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U.S. poultry production down modestly in June

U.S. poultry production declined slightly in June.

The USDA says there were 4.429 billion pounds of poultry certified as wholesome last month, down 1% on the year, with a fractional increase for chicken to 3.976 billion pounds canceled out by a 9% drop in turkey to 442.258 million.

The monthly turkey slaughter fell 4% to 18.248 million head and the total live weight was 9% lighter at 553.039 million pounds, while the chicken slaughter was slightly higher at 818.466 million head and the average live weight was modestly lower at 5.27 billion pounds. For June, the live weight of all chickens averaged 6.44 pounds per bird and all turkeys averaged 30.31 pounds, 1% and 5% lighter than a year ago, respectively.

For the year-to-date, U.S. poultry production is 25.433 billion pounds, 1% ahead of last year’s pace.

The USDA’s next set of annual poultry production projections is out August 12^th.