December Ready-To-Cook
Chicken Output Up 4%

WASHINGTON —(USDA)— Poultry certified wholesome during December, ready-to-cook weight, was up four percent from a year ago at 2.91 billion pounds.

The preliminary total liveweight of poultry inspected during December was up four percent at 3.92 billion pounds. Inspections included 3.31 billion pounds of young chickens, up four percent, 67.7 million pounds of mature chickens, up 18 percent, 528 million pounds of turkeys, up three percent, and 13.4 million pounds of ducks, down 10 percent.

Young chickens slaughtered during December averaged 5.13 pounds per bird, up one percent, mature chickens 5.22 pounds, up one percent, and turkeys 26.8 pounds, up three percent.

Ante-mortem condemnations during December were 14.5 million pounds, .37 percent of the liveweight inspected, compared with .57 percent a year earlier. Post-mortem condemnations, at 44.5 million pounds, were 1.26 percent compared with 1.63 percent a year earlier.

Young chickens slaughtered for the year were up one percent at 8.37 billion head, liveweight up two percent at 42.12 billion pounds; mature chickens slaughtered were down three percent at 159.8 million head, liveweight off three percent at 853 million pounds.