October US broiler meat production down 3%

U.S. broiler meat production totaled 3.1 billion pounds in October, down 3% from 2010 numbers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Total broiler meat production during the first 10 months of 2011 was 31.4 billion pounds, 2.6% higher than in the same period in 2010. In October, the number of birds slaughtered fell to 700 million, down 3.2% from 2010. The lower number of birds slaughtered was partially offset by an increase in the average live weight of birds at slaughter, up fractionally to 5.94 pounds, according to the USDA. Average broiler weights at slaughter are expected to continue higher in November and December, but the rate of growth is expected to be much slower than it was over the first three quarters of 2011. The estimate for fourth-quarter 2011 broiler meat production was decreased 25 million pounds to 8.98 billion pounds, 5.4% below 2010. This lowers the annual forecast for broiler meat production in 2011 to 37.3 billion pounds, an increase of 1% from 2010. The broiler meat production projections for the first and second quarters of 2012 were revised down 5.3% and 4.2% on a year-over-year basis, and the revised total broiler meat production for 2012 is now 36.5 billion pounds, down 2.1% from 2011. For more information on U.S. poultry data, visit www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.