580 63,126 588 3,268 SC : --- 2,073 34,659 82,354 129 5,917 TN : --- --- 58,291 15,190 1,130 --- TX : --- 1,314 120,018 59,306 520 2,857 VA : --- --- 83,419 78,044 586 --- WA : --- --- 20,938 --- 267 --- : US : --- 252,843 2,107,578 1,574,151 37,462 207,510 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : 13,434 37,663 84,497 11,520 247,424 902,161 AR : 14,596 30,528 91,159 5,726 141,325 914,834 CA : 830 6,758 2,928 --- 28,323 148,476 DE : 3,982 11,327 17,864 4,797 49,373 416,502 FL : 1,121 4,495 8,846 --- --- 14,462 GA : 15,039 42,768 57,786 5,881 217,957 886,303 LA : 2,178 5,729 17,737 387 27,133 135,014 MD : 1,700 7,298 --- --- --- 198,938 MS : 5,995 18,170 32,981 3,083 134,829 389,680 MO : 2,835 12,835 19,505 1,014 38,908 264,258 NC : 6,272 31,620 52,992 3,590 180,617 568,353 PA : 2,468 2,985 --- --- 29,903 149,918 SC : 3,017 20,230 18,268 773 54,618 222,038 TN : 2,107 8,502 11,303 --- 28,346 124,869 TX : 1,205 8,324 11,715 682 4,071 210,012 VA : 3,305 6,554 25,856 1,208 80,425 279,397 WA : 426 958 555 --- 15,546 38,690 : US : 87,622 274,953 547,270 44,014 1,409,161 6,542,564 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, March 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Average : Number : Live Weight : Live Weight State : Inspected : Inspected : Inspected 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ------ ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : CA : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 14,432 13,454 72,341 71,972 5.01 5.35 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, March 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations : Total :----------------------------------------- State : Certified 1/ : N.Y. Dressed Weight : Percent 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------------ 1,000 Pounds ------------------ -- Percent -- : CA : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 44,457 43,337 3,409 4,275 5.24 6.60 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of equivalent N.Y. dressed weight of quantity inspected. Percentages based on unrounded data. Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, Selected States and United States, March 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : CA : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : --- 5,364 277,167 15,385 706 141,453 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : CA : --- --- 237 --- --- 237 GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 32,236 48,976 191,030 2,966 38,537 753,820 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, March 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Average : Number : Live Weight : Live Weight State : Inspected : Inspected : Inspected 1/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ------ ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : AR : 2,222 2,281 45,685 45,074 20.56 19.76 CA : 1,659 1,557 33,278 32,784 20.06 21.05 IA : 1,075 935 32,362 29,203 30.10 31.24 MN : 2,841 2,836 61,205 60,955 21.54 21.49 MO : 1,735 1,901 43,493 48,548 25.07 25.54 NC : 4,665 4,112 108,830 97,455 23.33 23.70 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 3,294 3,196 64,109 61,089 19.46 19.11 : US : 23,204 22,342 548,215 529,387 23.63 23.69 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, March 1995-96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations : Total :----------------------------------------- State : Certified 1/ : N.Y. Dressed Weight : Percent 2/ :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 : 1995 : 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------------ 1,000 Pounds ------------------ -- Percent -- : AR : 37,249 37,053 914 824 2.22 2.03 CA : 27,299 26,813 454 406 1.52 1.38 IA : 25,013 22,612 852 904 2.93 3.44 MN : 48,856 47,868 1,384 1,510 2.51 2.75 MO : 34,319 38,530 990 1,479 2.53 3.39 NC : 85,942 76,901 2,000 1,580 2.04 1.80 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 50,136 48,175 947 791 1.64 1.44 : US : 433,128 418,893 10,746 10,629 2.18 2.23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of equivalent N.Y. dressed weight of quantity inspected. Percentages based on unrounded data. Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, Selected States and United States, March 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AR : --- --- 10,426 --- --- 15 CA : --- --- 5,876 77 --- --- IA : --- --- --- 6,128 --- --- MN : --- --- 11,466 4,045 643 --- MO : --- --- --- 3,649 --- --- NC : --- --- 7,833 681 --- --- PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : --- --- --- 761 --- --- : US : --- 328 106,671 26,368 7,336 144 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AR : --- --- 1,089 --- 1,277 12,807 CA : --- --- --- --- --- 5,953 IA : 32 --- --- --- 285 6,445 MN : 111 1,095 1,701 321 1,448 20,830 MO : 145 295 856 141 --- 5,086 NC : --- 3,150 1,427 174 1,650 14,915 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 27 948 215 --- 1,216 3,167 : US : 1,380 9,792 8,504 1,517 9,764 171,804 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Turkeys (Breeders) Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, United States, March 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : US : --- --- 5,145 192 --- 139 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : US : --- 91 100 --- 548 6,215 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poultry Slaughter Estimates Data Sources: Primary data for commercial poultry slaughter estimates are obtained from the Poultry Inspection Form (FSIS 6000-21) completed by inspectors of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA. This form provides actual counts of birds slaughtered in Federally Inspected (FI) plants. Over 99 percent of the total U.S. slaughter for any species is under FI. The FSIS 6000-21 forms collect number of head slaughtered daily under FI by species and class as well as condemnations and total live and dressed weights. Approximately 350 plants in the U.S. are operated under Federal Inspection. Annual totals of poultry slaughtered under State-administered Non-Federal Inspection (NFI) are published in the April release. Revision Policy: Revisions are generally the result of late reports received by FSIS from plants and are usually less than one-half of 1 percent of the preliminary totals. Revisions for the previous month and year-to-date totals are published in each monthly release. Final data are published in the annual summary released in April and reflect any late reports or corrections which occurred after the monthly revision were published. Procedures and Reliability: Plant inspectors submit forms (FSIS 6000-21) weekly summarizing the plant's activity. When inconsistencies in the data are detected, the reports are returned to the inspectors for correction. Inspectors correct or validate the report and resubmit it. The reports cover weekly activities through Saturday night and reported data are allocated to the appropriate month as it enters the database. A NASS computer program provides a review of current data with historical data for each plant. An edit provides checks for the detection of errors such as invalid plant information, duplication, and erroneous data. The program also generates a missing reports listing for a telephone follow-up. Data are summarized weekly and accumulated to a monthly total for this release. Major slaughter plants with missing reports are adjusted prior to publication to assure that all plants slaughtering a significant portion of a specific class are accounted for each week. Estimates for missing weeks are made only after verifying that the plant was in operation. Adjustments are based on either the previous week's information or a week determined to be similar to the one missing. Late reports replace imputed data as they become available. While there will continue to be a varying degree of incompleteness from month to month, it is expected to have only a minimal impact on the final totals. Poultry slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating plants and, therefore, have no sampling error. However, they may be subject to errors such as omissions, duplications, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. These errors are minimized through strict quality controls in the edit and summarization process, and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Generally, no State data are published if less than three plants operate for a species in a State, or if one plant has 60 percent or more of the total head for that species. These data are included in the U.S. totals. Definitions Used To Report Federally Inspected Slaughter Ante-Mortem Condemnations - Birds condemned prior to their entry into the slaughter plant. Certified Ready-to-Cook - The weight of poultry certified wholesome by inspection after post-mortem condemnation pounds are removed. Ready-to-cook represents poultry meat ready for the marketing channel. Ducks - Includes all ducks regardless of age and weight. Fryer-Roaster Turkeys - Young immature birds, usually under 16 weeks of age. Mature Chickens - Fowl from breeder and market egg flocks and stags and cocks. New York Dressed Weight - Carcass weight after only feathers and blood are removed. This weight is approximately 90% of live weight. Old Turkeys (Breeders) - Fully matured birds held for egg production, usually over 15 months of age. Other Poultry - Includes all other ready-to-cook products which bear the U.S.D.A. Inspected for Wholesomeness legend. Post-Mortem Condemnations - Carcasses or parts condemned by the inspector because of disease or mishandling and removed from the slaughter line and destroyed. Young Chickens - Commercially grown broilers-fryers and other young immature birds such as roasters and capons. Young Turkeys (Mature) - Young birds grown to a matured market age, about 5 months. Index Page Definitions.............................................................. 17 Mature Chickens Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, U.S., March 1995-1996................................................... 11 Mature Chickens Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996............................... 12 Mature Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, U.S., March 1995-1996................................................... 11 Old Turkeys (Breeders) Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, U.S., March 1995-1996................................................... 15 Poultry Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified (RTC) by Type, U.S., March 1996........................................................ 4 Poultry Slaughter Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, U.S., March 1996............................................... 6 Poultry Slaughter Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, U.S., March 1996................................... 2 Reliability Statement.................................................... 16 Young Chickens Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996............................... 8 Young Chickens Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996............................... 10 Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996............................... 9 Young Turkeys (Mature) Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996.................. 13 Young Turkeys (Mature) Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996............................... 14 Young Turkeys (Mature) Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and U.S., March 1995-1996............................... 13 The next "Poultry Slaughter" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on June 4, 1996. 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