NW_PY017 Des Moines, IA Thu. Feb 26, 2026 USDA Market News MISC. POULTRY: Weekly Poultry Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection (Thur) (Preliminary) (Released 12:00 PM Central Time) Week ending 21-Feb-2026 Young Light Heavy Total Chickens Hens Hens Hens Ducks ---------------------Thousands----------------------------------- Head 172,407 582 1,546 2,128 481 Avg Wt 6.49 3.49 8.50 7.13 6.87 Head sltr comparisons Last week 172,177 852 2,655 3,507 541 Same wk yr ago 162,670 650 1,429 2,079 453 Avg Wt 6.49 3.66 8.32 6.86 7.11 To-date/2026* 1,349,830 6,139 15,078 21,217 3,676 To-date/2025* 1,294,531 4,810 13,002 17,812 3,340 % Change YTD 4% 28% 16% 19% 10% Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 850,380 1,127 9,002 10,129 2,346 Last week 853,171 1,598 15,059 16,657 2,731 Same wk yr ago 802,354 1,320 8,144 9,464 2,287 To-date/2026* 6,738,010 11,955 86,538 98,493 18,581 To-date/2025* 6,482,845 9,233 73,917 83,150 16,656 % Change YTD 4% 29% 17% 18% 12% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dressing % 76.0% 55.5% 68.5% 71.0% Live Turkeys Slaughtered Week Ending 21-Feb-2026 Young Young Young Old Total Hens Toms Breeders Breeders Turkeys Head 1,559 1,908 0 27 3,494 Avg Wt 17.65 47.02 0.00 32.24 33.80 Head sltr comparisons Last week 1,696 1,940 1 31 3,668 Same wk yr ago 1,137 1,777 23 16 2,953 Avg Wt 17.19 44.32 28.15 43.46 33.74 To-date/2026* 12,461 14,565 75 210 27,311 To-date/2025* 10,281 14,114 207 238 24,840 % Change YTD 21% 3% -64% -12% 10% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 22,151 72,220 0 675 95,046 Last week 24,971 72,822 31 693 98,517 Same wk yr ago 15,734 63,399 502 539 80,174 To-date/2026* 179,361 552,909 2,016 5,122 739,408 To-date/2025* 147,719 508,065 4,226 5,844 665,854 % Change YTD 21% 9% -52% -12% 11% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dressing % 80.5% 80.5% 77.5% 77.5% (A) The estimated number of fryers available for marketing based on the 2-week revised average chick placements 6 to 7 weeks earlier was 170.7 million head. Estimated U.S. slaughter for this period was 174.5 million head, or 3.8 million more than estimated available. (B) Dressing % adjustments reflect quarterly update. *Note: Year to-date totals reflect comparable time periods. SOURCE: USDA Livestock, Poultry & Grain Market News Des Moines, IA 515.284.4460 email: desm.lpgmn@ams.usda.gov http://www.ams.usda.gov/market-news/livestock-poultry-grain Prepared: 26-Feb-26 10:04 AM C NBS