Production down for US turkeys

Turkey production in the U.S. for the first six months of 2009 is down 9.4%, totaling 2.8 billion pounds, compared to the same period in 2008, according to the most recent Livestock, Dairy and Poultry Outlook from USDA's Economic Research Service.
The drop in production of turkey meat was primarily due to a decline in the number of birds slaughtered. During the first half of 2009, the number of turkeys slaughtered decreased 9.5% compared with the first half of 2008. There was also a small reduction in the average weight of birds going to slaughter.
During the first six months of 2009, the number of turkey poults placed for growout totaled only 141 million, down 9.6% from the same period in 2008.