Poultry Slaughter National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released December 3, 1997, 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Ready-to-Cook Weight Up 2 Percent Poultry Certified Wholesome during October (ready-to-cook weight), totaled 3.04 billion pounds, up 2 percent from the amount certified in October 1996. Updated totals for September 1997 show that 2.79 billion pounds were certified. The preliminary total Live Weight of Poultry Inspected during October 1997 was 4.11 billion pounds. Inspections included 3.36 billion pounds of young chickens, 73.3 million pounds of mature chickens, 654 million pounds of turkeys, and 14.1 million pounds of ducks. Young chickens slaughtered during October 1997 averaged 4.84 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from the average live weight a year ago. The average live weight of mature chickens was down 3 percent from 5.29 pounds per bird the previous year to 5.11 pounds. Turkeys slaughtered during September 1997 averaged 23.9 pounds per bird, up one percent from October 1996. Ante-mortem condemnations during October 1997 totaled 12.9 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.31 percent of the live weight inspected, compared with 0.31 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 67.9 million pounds (N.Y. dressed weight), were 1.84 percent of quantities inspected, compared with 1.75 percent a year earlier. October 1997 contained 23 weekdays (including one holiday) and four Saturdays, the same as October 1996. Each weekday represents approximately 5 percent of the month's total. Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, October 1997 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :---------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature 2/ : Total : : :---------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Number Inspected : : Sep 1997 : 647,490 12,477 659,967 1,849 ----- Oct 1996 : 686,141 14,527 700,669 1,973 ----- Oct 1997 : 695,290 14,326 709,616 2,104 ----- : Jan-Oct 1996 : 6,378,152 131,676 6,509,828 17,029 ----- Jan-Oct 1997 : 6,515,160 141,923 6,657,083 18,364 ----- : : 1,000 Pounds Live Weight : : Sep 1997 : 3,117,642 66,742 3,184,385 12,248 2,419 Oct 1996 : 3,302,868 76,844 3,379,712 13,008 2,814 Oct 1997 : 3,364,731 73,260 3,437,991 14,102 2,476 : Jan-Oct 1996 : 30,400,087 692,275 31,092,362 113,204 10,916 Jan-Oct 1997 : 31,270,372 710,872 31,981,244 122,400 18,899 : : Pounds Average Live Weight : : Sep 1997 : 4.81 5.35 4.83 6.62 ----- Oct 1996 : 4.81 5.29 4.82 6.59 ----- Oct 1997 : 4.84 5.11 4.84 6.70 ----- : Jan-Oct 1996 : 4.77 5.26 4.78 6.65 ----- Jan-Oct 1997 : 4.80 5.01 4.80 6.67 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, October 1997 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :--------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young 3/ : Old : Turkeys : :---------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Head Number Inspected : : Sep 1997 : --- 25,081 264 25,345 ----- Oct 1996 : 17 27,752 282 28,051 ----- Oct 1997 : 2 27,204 185 27,391 ----- : Jan-Oct 1996 : 170 242,977 1,791 244,938 ----- Jan-Oct 1997 : 68 240,481 1,499 242,049 ----- : : 1,000 Pounds Live Weight : : Sep 1997 : --- 579,854 6,413 586,267 3,785,320 Oct 1996 : 175 659,016 6,875 666,066 4,061,599 Oct 1997 : 19 649,738 4,599 654,356 4,108,925 : Jan-Oct 1996 : 1,502 5,760,723 46,219 5,808,444 37,024,925 Jan-Oct 1997 : 658 5,751,265 38,284 5,790,208 37,912,751 : : Pounds Average Live Weight : : Sep 1997 : --- 23.12 24.27 23.13 ----- Oct 1996 : 10.14 23.75 24.40 23.74 ----- Oct 1997 : 7.74 23.88 24.83 23.89 ----- : Jan-Oct 1996 : 8.83 23.71 25.81 23.71 ----- Jan-Oct 1997 : 9.62 23.92 25.54 23.92 ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: October 1996: 6,395, October 1997: 5,672. 3/ Of the Young Turkeys inspected, the number reported in thousands as young breeders was: October 1996: 77, October 1997: 72. Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, October 1997 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :---------------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature : Total : : :---------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Sep 1997 : Chilled : 2,078,323 38,203 2,116,526 2,817 828 Frozen : 202,479 2,658 205,137 5,917 611 : Total : 2,280,801 40,861 2,321,663 8,734 1,439 : Oct 1996 : Chilled : 2,200,362 45,305 2,245,667 3,074 374 Frozen : 213,926 1,533 215,459 6,272 1,218 : Total : 2,414,287 46,838 2,461,126 9,346 1,591 : Oct 1997 : Chilled : 2,250,633 41,228 2,291,861 3,219 683 Frozen : 225,524 3,698 229,222 6,769 775 : Total : 2,476,156 44,926 2,521,083 9,988 1,458 : : Jan-Oct 1996 : Chilled : 20,362,440 401,548 20,763,988 28,984 2,226 Frozen : 1,860,835 19,355 1,880,190 52,647 3,971 : Total : 22,223,275 420,902 22,644,178 81,631 6,197 : Jan-Oct 1997 : Chilled : 20,872,043 406,362 21,278,406 30,545 6,958 Frozen : 2,040,582 23,401 2,063,983 56,717 4,341 : Total : 22,912,625 429,764 23,342,389 87,262 11,299 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, October 1997 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :------------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young : Old : Turkeys : :---------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Sep 1997 : Chilled : --- 209,196 2,981 212,177 2,332,348 Frozen : --- 248,431 1,951 250,382 462,046 : Total : --- 457,627 4,932 462,559 2,794,395 : Oct 1996 : Chilled : --- 244,162 3,053 247,215 2,496,330 Frozen : 136 273,962 2,121 276,219 499,167 : Total : 136 518,124 5,174 523,435 2,995,497 : Oct 1997 : Chilled : 13 245,380 2,078 247,471 2,543,234 Frozen : --- 262,968 1,574 264,542 501,308 : Total : 13 508,348 3,652 512,013 3,044,543 : : Jan-Oct 1996 : Chilled : 3 2,154,504 23,679 2,178,186 22,973,384 Frozen : 1,150 2,387,181 11,145 2,399,476 4,336,283 : Total : 1,153 4,541,685 34,824 4,577,662 27,309,667 : Jan-Oct 1997 : Chilled : 86 2,167,998 19,358 2,187,442 23,503,350 Frozen : 395 2,364,631 9,835 2,374,862 4,499,903 : Total : 482 4,532,629 29,193 4,562,304 28,003,254 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. Totals may not add due to rounding. Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, October 1997 with Comparisons 1/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Chickens : : Other :------------------------------------: Ducks : Poultry : Young : Mature : Total : : :------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Ante-Mortem : (Live Weight) : : Sep 1997 : 10,780 1,028 11,808 18 6 Oct 1996 : 10,109 987 11,096 9 11 Oct 1997 : 10,627 891 11,519 17 29 : Jan-Oct 1996 : 115,062 11,162 126,225 110 60 Jan-Oct 1997 : 109,588 12,047 121,635 125 89 : Percent 2/ : : Oct 1996 : 0.31 1.28 0.33 0.07 0.40 Oct 1997 : 0.32 1.22 0.34 0.12 1.18 : : 1,000 Pounds Post-Mortem : (N.Y. Dressed Weight) : : Sep 1997 : 45,790 3,953 49,742 215 23 Oct 1996 : 46,232 4,542 50,774 224 42 Oct 1997 : 50,868 4,228 55,096 278 31 : Jan-Oct 1996 : 466,064 39,957 506,021 1,787 130 Jan-Oct 1997 : 482,376 44,220 526,597 2,444 175 : Percent 3/ : : Oct 1996 : 1.56 6.57 1.67 1.91 1.65 Oct 1997 : 1.68 6.41 1.78 2.19 1.37 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. -- continued Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, October 1997 with Comparisons 1/ (continued) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Turkeys : :--------------------------------------------: Total : Fryer- : : : Total : Poultry : Roasters : Young : Old : Turkeys : :------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Pounds Ante-Mortem : (Live Weight) : : Sep 1997 : --- 1,363 25 1,388 13,221 Oct 1996 : 1 1,616 47 1,664 12,781 Oct 1997 : --- 1,294 17 1,311 12,876 : Jan-Oct 1996 : 7 17,329 447 17,782 144,177 Jan-Oct 1997 : 2 17,344 268 17,613 139,463 : Percent 2/ : : Oct 1996 : 0.49 0.25 0.68 0.25 0.31 Oct 1997 : 1.55 0.20 0.36 0.20 0.31 : : 1,000 Pounds Post-Mortem : (N.Y. Dressed Weight) : : Sep 1997 : --- 11,226 306 11,532 61,512 Oct 1996 : 5 12,359 388 12,751 63,791 Oct 1997 : 1 12,282 190 12,474 67,878 : Jan-Oct 1996 : 28 111,737 2,863 114,628 622,567 Jan-Oct 1997 : 21 114,607 2,161 116,788 646,004 : Percent 3/ : : Oct 1996 : 2.86 2.08 6.27 2.13 1.75 Oct 1997 : 8.81 2.10 4.60 2.12 1.84 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, October 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Average : Number : Live Weight : Live Weight State : Inspected : Inspected : Inspected 1/ :-----------------------:---------------------------:------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ------ ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : AL : 81,305 79,571 389,603 384,526 4.79 4.83 AR : 102,762 105,954 491,887 510,065 4.79 4.81 CA : 20,065 19,849 100,049 97,764 4.99 4.93 DE : 25,503 25,070 139,943 142,122 5.49 5.67 FL : 11,967 12,801 53,818 59,517 4.50 4.65 GA : 99,933 101,602 504,782 500,432 5.05 4.93 LA : 12,562 14,889 60,420 68,617 4.81 4.61 MD : 18,545 19,035 90,370 93,382 4.87 4.91 MS : 59,895 58,980 269,457 274,263 4.50 4.65 MO : 30,383 30,409 133,025 130,505 4.38 4.29 NC : 56,010 52,351 297,325 286,802 5.31 5.48 PA : 9,788 9,826 50,109 51,856 5.12 5.28 SC : 19,805 20,837 88,448 94,405 4.47 4.53 TN : 16,205 15,612 69,953 71,029 4.32 4.55 TX : 41,139 45,097 183,408 208,200 4.46 4.62 VA : 31,650 32,888 150,912 157,570 4.77 4.79 WA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 686,141 695,290 3,302,868 3,364,731 4.81 4.84 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Young Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, October 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations : Total :----------------------------------------- State : Certified 1/ : N.Y. Dressed Weight : Percent 2/ :-----------------------------:----------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------------ 1,000 Pounds ------------------ -- Percent -- : AL : 285,584 285,841 7,267 8,616 2.07 2.49 AR : 354,355 368,634 5,868 5,586 1.33 1.22 CA : 73,130 71,257 1,514 2,105 1.68 2.39 DE : 101,689 102,210 2,029 1,939 1.61 1.52 FL : 38,833 46,163 766 1,589 1.58 2.97 GA : 373,253 374,203 8,094 6,486 1.78 1.44 LA : 42,842 48,574 880 1,296 1.62 2.10 MD : 64,638 65,859 1,291 1,229 1.59 1.46 MS : 204,623 209,672 2,152 2,967 0.89 1.20 MO : 96,429 94,890 1,687 1,412 1.41 1.20 NC : 220,331 216,019 4,051 4,365 1.51 1.69 PA : 35,090 36,060 1,203 1,217 2.67 2.61 SC : 64,013 68,107 1,409 1,837 1.77 2.16 TN : 50,977 51,519 688 723 1.09 1.13 TX : 139,814 158,431 2,272 2,765 1.38 1.48 VA : 104,923 109,601 1,486 3,682 1.09 2.60 WA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 2,414,287 2,476,156 46,232 50,868 1.56 1.68 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, October 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : --- 2,208 205,599 231,660 4,969 10,057 AR : --- 6,773 288,828 102,527 9,588 7,160 CA : --- --- 110,514 --- 1,377 5,753 DE : --- --- 109,932 47,741 --- --- FL : --- 736 --- --- --- --- GA : --- 4,955 165,310 176,692 2,241 13,202 LA : --- 296 49,253 19,378 --- 2,082 MD : --- 7,694 90,702 32,757 --- 8,493 MS : --- 2,300 98,641 42,363 2,632 7,689 MO : --- --- 73,423 14,225 2,378 1,818 NC : --- 6,520 145,038 72,483 149 46,522 PA : --- 3,282 32,291 20,552 416 --- SC : --- 1,631 31,446 --- 91 3,575 TN : --- 353 57,768 15,752 --- --- TX : --- --- 123,419 31,393 1,842 2,317 VA : --- 3,044 89,776 30,355 --- --- WA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : --- 71,528 1,905,612 1,039,711 41,100 159,738 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AL : 13,367 38,510 62,668 9,197 394,152 972,387 AR : 13,673 29,238 63,972 4,420 111,477 637,656 CA : 756 --- 4,276 1,321 50,266 174,263 DE : 3,844 10,690 15,130 2,471 36,547 226,355 FL : 2,097 3,349 11,153 2,531 --- 19,866 GA : 14,283 40,463 48,246 11,476 252,454 729,322 LA : 2,983 --- --- --- --- 73,992 MD : 2,104 9,363 --- 1,328 19,712 172,153 MS : 6,274 21,968 29,163 1,318 177,648 389,996 MO : 2,399 11,174 24,094 2,029 32,679 164,219 NC : 8,782 25,904 --- 8,258 162,281 475,937 PA : 2,313 4,975 --- --- 35,478 99,307 SC : 3,988 15,940 28,094 --- 82,788 167,553 TN : 3,136 6,823 17,055 2,064 26,303 129,254 TX : 2,023 20,034 20,903 --- 14,333 216,264 VA : 3,798 11,067 34,110 --- 103,894 276,044 WA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 93,150 306,872 1,076,029 60,748 1,692,032 6,446,520 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, October 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Average : Number : Live Weight : Live Weight State : Inspected : Inspected : Inspected 1/ :-----------------------:---------------------------:------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ------ ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : CA : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 14,527 14,326 76,851 73,260 5.29 5.11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Mature Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, October 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations : Total :----------------------------------------- State : Certified 1/ : N.Y. Dressed Weight : Percent 2/ :-----------------------------:----------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------------ 1,000 Pounds ------------------ -- Percent -- : CA : --- --- --- --- --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 46,843 44,926 4,542 4,228 6.57 6.41 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, October 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : CA : --- --- --- 54 --- --- GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : --- 4,447 242,813 22,913 698 172,006 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : CA : --- --- 222 --- --- 276 GA : --- --- --- --- --- --- : US : 31,683 66,174 195,072 3,585 47,782 787,173 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and United States, October 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Average : Number : Live Weight : Live Weight State : Inspected : Inspected : Inspected 1/ :-----------------------:---------------------------:------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------ 1,000 ------ ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : AR : 2,342 2,480 42,485 44,470 18.14 17.93 CA : 2,151 2,127 47,307 50,699 22.00 23.84 IA : 1,423 1,458 36,986 37,813 25.99 25.93 MN : 4,579 4,584 99,426 101,066 21.72 22.05 MO : 2,067 2,387 56,159 63,111 27.17 26.44 NC : 4,300 3,413 107,214 84,478 24.93 24.75 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 3,329 3,401 63,791 67,511 19.16 19.85 : US : 27,752 27,204 659,016 649,738 23.75 23.88 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Average weight based on unrounded data. Young Turkeys (Mature) Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and United States, October 1996-97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations : Total :----------------------------------------- State : Certified 1/ : N.Y. Dressed Weight : Percent 2/ :-----------------------------:----------------------------------------- : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 : 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------------ 1,000 Pounds ------------------ -- Percent -- : AR : 34,485 36,391 644 609 1.68 1.52 CA : 37,818 38,303 810 710 1.90 1.56 IA : 28,922 29,368 747 688 2.25 2.02 MN : 79,154 79,755 2,255 2,656 2.52 2.92 MO : 44,724 49,148 1,350 1,283 2.67 2.26 NC : 83,705 66,429 2,059 1,391 2.13 1.83 PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : 48,373 51,723 967 955 1.68 1.57 : US : 518,124 508,348 12,359 12,282 2.08 2.10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, October 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AR : --- --- 7,133 --- --- 10 CA : --- --- 12,231 386 --- --- IA : --- --- --- 2,585 --- --- MN : --- --- 28,538 3,555 2,504 26 MO : --- --- 20,288 --- 397 --- NC : --- 5 5,451 --- --- --- PA : --- --- --- --- --- --- VA : --- --- 5,035 351 --- --- : US : --- 222 121,164 16,809 8,581 151 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : AR : --- 467 --- --- 1,143 8,753 CA : --- --- 400 --- --- 13,017 IA : --- --- --- --- --- 2,585 MN : 403 2,003 1,689 1,051 3,732 43,501 MO : 72 237 583 --- 1,627 23,204 NC : 71 1,934 --- 279 1,076 8,816 PA : 80 --- --- --- 267 347 VA : 36 893 209 --- 1,380 7,904 : US : 1,114 8,516 9,019 2,805 15,613 183,994 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Turkeys (Breeders) Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, United States, October 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Tuber- : : : Airsac- : : State : culosis : Leukosis : Septicemia : culitis : Synovitis : Tumors ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : US : --- --- 1,647 719 --- 27 :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : Contam- : : : : Bruises : Cadaver : ination : Overscald : Other : Total :----------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : US : 13 189 60 --- 1,003 3,658 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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............................................................... 16 Mature Chickens Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, U.S., October 1996-1997.................................................. 11 Mature Chickens Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997.............................. 11 Mature Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, U.S., October 1996-1997.................................................. 11 Old Turkeys (Breeders) Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, U.S., October 1996-1997.................................................. 14 Poultry Chilled and Frozen Pounds Certified (RTC) by Type, U.S., October 1997....................................................... 4 Poultry Slaughter Ante-Mortem and Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, U.S., October 1997.............................................. 6 Poultry Slaughter Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, U.S., October 1997.................................. 2 Reliability Statement..................................................... 15 Young Chickens Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997.............................. 8 Young Chickens Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997.............................. 10 Young Chickens Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997.............................. 9 Young Turkeys (Mature) Number Inspected, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997................. 12 Young Turkeys (Mature) Post-Mortem Condemnations by Cause, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997.............................. 13 Young Turkeys (Mature) Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, Selected States and U.S., October 1996-1997.............................. 12 The next "Poultry Slaughter" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on January 6, 1998. 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