U.S. poultry certified wholesome during August (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 3.91 billion pounds, up slightly from the amount certified in August 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's latest report.
The July revised certified total came in at 3.68 billion pounds, up 4 percent from July 2011. The July revision represented an increase of 908,000 pounds from June's preliminary pounds certified.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during August was 5.18 billion pounds, up slightly from 5.16 billion pounds in 2011. Young chickens inspected totaled 4.42 billion pounds, down slightly from August 2011 numbers, while mature chickens, at 80.7 million pounds, were up 2 percent from 2011. Turkey inspections totaled 662 million pounds, up 5 percent, and ducks totaled 14.3 million pounds, down 1 percent from 2011 numbers.
Young chickens slaughtered during August averaged 5.81 pounds per bird, up 1 percent from August 2011. The average live weight of mature chickens was 5.88 pounds per bird, up slightly from 2011. Turkeys slaughtered averaged 28.9 pounds per bird, up 1 percent, according to the USDA.
For more poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.
