NW_PY017 Des Moines, IA Thu. Aug 27, 2026 USDA Market News MISC. POULTRY: Weekly Poultry Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection (Thur) (Preliminary) (Released 12:00 PM Central Time) Week ending 22-Aug-2026 Young Light Heavy Total Chickens Hens Hens Hens Ducks ---------------------Thousands----------------------------------- Head 174,016 873 1,936 2,809 543 Avg Wt 6.45 3.46 8.59 7.00 7.02 Head sltr comparisons Last week 172,776 736 1,879 2,615 477 Same wk yr ago 173,410 658 1,800 2,458 504 Avg Wt 6.60 3.55 8.75 7.36 6.92 To-date/2026* 5,795,737 26,849 61,137 87,986 15,963 To-date/2025* 5,653,557 22,654 58,855 81,509 14,998 % Change YTD 3% 19% 4% 8% 6% Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 853,026 1,676 11,392 13,068 2,706 Last week 858,766 1,413 10,940 12,353 2,377 Same wk yr ago 869,825 1,296 10,789 12,085 2,476 To-date/2026* 28,807,904 52,138 356,945 409,083 79,711 To-date/2025* 28,174,135 43,765 339,636 383,401 74,516 % Change YTD 2% 19% 5% 7% 7% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dressing % 76.0% 55.5% 68.5% 71.0% Live Turkeys Slaughtered Week Ending 22-Aug-2026 Young Young Young Old Total Hens Toms Breeders Breeders Turkeys Head 1,758 2,044 1 41 3,844 Avg Wt 17.36 44.23 51.57 31.26 31.80 Head sltr comparisons Last week 1,744 1,967 18 33 3,762 Same wk yr ago 2,048 1,974 34 25 4,081 Avg Wt 18.67 43.10 29.91 31.43 30.66 To-date/2026* 53,184 64,614 352 1,037 119,187 To-date/2025* 53,215 62,952 631 877 117,675 % Change YTD 0% 3% -44% 18% 1% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 24,568 72,777 40 993 98,378 Last week 24,484 71,191 471 779 96,925 Same wk yr ago 30,780 68,489 788 609 100,666 To-date/2026* 775,514 2,409,682 9,076 25,542 3,219,814 To-date/2025* 778,484 2,238,221 14,677 21,405 3,052,787 % Change YTD 0% 8% -38% 19% 5% ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 172.8 million head. Estimated U.S. slaughter for this period was 176.1 million head, or 3.3 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: 27-Aug-26 11:03 AM C NBS