USDA’s recently released June Slaughter report indicated a seven percent increase in young chickens slaughtered compared to May 2022.
Poultry certified wholesome during May 2023 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.58 billion pounds, up eight percent from the amount certified in May 2022. The April 2023 revised certified total at 4.03 billion pounds, was down slightly from April 2022. The April revision represented an increase of 3.63 million pounds from last month’s preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during May 2023 was 6.04 billion pounds, up eight percent from 5.60 billion pounds a year ago. Young chickens inspected totaled 5.34 billion pounds, up seven percent from May 2022. Mature chickens, at 68.5 million pounds, were up two percent from the previous year.
Young chickens slaughtered during May 2023 averaged 6.52 pounds per bird, up two percent from May 2022. The average live weight of mature chickens was 6.83 pounds per bird, down slightly from a year ago.
Ante-mortem condemnations during May 2023 totaled 12.4 million pounds. Condemnations were 0.2 percent of the live weight inspected, as compared with 0.22 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 27.4 million pounds, were 0.59 percent of quantities inspected, as compared with 0.61 percent a year earlier.
The full report can be found here.
