US DATA: Weekly young chicken slaughter spikes to over 30-year high, USDA says

Weekly US poultry slaughtered under federal inspections was reported at 178.36 million head for the week ended Feb. 7, the highest level based on available data going back to 1992, according to US Department of Agriculture data published on Feb. 12.

The weekly head count was 6.3% higher on the week and 5.6% higher on the year.

Total slaughter in 2026 through Feb. 7 was 4% ahead of the same period in 2025, the data showed.

Higher slaughter rates were attributed to recent winter storms that pushed through much of the US Southeast during the last week of January.

"The heightened harvest level after a winter event is not uncommon, as it happened last year as well, with holdover birds generally processed the following week when harvest lines are back online at normal or increased schedules," Kelly Seier, S&P Global Energy CERA commodity research analyst, said.

The increased supply has put pressure on fresh chicken prices during the week.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed the fresh US jumbo boneless skinless chicken breast value at $1.42/pound on Feb. 12, down 8 cents/lb from the start of the week.

"Lots of plants were killing on Saturday, which has caused an imbalance of supply and a change in delivery schedules," a producer said. "Volume that would have been moved under longer-term contracts has pushed into the spot market."

While the nearby impact has driven prices lower, the situation has given potential for higher values later in the season. The wider infrastructure loss for breeders and broilers, along with loss of birds from ice storms, has pushed price estimates to over $2/lb by May, according to the same producer.