How to Read the USDA Poultry Slaughter Report — Live Weight, Ready-to-Cook Pounds, Bird Weights and Condemnations
USDA Poultry Slaughter, federally inspected U.S. plants, September 2026 (released October 23): 4.74 billion pounds certified ready-to-cook, down slightly from 2025; live weight 6.22 billion.
Key figures (Poultry Slaughter, October 2026)
As of 30 October 2026, 01:57 KST; most recently published report: Poultry Slaughter, released October 23, 2026, by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), covering poultry slaughtered in federally inspected U.S. plants in September 2026. The NASS October 2026 calendar lists the October 23 release at 3:00 pm ET; the publication page lists the next releases on November 25 and December 23, 2026, at 3:00 PM without a time zone. Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796122/psla1026.txt[1][2][3]
| Indicator (U.S., federally inspected poultry) | Previous (August 2026) | Current (September 2026) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago (September 2025) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-cook pounds certified, all poultry (1,000 pounds) | 4,653,689 | 4,736,016 | published 102% | published 100% of 4,757,312 (text: down slightly) | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (U.S. tables, federally inspected) |
| Total live weight, all poultry (1,000 pounds) | 6,108,628 | 6,224,080 | published 102% | published 100% of 6,254,964 (text: down slightly) | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (U.S. tables, federally inspected) |
| Young chickens slaughtered (1,000 head) | 825,887 | 829,632 | published 100% | published 99% of 834,089 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (U.S. tables, federally inspected) |
| Young chicken average live weight (pounds) | 6.62 | 6.67 | published 101% | published 99% of 6.73 (text: down 0.06 pound) | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (U.S. tables, federally inspected) |
| Turkey live weight (1,000 pounds) | 551,488 | 593,792 | published 108% | published 107% of 556,779 | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (U.S. tables, federally inspected) |
| Ante-mortem condemnations, % of live weight | 0.25 | 0.23 | published 92% | 0.20 a year earlier (published) | levels and published percentages: USDA NASS primary statistical record (U.S. tables, federally inspected) |
Comparison basis: levels and percentages are as published; the percentages are whole numbers, so a published 100% can sit beside "down slightly" in the text (ready-to-cook pounds were 99.6% of a year earlier, this page's calculation from the rounded-to-thousands levels). The release, publication page and calendar are all from USDA and count as one source.[1]
In three lines
1. The monthly NASS report counts chickens, turkeys and ducks slaughtered in federally inspected U.S. plants, their live weights, the ready-to-cook pounds certified and condemnations.
2. In September 2026, 4.74 billion pounds were certified ready-to-cook, down slightly from a year earlier, from 6.22 billion pounds of live weight.
3. The next reports are listed for November 25 and December 23, 2026.[1][2]
What the report counts (in NASS's words)
"Poultry certified wholesome during September 2026 (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 4.74 billion pounds, down slightly from the amount certified in September 2025." "The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during September 2026 was 6.22 billion pounds, down slightly from 6.25 billion pounds a year ago." "Young chickens slaughtered during September 2026 averaged 6.67 pounds per bird, down 0.06 pound from September 2025." "Turkeys slaughtered during September 2026 averaged 33.44 pounds per bird, up 1.20 pounds from September 2025."[1]
Scope. "Over 99 percent of the total United States slaughter for any species is under Federal Inspection." State tables carry the note "Published States do not add to United States total to avoid disclosure", so state figures should not be summed to the U.S. total.[1]
Reading in pairs
Live weight vs ready-to-cook. "Certified Ready-to-Cook: The weight of poultry certified wholesome by inspection after post-mortem condemnation pounds are removed." In September 2026 the 4,736,016 thousand pounds certified were 76.1% of the 6,224,080 thousand pounds of live weight (this page's calculation).[1]
Head count vs bird weight. Young chickens slaughtered were 99% of a year earlier while average live weight fell 0.06 pound; turkeys slaughtered were 103% of a year earlier while their average weight rose 1.20 pounds and turkey live weight was 107%. The report does not explain the changes.[1]
Same calendar. The report states the slaughter days behind both Septembers: "September 2026 contained 22 weekdays (including 1 holiday) and 4 Saturdays." The two months had the same number of weekdays and Saturdays.[1]
Census vs sample, and revisions. "Poultry slaughter estimates are based on a census of operating plants and, therefore, have no sampling error." "Data for the previous month and year-to-date totals are subject to revision the following month after the initial monthly estimates are published." On past experience, NASS adds: "Revisions are generally the result of late reports or corrections received by FSIS from plants and are usually less than one-half of one percent."[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
Federally inspected U.S. poultry certified ready-to-cook totaled 4.74 billion pounds in September 2026, down slightly from September 2025.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The preliminary total live weight of federally inspected U.S. poultry was 6.22 billion pounds in September 2026, against 6.25 billion pounds a year earlier.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Young chickens slaughtered in September 2026 averaged 6.67 pounds per bird and turkeys 33.44 pounds per bird.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Turkey inspections in federally inspected U.S. plants totaled 594 million pounds of live weight in September 2026, up 7 percent from a year earlier.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The USDA publication page lists the next Poultry Slaughter releases on November 25 and December 23, 2026.[2] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
In September 2026, ready-to-cook pounds certified (4,736,016 thousand) were 99.6% of September 2025 and 76.1% of the month's total live weight (6,224,080 thousand pounds).[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the U.S. tables
Turkey slaughter rose to 103% of a year earlier in September 2026 while turkey live weight rose to 107%, as average turkey weight increased 1.20 pounds.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's reading of the U.S. slaughter table
Timeline
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- Why did average turkey weight rise 1.20 pounds from a year earlier?
- How much will September 2026 figures be revised in the November report?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/30/2026, 01:58
- Body characters
- 5,017
- Sources
- 3 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/30/2026, 02:03
- Verdict
- Passed
Show revision history (2)
| 10/30/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/30/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA NASS Poultry Slaughter text release of October 23, 2026, including all U.S. and state slaughter, weight, certification and condemnation tables, definitions and methodology, plus the publication page and the NASS October 2026 release calendar; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How much poultry did U.S. federally inspected plants certify in September 2026?
4.74 billion pounds ready-to-cook, down slightly from September 2025, according to the NASS report of October 23, 2026.[1]
What was the average weight of U.S. young chickens slaughtered in September 2026?
6.67 pounds per bird, down 0.06 pound from September 2025; turkeys averaged 33.44 pounds, up 1.20 pounds.[1]
Does the September 2026 U.S. Poultry Slaughter report cover all slaughter?
It covers federally inspected plants, which NASS says account for over 99 percent of total U.S. slaughter for any species.[1]
Why can the September 2026 U.S. poultry total show 100% of last year but be described as down slightly?
The published percentages are whole numbers: 4,736,016 against 4,757,312 thousand pounds is 99.6% (this page's calculation), shown as 100 in the table.[1]
Could the September 2026 U.S. poultry slaughter figures be revised?
Yes, the September 2026 figures are subject to revision the following month; NASS says revisions are usually less than one-half of one percent, based on late reports or corrections.[1]
Is there sampling error in the September 2026 U.S. poultry slaughter figures?
No: the September 2026 estimates come from a census of operating federally inspected plants, though they can contain reporting and processing errors.[1]