Pou 2-1 (6-07) Poultry Slaughter National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released June 29, 2007, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Poultry Slaughter" call Fleming Gibson at 202-690-3237, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Ready-to-Cook Weight Down 1 Percent from Last Year Poultry certified wholesome during May 2007 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 3.73 billion pounds, down 1 percent from the amount certified in May 2006. The April 2007 revised certified total at 3.38 billion pounds, was up 2 percent from April 2006. The April revision represented an increase of 6.83 million pounds from last month's preliminary pounds certified. The preliminary total live weight of poultry inspected during May 2007 was 5.05 billion pounds, up slightly from 5.03 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 4.33 billion pounds, up slightly from May 2006. Mature chickens, at 71.1 million pounds, were down 2 percent from the previous year. Turkey inspections totaled 641 million pounds, up 3 percent from a year ago. Ducks totaled 16.0 million pounds, down 6 percent from last year. Young chickens slaughtered during May 2007 averaged 5.52 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from May 2006. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.08 pounds per bird, down slightly from a year ago. Turkeys slaughtered during May 2007 averaged 28.5 pounds per bird, down 1 percent from May 2006. Ante-mortem condemnations during May 2007 totaled 16.1 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.32 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.33 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 47.3 million pounds, were 1.25 percent of quantities inspected, compared with 1.31 percent a year earlier. May 2007 contained 23 weekdays (including one holiday) and 4 Saturdays, while May 2006 had 23 weekdays (including one holiday) and 4 Saturdays. Poultry Slaughter: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight by Type, United States, May, 2006-2007 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Pct of : January : : : : :---------: to Date :Pct Commodity : May : Apr : May :May :Apr :---------------------: of : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 :2006:2007: 2006 : 2007 :2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :--------- 1,000 Head -------- Pct ----- 1,000 Head ---- Pct : Number : Slaughtered : : Chickens : Young : 786,909 715,399 783,953 100 110 3,681,819 3,643,177 99 Mature : 11,845 10,522 11,686 99 111 56,835 53,678 94 Light : 4,953 4,745 4,885 99 103 25,153 23,578 94 Heavy : 6,892 5,777 6,801 99 118 31,682 30,100 95 Total : 798,754 725,921 795,639 100 110 3,738,654 3,696,855 99 : Turkeys : Young : 21,659 20,330 22,334 103 110 98,486 103,714 105 Old : 129 132 202 157 153 891 809 91 Total : 21,788 20,462 22,536 103 110 99,377 104,523 105 : Ducks : 2,523 2,283 2,377 94 104 11,827 11,675 99 : : :-------- 1,000 Pounds ------- Pct ---- 1,000 Pounds --- Pct : Live Weight : : Chickens : Young :4,316,078 3,937,424 4,325,121 100 110 20,127,793 19,972,123 99 Mature : 72,267 61,672 71,075 98 115 337,708 317,604 94 Light : 16,369 15,562 15,934 97 102 83,741 77,055 92 Heavy : 55,898 46,110 55,141 99 120 253,967 240,549 95 Total :4,388,345 3,999,096 4,396,196 100 110 20,465,501 20,289,727 99 : Turkeys : Young : 621,081 580,784 636,211 102 110 2,863,493 2,991,612 104 Old : 3,484 3,548 5,262 151 148 23,647 21,430 91 Total : 624,565 584,332 641,473 103 110 2,887,140 3,013,042 104 : Ducks : 17,108 15,361 16,002 94 104 80,648 78,573 97 Other : Poultry 2/: 374 315 372 99 118 1,535 1,596 104 : Total : Poultry :5,030,392 4,599,104 5,054,043 100 110 23,434,824 23,382,938 100 : : : --------- Pounds -------- Pct ---- Pounds ---- Pct : Avg Live : Weight : : Chickens : Young : 5.48 5.50 5.52 101 100 5.47 5.48 100 Mature : 6.10 5.86 6.08 100 104 5.94 5.92 100 Light : 3.30 3.28 3.26 99 99 3.33 3.27 98 Heavy : 8.11 7.98 8.11 100 102 8.02 7.99 100 Total : 5.49 5.51 5.53 101 100 5.47 5.49 100 : Turkeys : Young : 28.68 28.57 28.49 99 100 29.08 28.84 99 Old : 27.01 26.88 26.05 96 97 26.54 26.49 100 Total : 28.67 28.56 28.46 99 100 29.05 28.83 99 : Ducks : 6.78 6.73 6.73 99 100 6.82 6.73 99 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Federally inspected only. 2/ Includes geese, guineas, ostriches, emus, rheas, squab, and any other voluntary poultry. Poultry Slaughter: Chilled and Frozen, Pounds Certified by Type, United States, May, 2006-2007 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : : Pct of : January : : : : :---------: to Date : Pct Commodity : May : Apr : May :May :Apr :---------------------: of : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 :2006:2007: 2006 : 2007 :2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :-------- 1,000 Pounds ------- Pct ---- 1,000 Pounds --- Pct : Chilled : : Chickens : Young :2,916,851 2,585,749 2,857,008 98 110 13,578,763 13,200,333 97 Mature : 44,981 38,058 43,970 98 116 209,796 196,253 94 Light : 8,376 8,004 8,383 100 105 42,885 39,508 92 Heavy : 36,605 30,054 35,587 97 118 166,911 156,745 94 Total :2,961,832 2,623,807 2,900,978 98 111 13,788,559 13,396,586 97 : Turkeys : Young : 268,458 260,212 282,676 105 109 1,265,397 1,353,527 107 Old : 2,439 2,237 3,311 136 148 15,125 14,040 93 Total : 270,897 262,449 285,987 106 109 1,280,522 1,367,567 107 : Ducks : 6,208 5,271 5,403 87 103 29,509 26,504 90 Other : Poultry 2/: 175 167 182 104 109 783 835 107 : Total : Poultry :3,239,112 2,891,694 3,192,550 99 110 15,099,373 14,791,492 98 : Frozen : : Chickens : Young : 293,693 285,196 311,425 106 109 1,389,479 1,412,957 102 Mature : 398 539 869 218 161 1,831 2,157 118 Light : 99 Heavy : 398 539 869 218 161 1,732 2,157 125 Total : 294,091 285,735 312,294 106 109 1,391,310 1,415,114 102 : Turkeys : Young : 224,344 199,379 222,872 99 112 1,001,858 1,012,091 101 Old : 152 429 670 441 156 2,718 2,171 80 Total : 224,496 199,808 223,542 100 112 1,004,576 1,014,262 101 : Ducks : 6,082 5,761 5,999 99 104 28,228 29,667 105 Other : Poultry 2/: 41 32 39 95 122 140 139 99 : Total : Poultry : 524,710 491,336 541,874 103 110 2,424,254 2,459,182 101 : Total : Chilled and: Frozen : : Chickens : Young :3,210,544 2,870,945 3,168,433 99 110 14,968,242 14,613,290 98 Mature : 45,379 38,597 44,839 99 116 211,627 198,410 94 Light : 8,376 8,004 8,383 100 105 42,984 39,508 92 Heavy : 37,003 30,593 36,456 99 119 168,643 158,902 94 Total :3,255,923 2,909,542 3,213,272 99 110 15,179,869 14,811,700 98 : Turkeys : Young : 492,802 459,591 505,548 103 110 2,267,255 2,365,618 104 Old : 2,591 2,666 3,981 154 149 17,843 16,211 91 Total : 495,393 462,257 509,529 103 110 2,285,098 2,381,829 104 : Ducks : 12,290 11,032 11,402 93 103 57,737 56,171 97 Other : Poultry 2/: 216 199 221 102 111 923 974 106 : Total : Poultry :3,763,822 3,383,030 3,734,424 99 110 17,523,627 17,250,674 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Includes geese, guineas, squab, and any other voluntary poultry. Poultry Slaughter: Ante-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, May, 2006-2007 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : :Percent of : January : : : : :-----------: to Date :Percent Commodity : May : Apr : May : May : Apr :---------------: of : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 :2006 :2007 : 2006 : 2007 : 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :---- 1,000 Pounds ---- Percent 1,000 Pounds Percent : Live Weight : : Chickens : Young :13,961 12,142 13,277 95 109 64,092 65,875 103 Mature : 996 779 1,020 102 131 4,065 4,595 113 Light : 283 215 279 99 130 1,230 1,535 125 Heavy : 713 564 741 104 131 2,835 3,060 108 Total :14,957 12,921 14,297 96 111 68,157 70,470 103 : Turkeys : Young : 1,662 1,683 1,692 102 101 8,519 9,218 108 Old : 59 62 74 125 119 290 326 112 Total : 1,721 1,745 1,766 103 101 8,809 9,544 108 : Ducks : 37 30 41 111 137 152 167 110 Other Poultry : 1 1 100 1 1 100 : Total Poultry :16,716 14,696 16,105 96 110 77,119 80,182 104 : : : Percent : Percent of Live : Weight Condemned 2/: : Chickens : Young : 0.32 0.31 0.31 97 100 0.32 0.33 103 Mature : 1.38 1.26 1.44 104 114 1.20 1.45 121 Light : 1.73 1.38 1.75 101 127 1.47 1.99 135 Heavy : 1.28 1.22 1.34 105 110 1.12 1.27 113 Total : 0.34 0.32 0.33 97 103 0.33 0.35 106 : Turkeys : Young : 0.27 0.29 0.27 100 93 0.30 0.31 103 Old : 1.69 1.75 1.41 83 81 1.23 1.52 124 Total : 0.28 0.30 0.28 100 93 0.31 0.32 103 : Ducks : 0.22 0.20 0.26 118 130 0.19 0.21 111 Other Poultry : 0.27 0.27 100 0.07 0.06 86 : Total Poultry : 0.33 0.32 0.32 97 100 0.33 0.34 103 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Federally inspected only. 2/ Pounds condemned as a percent of live weight pounds inspected. Poultry Slaughter: Post-Mortem Condemnations by Type, United States, May, 2006-2007 1/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : : :Percent of : January : : : : :-----------: to Date :Percent Commodity : May : Apr : May : May : Apr :---------------: of : 2006 : 2007 : 2007 :2006 :2007 : 2006 : 2007 : 2006 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :---- 1,000 Pounds ---- Percent 1,000 Pounds Percent : Carcass and Parts : : Chickens : Young :37,334 33,204 34,852 93 105 183,037 173,945 95 Mature : 3,045 2,843 3,141 103 110 14,649 14,558 99 Light : 1,321 1,152 1,114 84 97 6,633 5,823 88 Heavy : 1,724 1,691 2,027 118 120 8,016 8,735 109 Total :40,379 36,047 37,993 94 105 197,686 188,503 95 : Turkeys : Young : 8,936 8,737 8,689 97 99 42,998 43,518 101 Old : 196 178 264 135 148 1,186 1,178 99 Total : 9,132 8,915 8,953 98 100 44,184 44,696 101 : Ducks : 399 330 345 86 105 2,035 1,684 83 Other Poultry : 5 4 4 80 100 17 18 106 : Total Poultry :49,915 45,296 47,295 95 104 243,922 234,901 96 : : : Percent : Percent of : Weight Condemned 2/: : Chickens : Young : 1.15 1.14 1.09 95 95 1.21 1.18 97 Mature : 6.29 6.86 6.55 104 95 6.47 6.84 106 Light : 13.62 12.58 11.73 86 93 13.37 12.85 96 Heavy : 4.45 5.24 5.27 118 101 4.54 5.21 115 Total : 1.22 1.22 1.17 95 95 1.29 1.26 98 : Turkeys : Young : 1.78 1.87 1.69 95 91 1.86 1.81 97 Old : 7.03 6.26 6.22 88 99 6.23 6.77 109 Total : 1.81 1.89 1.73 95 91 1.90 1.84 97 : Ducks : 3.14 2.90 2.94 93 101 3.40 2.91 85 Other Poultry : 2.26 1.97 1.78 79 90 1.81 1.81 100 : Total Poultry : 1.31 1.32 1.25 96 95 1.37 1.34 98 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Federally inspected only. 2/ Pounds condemned as a percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Young Chickens Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, by State and United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : : Average : Slaughtered : Live Weight : Live Weight State :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---- 1,000 Head --- ---- 1,000 Pounds ---- --- Pounds --- : AL : 84,723 90,400 468,996 502,904 5.54 5.56 AR : 91,436 98,644 477,669 521,440 5.22 5.29 DE : 24,656 27,393 166,755 181,324 6.76 6.62 GA : 105,144 117,016 557,873 620,832 5.31 5.31 KY : 24,211 25,378 136,228 142,056 5.63 5.60 LA : 15,631 16,856 90,970 98,120 5.82 5.82 MD : 11,002 12,329 52,593 57,752 4.78 4.68 MS : 64,002 72,385 350,828 400,483 5.48 5.53 MO : 33,943 36,612 159,884 175,120 4.71 4.78 NC : 56,985 62,567 389,729 426,676 6.84 6.82 OH : 3,964 4,309 22,196 23,417 5.60 5.43 PA : 9,308 10,198 51,734 57,291 5.56 5.62 SC : 23,035 25,424 145,437 161,891 6.31 6.37 TN : 21,645 23,899 109,869 123,713 5.08 5.18 TX : 51,785 57,313 273,497 300,285 5.28 5.24 VA : 24,215 27,574 125,044 143,001 5.16 5.19 : Oth Sts : 69,714 75,656 358,122 388,816 5.14 5.14 : US : 715,399 783,953 3,937,424 4,325,121 5.50 5.52 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Chickens Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations by State and United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations :Total Chilled and Frozen :------------------------------------------- State : Pounds Certified 1/ : Carcass and Parts : Percent 2/ :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --------------- 1,000 Pounds --------------- --- Percent --- : AL : 343,178 368,262 3,583 3,624 1.03 0.97 AR : 343,010 375,890 4,239 4,452 1.22 1.17 DE : 119,811 130,615 1,912 1,975 1.57 1.49 GA : 410,671 456,666 4,028 4,269 0.97 0.93 KY : 100,409 104,647 1,244 1,212 1.22 1.14 LA : 66,805 71,705 339 347 0.50 0.48 MD : 38,272 41,964 553 534 1.42 1.26 MS : 238,597 284,650 2,695 3,022 1.12 1.05 MO : 117,798 129,144 1,279 1,283 1.07 0.98 NC : 296,147 324,726 4,006 4,348 1.33 1.32 OH : 16,427 17,290 300 324 1.79 1.84 PA : 34,786 38,746 979 1,201 2.74 3.01 SC : 106,944 119,069 1,000 967 0.93 0.81 TN : 79,287 89,216 945 1,003 1.18 1.11 TX : 208,946 231,289 2,219 2,024 1.05 0.87 VA : 87,430 100,189 724 805 0.82 0.80 : Oth Sts : 262,427 284,365 3,159 3,462 1.19 1.20 : US : 2,870,945 3,168,433 33,204 34,852 1.14 1.09 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Chickens Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, by Type, by State and United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : Septicaemia :------------------------------------------------------------------ : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Head : Young : AL : * 188 76,751 84,039 AR : 497 * 141,543 147,086 DE : 1,345 1,740 81,298 83,651 GA : 429 401 85,017 95,900 KY : * * 40,726 39,245 LA : 35 * 10,566 11,082 MD : * * 20,172 20,002 MS : * * 38,745 42,311 MO : 380 * 79,637 78,865 NC : * * 78,636 88,839 OH : * * 9,093 9,781 PA : 44 36 20,894 26,025 SC : * * * * TN : 48 75 47,387 50,326 TX : 66 * 55,391 48,150 VA : * * 28,630 31,441 : Oth Sts : 3,940 4,563 221,238 236,450 : US : 6,784 7,003 1,035,724 1,093,193 : Mature : Light : 2,378 1,712 160,829 154,506 Heavy : 300 307 40,395 47,039 : US : 2,678 2,019 201,224 201,545 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Airsacculitis : Synovitis : Tumors :------------------------------------------------------------------ : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Head : Young : AL : 63,330 63,356 758 464 * 3,020 AR : 36,363 31,333 1,548 1,655 2,438 2,525 DE : 45,790 43,429 * * * * GA : 125,810 113,075 454 205 6,976 6,792 KY : * * * * * LA : 4,892 3,507 * * 244 295 MD : * * 25 * * * MS : 33,989 28,191 * * 724 926 MO : 14,087 9,770 265 394 1,424 1,612 NC : 46,606 47,443 157 112 * * OH : * * * * 181 187 PA : 14,382 18,089 * * 251 268 SC : * * 73 20 * * TN : 19,285 19,890 * * 478 * TX : 19,776 17,927 * * 888 1,138 VA : 13,928 13,339 25 26 * * : Oth Sts : 96,890 90,092 1,766 2,121 38,472 42,894 : US : 535,128 499,441 5,071 4,997 52,076 59,657 : Mature : Light : 32,261 28,479 187 263 62,400 61,122 Heavy : 1,800 2,335 70 192 5,684 6,778 : US : 34,061 30,814 257 455 68,084 67,900 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Included in "Other States" to avoid disclosure of individual operations. Chickens Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, by Type, by State and United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Bruises : Cadaver : Contamination :------------------------------------------------------------------ : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Head : Young : AL : 2,245 2,154 8,309 8,882 9,612 10,917 AR : 4,032 4,451 11,639 12,082 29,559 29,646 DE : 1,945 1,601 4,791 5,292 6,673 7,352 GA : 1,810 2,000 25,193 26,754 12,008 11,493 KY : 198 * 4,184 3,945 4,838 4,920 LA : 187 177 2,393 2,168 902 876 MD : * * 1,799 * * * MS : 1,354 1,390 4,089 3,901 5,412 5,119 MO : 1,067 1,243 * 3,981 9,608 10,512 NC : 2,043 2,008 18,662 19,930 14,986 17,944 OH : 93 * 1,147 1,028 418 372 PA : 563 615 1,727 2,605 4,182 3,445 SC : * 597 2,869 2,828 1,248 1,567 TN : 564 * 4,471 * 4,142 5,656 TX : 669 681 4,060 5,173 8,341 6,968 VA : 838 956 2,841 3,422 4,113 4,728 : Oth Sts : 3,620 4,742 16,103 20,687 30,135 40,336 : US : 21,228 22,615 114,277 122,678 146,177 161,851 : Mature : Light : 14,924 10,523 2,069 1,568 86,341 95,477 Heavy : 736 1,136 6,588 6,283 10,185 12,844 : US : 15,660 11,659 8,657 7,851 96,526 108,321 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- State : Overscald : Other : Total 1/ :------------------------------------------------------------------ : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Head : Young : AL : 10,838 12,648 133,360 128,226 308,977 313,894 AR : 7,878 * 96,642 99,362 332,139 335,154 DE : 1,435 2,999 35,391 39,416 186,826 194,949 GA : 8,053 5,078 103,930 105,743 369,680 367,441 KY : * * * * * * LA : 54 43 * 1,336 20,976 19,578 MD : * * * * * * MS : 761 736 86,911 84,694 172,325 167,607 MO : * * 76,561 62,760 187,598 170,224 NC : 9,781 7,209 79,617 100,385 262,934 297,916 OH : * * * * * * PA : * * 9,046 25,591 51,658 76,979 SC : * 2,604 * 32,280 70,340 59,695 TN : * * 7,843 2,948 85,706 90,754 TX : * 1,887 43,011 41,895 134,230 123,999 VA : 434 2,173 16,986 18,822 70,135 77,796 : Oth Sts : 13,135 14,500 286,792 255,464 691,400 724,248 : US : 52,369 49,877 976,090 998,922 2,944,924 3,020,234 : Mature : Light : 238 479 62,971 55,968 424,598 410,097 Heavy : 2,344 221 87,561 91,425 155,663 168,560 : US : 2,582 700 150,532 147,393 580,261 578,657 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *Included in "Other States" to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 1/ The sum of the individual diseases does not add to total for "Other States." Young Turkeys Slaughtered: Number, Live Weight, and Average Live Weight, by State and United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number : : Average : Slaughtered : Live Weight : Live Weight State :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : --- 1,000 Head --- --- 1,000 Pounds --- ---- Pounds --- : AR : 2,775 3,056 55,478 58,526 19.99 19.15 MN : 2,760 3,209 75,329 84,410 27.30 26.30 MO : 1,348 1,452 42,769 47,162 31.73 32.49 : Oth Sts : 13,447 14,617 407,208 446,113 30.28 30.52 : US : 20,330 22,334 580,784 636,211 28.57 28.49 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Young Turkeys Slaughtered: Pounds Certified and Post-Mortem Condemnations, by State and United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Post-Mortem Condemnations :Total Chilled and Frozen :------------------------------------------- State : Pounds Certified 1/ : Carcass and Parts : Percent 2/ :--------------------------------------------------------------------- : April : May : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- 1,000 Pounds -------------- --- Percent --- : AR : 44,701 48,706 879 777 1.93 1.57 MN : 60,005 67,547 1,451 1,485 2.36 2.15 MO : 33,604 36,983 719 764 2.09 2.02 : Oth Sts : 321,281 352,312 5,688 5,663 1.74 1.58 : US : 459,591 505,548 8,737 8,689 1.87 1.69 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Ready-to-cook weights. 2/ Pounds condemned as percent of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Turkeys Slaughtered: Number Condemned Post-Mortem by Cause, by Type, United States, April 2007-May 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Young : Old :----------------------------------------------------------- Cause : April : May : April : May -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Number of Head : Tuberculosis : Leukosis : 35 39 15 Septicaemia : 65,915 61,992 1,185 1,830 Airsacculitis : 9,966 6,043 362 453 Synovitis : 4,107 3,613 1 23 Tumors : 101 111 171 255 Bruises : 380 380 32 39 Cadaver : 2,296 2,223 23 54 Contamination : 2,758 2,789 83 118 Overscald : 1,380 1,466 2 38 Other : 27,461 22,341 829 2,483 : Total : 114,399 100,997 2,688 5,308 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reliability of Poultry Slaughter Estimates Data Sources: Data for poultry slaughter estimates are collected by inspectors of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), USDA for all Federally Inspected (FI) plants. Over 99 percent of the total U.S. slaughter for any species is under FI. The number of head slaughtered daily, by species and class, as well as condemnations and total live and dressed weights are obtained by shift for each plant. Approximately 305 plants slaughtered poultry in the U.S. under Federal Inspection in 2006. Young chickens were slaughter in 35 States, young turkeys in 26 States. 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 February and reflect any late reports or corrections which occurred after the monthly revisions were published. Procedures and Reliability: Plant inspectors submit data electronically for each shift a plant operates. An edit provides checks for the detection of errors such as invalid plant information, duplication, and erroneous data. Data are accumulated to monthly totals for this release. Data for 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 included. Estimates for missing shifts are made only after verifying that the plant was in operation. Adjustments are based on a shift determined to be similar to the one missing. Late reports replace imputed data as they become available. While there is a varying degree of incompleteness from month to month, it has only a minimal impact on the published 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. State data are published using selected States for young chickens and young turkeys. Data for all States not published are included in the "Other States" category. Also included in this category are data for published States that are confidential (denoted by an *). Data for all States are included in the U.S. totals. Terms and Definitions Used for Poultry Slaughter Estimates: 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. Included with young turkeys. Mature Chickens - Fowl from breeder and market egg flocks and stags and cocks. Old Turkeys - Fully matured birds held for egg production, usually over 15 months of age. Other Poultry Chilled or Frozen - Includes all other ready-to-cook products which bear the USDA 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 - Young birds grown to a matured market age, about 5 months. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch..............................(202) 720-3570 Darin Jantzi, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section......(202) 720-3570 David Colwell - Cold Storage..................................(202) 720-8784 Fleming Gibson - Egg Products, Poultry Slaughter, Catfish Processing, Mink...................................(202) 690-3237 Darin Jantzi - Layers, Eggs...................................(202) 720-3570 Sharyn Lavender - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery, Honey...(202) 720-3244 Toby Paterson - Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised.....(202) 720-0585 ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: www.nass.usda.gov. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at www.nass.usda.gov, under the right navigation, Receive reports by Email, click on National or State. Follow the instructions on the screen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-605-6220 FAX: 703-605-6900 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.