Mike Pearson gives us a look at the USDA’s final tally for chicken, turkey and duck processing in 2023 and it shows the impact of HPAI but also highlights the industry’s response.
The total chicken production was up from 2022 with over 200 million pounds to a grand total of 47 billion pounds despite 50,000 fewer birds slaughtered. Producers were able to do this by increasing the live weight of broilers by half a pound on each bird.
Turkey production was also up in 2023. Producers gained 234 million pounds in production to a grand total of 5.45 billion pounds.
HPAI is still a threat to the…