HDR1012000150080604961500Poultry Slaughter Released June 4, 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 Up 16 Percent Poultry Certified Wholesome during April (ready-to-cook weight), totaled 2.70 billion pounds, up 16 percent from the amount certified in April 1995. Updated totals for March 1996 show that 2.63 billion pounds were certified. The January through April cumulative total of pounds certified, at 10.7 billion pounds, was up 9 percent from the same period the previous year. The preliminary total Live Weight of Poultry Inspected during April 1996 was 3.67 billion pounds. Inspections included 3.02 billion pounds of young chickens, 73.4 million pounds of mature chickens, 560 million pounds of turkeys, and 11.0 million pounds of ducks. Young chickens slaughtered during April 1996 averaged 4.81 pounds per bird, up 3 percent from the average live weight a year ago. The average live weight of mature chickens was up 4 percent from 4.91 pounds per bird the previous year to 5.12 pounds. Turkeys slaughtered during April 1996 averaged 24.1 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from April 1995. Ante-mortem condemnations during April 1996 totaled 12.9 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.35 percent of the live weight inspected, compared with 0.33 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 63.2 million pounds (N.Y. dressed weight), were 1.91 percent of quantities inspected, compared with 1.90 percent a year earlier. April 1996 contained 22 weekdays and four Saturdays, while April 1995 contained 20 weekdays and five Saturdays. Each weekday represents approximately 5 percent of the month's total. Pou 2-1 (6-96) Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, April 1996 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :---------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature 2/ : Total : : :---------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Number Inspected : : Mar 1996 : 617,303 13,243 630,546 1,514 ----- Apr 1995 : 564,327 14,389 578,716 1,372 ----- Apr 1996 : 629,046 14,332 643,378 1,621 ----- : Jan-Apr 1995 : 2,383,340 56,585 2,439,926 6,121 ----- Jan-Apr 1996 : 2,509,107 55,078 2,564,185 6,430 ----- : : 1,000 Pounds Live Weight : : Mar 1996 : 2,955,140 71,281 3,026,421 10,212 600 Apr 1995 : 2,641,595 70,663 2,712,258 9,283 365 Apr 1996 : 3,024,541 73,395 3,097,936 10,962 595 : Jan-Apr 1995 : 11,109,612 279,787 11,389,399 41,126 1,427 Jan-Apr 1996 : 12,065,835 286,042 12,351,878 43,211 2,364 : : Pounds Average Live Weight : : Mar 1996 : 4.79 5.38 4.80 6.75 ----- Apr 1995 : 4.68 4.91 4.69 6.76 ----- Apr 1996 : 4.81 5.12 4.82 6.76 ----- : Jan-Apr 1995 : 4.66 4.94 4.67 6.72 ----- Jan-Apr 1996 : 4.81 5.19 4.82 6.72 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, April 1996 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :--------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young 3/ : Old : Turkeys : :---------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Number Inspected : : Mar 1996 : 16 22,483 116 22,615 ----- Apr 1995 : 45 19,694 100 19,840 ----- Apr 1996 : 24 22,973 255 23,251 ----- : Jan-Apr 1995 : 59 83,132 515 83,707 ----- Jan-Apr 1996 : 68 89,493 681 90,242 ----- : : 1,000 Pounds Live Weight : : Mar 1996 : 138 533,780 3,024 536,942 3,574,175 Apr 1995 : 418 468,041 2,597 471,056 3,192,962 Apr 1996 : 201 552,417 7,382 560,001 3,669,493 : Jan-Apr 1995 : 567 1,976,064 12,818 1,989,450 13,421,401 Jan-Apr 1996 : 625 2,151,027 18,338 2,169,990 14,567,442 : : Pounds Average Live Weight : : Mar 1996 : 8.89 23.74 26.08 23.74 ----- Apr 1995 : 9.31 23.77 25.85 23.74 ----- Apr 1996 : 8.53 24.05 28.98 24.09 ----- : Jan-Apr 1995 : 9.55 23.77 24.88 23.77 ----- Jan-Apr 1996 : 9.19 24.04 26.92 24.05 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: April 1995: 4,776, April 1996: 5,535. 3/ Of the Young Turkeys inspected, the number reported in thousands as young breeders was: April 1995: 59, April 1996: 73. Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, April 1996 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :---------------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature : Total : : :---------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Mar 1996 : Chilled : 1,976,699 40,899 2,017,599 2,663 149 Frozen : 177,610 2,065 179,675 4,695 197 : Total : 2,154,309 42,964 2,197,273 7,358 346 : Apr 1995 : Chilled : 1,748,232 40,845 1,789,078 2,293 70 Frozen : 164,394 1,893 166,286 4,349 158 : Total : 1,912,626 42,738 1,955,364 6,642 228 : Apr 1996 : Chilled : 2,032,089 42,897 2,074,986 2,895 153 Frozen : 176,119 1,786 177,905 5,042 188 : Total : 2,208,209 44,683 2,252,892 7,937 341 : : Jan-Apr 1995 : Chilled : 7,365,914 161,851 7,527,765 9,677 222 Frozen : 693,273 8,530 701,803 19,841 668 : Total : 8,059,187 170,382 8,229,569 29,518 890 : Jan-Apr 1996 : Chilled : 8,074,052 165,904 8,239,956 11,882 586 Frozen : 743,356 7,655 751,011 19,286 790 : Total : 8,817,408 173,560 8,990,967 31,168 1,375 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, April 1996 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :------------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young : Old : Turkeys : :---------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Mar 1996 : Chilled : --- 212,805 1,634 214,439 2,234,850 Frozen : 109 209,524 602 210,235 394,802 : Total : 109 422,330 2,236 424,675 2,629,653 : Apr 1995 : Chilled : --- 188,320 1,511 189,831 1,981,271 Frozen : 310 181,302 452 182,064 352,858 : Total : 310 369,622 1,963 371,895 2,334,129 : Apr 1996 : Chilled : 1 206,597 4,847 211,446 2,289,480 Frozen : 157 228,434 685 229,275 412,410 : Total : 158 435,031 5,532 440,721 2,701,890 : : Jan-Apr 1995 : Chilled : --- 793,360 6,959 800,318 8,337,983 Frozen : 421 764,551 2,744 767,716 1,490,028 : Total : 421 1,557,911 9,702 1,568,034 9,828,011 : Jan-Apr 1996 : Chilled : 1 836,503 10,422 846,927 9,099,350 Frozen : 493 859,772 3,382 863,646 1,634,733 : Total : 494 1,696,275 13,804 1,710,573 10,734,084 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. Totals may not add due to rounding. Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, April 1996 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature : Total : : :------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Ante-Mortem : (Live Weight) : : Mar 1996 : 11,860 1,114 12,974 7 3 Apr 1995 : 8,491 973 9,464 12 1 Apr 1996 : 10,462 988 11,450 6 4 : Jan-Apr 1995 : 40,246 3,979 44,226 44 6 Jan-Apr 1996 : 50,644 4,451 55,095 30 12 : Percent 2/ : : Apr 1995 : 0.32 1.38 0.35 0.13 0.31 Apr 1996 : 0.35 1.35 0.37 0.06 0.63 : : 1,000 Pounds Post-Mortem : (N.Y. Dressed Weight) : : Mar 1996 : 47,943 4,259 52,202 154 5 Apr 1995 : 42,209 3,434 45,643 142 5 Apr 1996 : 48,017 4,072 52,088 162 5 : Jan-Apr 1995 : 179,225 13,344 192,569 676 20 Jan-Apr 1996 : 198,361 16,387 214,748 640 30 : Percent 3/ : : Apr 1995 : 1.78 5.40 1.87 1.70 1.46 Apr 1996 : 1.76 6.16 1.87 1.64 0.92 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, April 1996 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :--------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young : Old : Turkeys : :------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Ante-Mortem : (Live Weight) : : Mar 1996 : --- 1,555 40 1,595 14,579 Apr 1995 : 4 1,048 16 1,068 10,545 Apr 1996 : --- 1,356 44 1,400 12,859 : Jan-Apr 1995 : 4 4,744 98 4,846 49,122 Jan-Apr 1996 : 2 6,514 197 6,713 61,850 : Percent 2/ : : Apr 1995 : 0.88 0.22 0.63 0.23 0.33 Apr 1996 : 0.17 0.25 0.59 0.25 0.35 : : 1,000 Pounds Post-Mortem : (N.Y. Dressed Weight) : : Mar 1996 : 1 10,713 247 10,961 63,323 Apr 1995 : 4 8,687 202 8,893 54,683 Apr 1996 : 3 10,494 438 10,935 63,190 : Jan-Apr 1995 : 6 38,642 977 39,625 232,889 Jan-Apr 1996 : 7 44,508 1,171 45,686 261,104 : Percent 3/ : : Apr 1995 : 1.14 2.06 8.62 2.10 1.90 Apr 1996 : 1.83 2.11 6.59 2.17 1.91 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, April 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 : 71,746 72,952 337,118 355,743 4.70 4.88 AR : 85,416 97,350 390,823 467,302 4.58 4.80 CA : 18,519 19,156 92,674 98,909 5.00 5.16 DE : 21,392 23,347 113,879 130,234 5.32 5.58 FL : 11,722 11,303 51,506 51,983 4.39 4.60 GA : 74,630 86,786 356,980 431,600 4.78 4.97 LA : 12,828 13,806 56,288 64,102 4.39 4.64 MD : 15,938 17,723 74,169 83,863 4.65 4.73 MS : 47,696 53,498 220,853 251,258 4.63 4.70 MO : 20,191 27,730 85,436 117,941 4.23 4.25 NC : 48,076 52,139 245,487 266,181 5.11 5.11 PA : 7,275 7,852 36,550 39,893 5.02 5.08 SC : 18,462 18,892 76,535 85,110 4.15 4.51 TN : 12,398 13,821 55,342 60,972 4.46 4.41 TX : 31,123 39,252 137,759 175,187 4.43 4.46 VA : 27,576 29,378 129,171 140,171 4.68 4.77 WA : 2,828 2,843 14,280 14,521 5.05 5.11 : US : 564,327 629,045 2,641,595 3,024,541 4.68 4.81 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Young Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, April 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 : 244,718 259,021 6,978 7,220 2.30 2.25 AR : 277,120 334,847 5,029 6,973 1.43 1.66 CA : 66,750 72,468 2,344 1,478 2.81 1.66 DE : 81,652 94,183 2,366 3,074 2.31 2.62 FL : 35,964 37,278 447 644 0.96 1.38 GA : 263,132 316,954 5,696 6,679 1.77 1.72 LA : 40,731 46,305 756 1,055 1.49 1.83 MD : 52,094 59,673 1,179 1,654 1.77 2.19 MS : 163,306 189,999 2,853 2,641 1.44 1.17 MO : 62,011 85,360 1,168 1,900 1.52 1.79 NC : 180,538 198,240 4,220 3,991 1.91 1.67 PA : 25,873 28,116 817 1,153 2.48 3.21 SC : 56,545 62,873 1,084 1,313 1.57 1.71 TN : 39,684 45,128 605 614 1.22 1.12 TX : 104,377 134,226 1,716 2,139 1.38 1.36 VA : 89,053 97,467 1,745 2,117 1.50 1.68 WA : 10,494 10,573 368 421 2.87 3.22 : US : 1,912,626 2,208,209 42,209 48,017 1.78 1.76 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, April 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : --- --- 231,317 214,876 5,543 17,375 AR : --- 9,043 358,277 241,844 11,115 10,192 CA : --- --- 84,663 6,887 1,613 11,303 DE : --- 90,537 151,721 140,259 --- --- FL : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- 8,531 175,528 309,734 2,012 17,757 LA : --- --- 48,410 37,864 581 4,211 MD : --- 39,149 98,455 63,589 101 10,782 MS : --- 5,611 104,935 44,788 1,373 21,376 MO : --- 7,943 120,417 52,335 2,322 1,974 NC : --- 31,201 123,432 69,742 673 44,056 PA : --- --- 46,546 39,735 733 3,000 SC : --- 3,081 28,716 --- 154 5,213 TN : --- --- 48,813 12,657 --- --- TX : --- 1,503 126,914 49,040 561 2,474 VA : --- --- 79,186 64,271 175 --- WA : --- --- 22,976 --- --- 1,120 : US : --- 298,408 2,066,963 1,492,914 42,428 199,102 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : 14,388 31,547 81,972 7,356 252,476 856,850 AR : 14,944 26,841 83,153 5,873 157,294 918,576 CA : 671 8,323 2,980 --- 37,443 153,883 DE : 4,407 11,320 17,622 6,429 61,397 483,692 FL : 1,055 2,893 8,875 2,208 --- 15,031 GA : 16,010 40,799 59,848 12,880 220,727 863,826 LA : 2,409 3,048 18,686 277 35,846 151,332 MD : 2,318 8,950 --- --- --- 223,344 MS : 5,586 15,226 23,279 --- 112,116 334,290 MO : 2,816 14,523 19,638 450 38,111 260,529 NC : 6,475 26,088 66,323 2,910 157,590 528,490 PA : 2,765 2,288 --- 1,133 26,493 122,693 SC : 2,959 19,691 17,629 2,290 50,909 130,642 TN : 2,155 5,509 11,218 --- 26,627 106,979 TX : 1,493 7,408 12,356 895 5,924 208,568 VA : 3,674 5,815 25,173 --- 98,997 277,291 WA : 525 1,129 958 --- 17,757 44,465 : US : 92,909 249,533 541,574 58,453 1,452,555 6,494,839 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, April 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 : 14,389 14,332 70,663 73,395 4.91 5.12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, April 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 : 42,738 44,683 3,434 4,072 5.40 6.16 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, April 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : CA : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : --- 5,619 266,242 19,502 476 130,379 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : CA : --- --- 283 --- --- 283 GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 24,886 45,804 200,891 2,845 43,870 740,514 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, April 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 : 1,919 2,213 40,479 43,523 21.10 19.66 CA : 1,503 1,605 30,303 33,491 20.16 20.86 IA : 1,121 1,014 33,580 30,484 29.95 30.08 MN : 2,424 3,142 52,135 68,475 21.51 21.80 MO : 1,518 1,931 39,230 50,719 25.85 26.27 NC : 3,694 4,156 87,444 100,295 23.67 24.13 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 2,502 3,190 48,627 62,203 19.43 19.50 : US : 19,694 22,973 468,041 552,417 23.77 24.05 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, April 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 : 32,695 35,690 809 683 2.22 1.74 CA : 24,670 27,515 413 470 1.52 1.56 IA : 26,162 23,790 827 839 2.74 3.06 MN : 41,577 53,392 1,026 1,600 2.19 2.60 MO : 31,458 39,961 837 1,452 2.37 3.18 NC : 69,377 78,941 1,349 1,454 1.71 1.61 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 37,797 48,837 770 893 1.76 1.60 : US : 369,622 435,031 8,687 10,494 2.06 2.11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, April 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AR : --- --- 9,317 --- --- --- CA : --- --- --- 72 --- --- IA : --- --- --- 4,567 --- --- MN : --- 29 13,367 5,882 824 --- MO : --- --- 25,695 --- --- --- NC : --- --- 6,162 604 --- 3 PA : --- --- --- --- 257 --- VA : --- --- --- 622 --- --- : US : --- 225 104,391 26,473 6,719 136 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AR : --- --- 1,159 --- 972 11,448 CA : --- --- --- --- --- 72 IA : --- --- --- --- --- 4,567 MN : 139 889 1,785 --- 2,251 25,166 MO : 115 --- 590 140 1,868 28,408 NC : --- 2,506 1,284 148 1,049 11,756 PA : 71 --- --- --- --- 328 VA : 23 987 202 --- 1,677 3,511 : US : 1,089 8,155 8,211 1,857 11,239 168,495 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Turkeys (Breeders) Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, United States, April 1996 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : US : --- --- 6,138 501 9 81 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : US : 6 186 178 --- 542 7,641 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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., April 1995-1996................................................... 11 Mature Chickens Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996............................... 12 Mature Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, U.S., April 1995-1996................................................... 11 Old Turkeys (Breeders) Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, U.S., April 1995-1996................................................... 15 Poultry Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified (RTC) by Type, U.S., April 1996........................................................ 4 Poultry Slaughter Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, U.S., April 1996............................................... 6 Poultry Slaughter Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, U.S., April 1996................................... 2 Reliability Statement.................................................... 16 Young Chickens Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996............................... 8 Young Chickens Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996............................... 10 Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996............................... 9 Young Turkeys (Mature) Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996.................. 13 Young Turkeys (Mature) Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996............................... 14 Young Turkeys (Mature) Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and U.S., April 1995-1996............................... 13 The next "Poultry Slaughter" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on July 2, 1996. 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