NW_PY017 Des Moines, IA Thu. Mar 26, 2026 USDA Market News MISC. POULTRY: Weekly Poultry Slaughtered Under Federal Inspection (Thur) (Preliminary) (Released 12:00 PM Central Time) Week ending 21-Mar-2026 Young Light Heavy Total Chickens Hens Hens Hens Ducks ---------------------Thousands----------------------------------- Head 170,237 815 1,845 2,660 469 Avg Wt 6.49 3.70 8.61 7.11 7.19 Head sltr comparisons Last week 173,432 689 1,665 2,354 474 Same wk yr ago 167,017 797 1,684 2,481 389 Avg Wt 6.50 3.27 8.38 6.74 7.02 To-date/2026* 2,035,828 9,050 22,006 31,056 5,539 To-date/2025* 1,964,429 7,354 19,590 26,944 5,046 % Change YTD 4% 23% 12% 15% 10% Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 839,677 1,674 10,882 12,556 2,394 Last week 846,209 1,335 9,923 11,258 2,309 Same wk yr ago 825,064 1,446 9,667 11,113 1,939 To-date/2026* 10,137,140 17,681 126,876 144,557 28,009 To-date/2025* 9,816,306 13,984 111,766 125,750 24,857 % Change YTD 3% 26% 14% 15% 13% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Dressing % 76.0% 55.5% 68.5% 71.0% Live Turkeys Slaughtered Week Ending 21-Mar-2026 Young Young Young Old Total Hens Toms Breeders Breeders Turkeys Head 1,472 1,898 6 35 3,411 Avg Wt 18.34 46.87 28.22 30.30 34.36 Head sltr comparisons Last week 1,540 1,986 14 17 3,557 Same wk yr ago 1,470 1,888 0 24 3,382 Avg Wt 17.87 44.66 0.00 28.80 32.90 To-date/2026* 18,618 22,454 97 325 41,494 To-date/2025* 16,213 21,422 248 338 38,221 % Change YTD 15% 5% -61% -4% 9% ---------------------------------------------------------------- Ready-to-Cook Weight and Dressing Percentage Current week 21,732 71,612 131 822 94,297 Last week 21,819 74,405 363 483 97,070 Same wk yr ago 21,146 67,876 0 536 89,558 To-date/2026* 266,987 849,649 2,566 8,045 1,127,247 To-date/2025* 232,142 767,177 5,262 8,215 1,012,796 % Change YTD 15% 11% -51% -2% 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 171.4 million head. Estimated U.S. slaughter for this period was 172.3 million head, or 0.9 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-Mar-26 10:49 AM C BRM