The top young meat chicken states in 2020 were Georgia, North Carolina, and Arkansas, according to the annual report from USDA/National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
These three states accounted for 37.6 percent of the U.S. broiler slaughtered measured by liveweight pounds. States with the largest percentage increases in production last year were Pennsylvania, 8.5 percent; Maryland, 4.8 percent; North Carolina, 4.7 percent; Texas, 3.9 percent; Tennessee, 3.9 percent; and California, 3.4 percent. For the United States in 2020, broiler slaughter totaled 59,155.7 million pounds, liveweight, 1.5 percent ahead of the 58,287.0 million pounds in 2019. Average liveweight last year was 6.41 pounds, an increase of 1.4 percent over the 6.32 pounds in 2019.
For the nineteen states and others reporting the data are as follows:
Young Chickens Slaughtered, Liveweight
| State | 2019 | 2020 | Change |
| ————— million pounds ————- | ——– % ———- | ||
| Georgia | 7,856.0 | 7,786.7 | -0.9 |
| North Carolina | 7,146.4 | 7,483.5 | 4.7 |
| Arkansas | 6,831.0 | 6,975.6 | 2.1 |
| Alabama | 6,285.5 | 6,444.2 | 2.5 |
| Texas | 4,483.4 | 4,656.7 | 3.9 |
| Mississippi | 4,589.1 | 4,455.1 | -2.9 |
| Delaware | 2,828.5 | 2,699.5 | -4.6 |
| South Carolina | 2,216.5 | 2,225.5 | 0.4 |
| Missouri | 2,237.2 | 2,128.6 | -4.9 |
| Virginia | 1,995.0 | 1,953.8 | -2.1 |
| Kentucky | 1,840.8 | 1,843.0 | 0.1 |
| Tennessee | 1,646.0 | 1,710.9 | 3.9 |
| California | 1,594.6 | 1,648.8 | 3.4 |
| Louisiana | 1,232.4 | 1,197.2 | -2.9 |
| Oklahoma | 1,028.4 | 947.8 | -7.8 |
| Maryland | 833.9 | 873.7 | 4.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 680.6 | 738.6 | 8.5 |
| Indiana | 338.1 | 343.7 | 1.7 |
| New York | 137.0 | 135.8 | -0.9 |
| Others | 2,486.6 | 2,907.0 | 16.9 |
| United States | 58,287.0 | 59,155.7 | 1.5 |
Total pounds certified as wholesome in 2019 were 43.905 billion pounds and 44.583 billion pounds in 2020, both on a ready-to-cook weight basis. The annual increase was 1.5 percent. The liveweight conversion to ready-to-cook weight in 2019 was 75.33 percent compared with 75.37 percent in 2020.
The post-mortem condemnations for the United States in 2019 were 0.65 percent compared with 0.56 percent in 2020. Pounds condemned are measured as a percentage of pounds certified plus post-mortem condemnations. Ante-mortem condemnations in 2019 were 0.22 percent compared with 0.20 percent in 2020. Ante-mortem condemnations are measured as a percentage of liveweight pounds federally-inspected.
NASS reports young chickens are slaughtered under federal inspection in 38 states. Approximately 370 federally-inspected plants slaughtered poultry in the United States in 2019. There was not a breakout listed for plants that only slaughter young meat chickens.
Poultry Slaughter 2020 Summary February 2021 issued last week by USDA/NASS can be viewed here.
