US poultry certified wholesome up 20 percent in March

Poultry certified wholesome in the U.S. during March (ready-to-cook weight) totaled 3.60 billion pounds, a 2 percent increase from the amount certified in March 2013. The increase was revealed in the USDA Poultry Slaughter report, released on April 24.
The preliminary total live weight of all federally inspected poultry during March was 4.77 billion pounds, up 2 percent from 4.66 billion pounds in March 2013. Young chickens inspected accounted for 4.11 billion pounds, a 3 percent year-over-year increase, while mature chickens totaled 65.5 million pounds, up 10 percent. Turkey inspections totaled 572 million pounds, down 3 percent, while ducks totaled 13.9 million pounds, a 1 percent increase.
Young chickens slaughtered during March averaged 5.98 pounds per bird, up 2 percent from March 2013. The average live weight of mature chickens was 5.57 pounds per bird, up 6 percent. Turkeys slaughtered during March averaged 31.1 pounds per bird, up only slightly from March 2013.