NW_PY017 Des Moines, IA Thu. May 28, 2026 USDA Market News MISC. POULTRY: Weekly Poultry Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection (Thur) (Preliminary) (Released 12:00 PM Central Time) Week ending 23-May-2026 Young Light Heavy Total Chickens Hens Hens Hens Ducks ---------------------Thousands----------------------------------- Head 174,103 731 1,613 2,344 497 Avg Wt 6.54 3.55 8.78 7.15 6.70 Head sltr comparisons Last week 170,711 664 1,788 2,452 476 Same wk yr ago 172,843 582 1,615 2,197 502 Avg Wt 6.61 3.58 8.43 7.15 7.17 To-date/2026* 3,571,109 16,172 37,221 53,393 9,541 To-date/2025* 3,472,899 13,199 34,907 48,106 8,923 % Change YTD 3% 23% 7% 11% 7% Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 865,362 1,440 9,701 11,141 2,364 Last week 861,476 1,242 10,435 11,677 2,383 Same wk yr ago 868,294 1,156 9,326 10,482 2,556 To-date/2026* 17,779,927 31,363 215,880 247,243 48,069 To-date/2025* 17,311,885 25,460 199,224 224,684 44,368 % Change YTD 3% 23% 8% 10% 8% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dressing % 76.0% 55.5% 68.5% 71.0% Live Turkeys Slaughtered Week Ending 23-May-2026 Young Young Young Old Total Hens Toms Breeders Breeders Turkeys Head 1,588 1,911 7 32 3,538 Avg Wt 18.96 44.89 28.39 28.95 33.07 Head sltr comparisons Last week 1,624 1,937 2 24 3,587 Same wk yr ago 1,443 1,850 16 28 3,337 Avg Wt 18.41 43.73 28.64 30.90 32.60 To-date/2026* 32,112 39,318 163 611 72,204 To-date/2025* 30,632 38,079 358 514 69,583 % Change YTD 5% 3% -54% 19% 4% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 24,237 69,057 154 718 94,166 Last week 24,329 73,130 50 632 98,141 Same wk yr ago 21,385 65,125 355 671 87,536 To-date/2026* 470,005 1,482,302 4,200 15,118 1,971,625 To-date/2025* 445,266 1,358,139 7,917 12,653 1,823,975 % Change YTD 6% 9% -47% 19% 8% ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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 172.1 million head. Estimated U.S. slaughter for this period was 176.2 million head, or 4.1 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: 28-May-26 10:26 AM C NBS