Turkey Hatchery ISSN: 1949-1964 Released May 14, 2025, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Eggs in Incubators on May 1 Down Slightly from Last Year Turkey eggs in incubators on May 1, 2025 in the United States totaled 24.8 million, down slightly from May 1, 2024. Eggs in incubators were down 1 percent from the April 1, 2025 total of 24.9 million eggs. Poults Hatched During April Down 4 Percent from Last Year Turkey poults hatched during April 2025 in the United States totaled 20.1 million, down 4 percent from April 2024. Poults hatched were down 4 percent from the March 2025 total of 21.1 million poults. Net Poults Placed During April Down 4 Percent from Last Year The 18.8 million net poults placed during April 2025 in the United States were down 4 percent from the number placed during the same month a year earlier. Net poult placements were down 3 percent from the March 2025 total of 19.4 million. Eggs in Incubators and Poults Hatched by Month - United States: 2023-2025 [Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ :Eggs in incubators first of month: Percent of : Poults hatched entire month : Percent of Month :---------------------------------: :---------------------------------: : 2023-2024 : 2024-2025 : previous year : 2023-2024 : 2024-2025 : previous year ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ------ 1,000 eggs ----- percent ----- 1,000 poults ---- percent : September ........: 26,636 24,729 93 21,571 20,276 94 October ..........: 27,010 25,083 93 22,665 21,059 93 November .........: 25,537 24,822 97 21,684 20,899 96 December .........: 25,658 24,518 96 21,002 20,400 97 January ..........: 24,923 24,676 99 22,128 21,315 96 February .........: 25,422 25,058 99 19,946 19,826 99 March ............: 24,462 24,256 99 21,570 21,060 98 April ............: 26,220 24,947 95 20,976 20,145 96 May ..............: 24,824 24,773 100 21,306 June .............: 22,806 19,639 July .............: 24,206 20,281 August ...........: 24,932 21,493 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Net Poult Placements by Month - United States: 2023-2025 [Includes imports and excludes exports. Blank data cells indicate estimation period has not yet begun] ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Total all breeds : Percent of : Cumulative total : Percent of Month :---------------------------------: :---------------------------------: : 2023-2024 : 2024-2025 : previous year : 2023-2024 : 2024-2025 : previous year ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : ----- 1,000 poults ---- percent ----- 1,000 poults ----- percent : September ........: 19,091 18,030 94 19,091 18,030 94 October ..........: 20,895 19,510 93 39,986 37,540 94 November .........: 20,043 19,235 96 60,029 56,775 95 December .........: 19,728 19,086 97 79,757 75,861 95 January ..........: 20,058 19,680 98 99,815 95,541 96 February .........: 18,236 18,033 99 118,051 113,574 96 March ............: 19,843 19,424 98 137,894 132,998 96 April ............: 19,716 18,846 96 157,610 151,844 96 May ..............: 19,929 177,539 June .............: 18,875 196,414 July .............: 20,171 216,585 August ...........: 20,693 237,278 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Data for turkey hatchery estimates are collected from all known turkey hatcheries. Individual NASS regional field offices maintain a list of all known turkey hatcheries and use known sources of hatcheries to update their lists. Approximately 30 hatcheries in 17 states are contacted each month. All known turkey hatcheries hatching 15,000 or more poults annually are mailed a questionnaire as close to the first of the month as possible. Adequate time is given to respond via mail, fax, or electronic data reporting. Those that do not respond are contacted by phone. Care is exercised to ensure that all hatcheries are accounted for in the estimate. Estimating Procedures: Sound statistical methodology is employed to derive the estimates from reported data. All data are analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation are compared to their own past operating profile and to trends from similar operations. Data for missing operations were estimated based on similar operations or historical data. NASS regional field offices prepare these estimates by using a combination of survey indications and historic trends. Individual State estimates are reviewed by the Agricultural Statistics Board for reasonableness. Individual hatchery data are summed to State, regional, and United States totals. Only United States level estimates are published due to the limited number of hatcheries involved. The Net Poult Placement data include imported poults and exclude exported poults. Cumulative net poult placements beginning on September 1 and ending on August 31 are shown in the monthly Turkey Hatchery report. This time period corresponds with the placements of poults which will reach maturity and be available for slaughter during the calendar year. Revision Policy: Revisions are generally the result of late or corrected data. Revisions to the previous month are published in the monthly Turkey Hatchery report, while annual revisions are published in the Hatchery Production - Annual Summary report in April. Reliability: Turkey hatchery estimates are based on a census of all known operating hatcheries and therefore, have no sampling error. However, estimates are subject to errors such as omission, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized through strict quality controls in the data collection process and through a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. To assist in evaluating the reliability of the estimates in this report, the "Root Mean Square Error" is shown for selected items in the following table. The "Root Mean Square Error" is a statistical measure based on past performance and is computed using the differences between first and final estimates. The "Root Mean Square Error" for turkey eggs in incubators on the first day of the month over the past 24 months is 2.4 percent. This means that chances are 2 out of 3 that the final estimate will not be above or below the current estimate of 24.8 million eggs by more than 2.4 percent. Chances are 9 out of 10 that the difference will not exceed 4.1 percent. Reliability of May Turkey Hatchery Estimates [Based on data for the past 24 months] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Root mean : 90 percent : Difference between first and latest estimate :square error : confidence : : : : : : : level :------------------------------------------------------ Item : : : : : : Months : : : : : :--------------------------- : : :Average :Smallest:Largest :Below latest :Above latest ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : percent percent -------- 1,000 ------- ---- number ---- : Eggs in incubators ................: 2.4 4.1 423 17 2,081 11 13 : Poults hatched ....................: 1.3 2.2 211 0 495 8 15 : Net poult placements ..............: 1.6 2.8 241 10 743 13 11 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@usda.gov. Travis Averill, Chief, Livestock Branch ............................................... (202) 692-0069 Fatema Haque - Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised, Poultry Slaughter .................. (202) 720-3244 Derron Martin - Catfish, Trout, Mink, Census of Aquaculture, Egg Products........... (202) 690-3237 Suzanne Richards - Cost of Pollination, Honey, Honey Bee Colonies, Sheep and Goats.. (202) 720-4448 Shulonda Shaw - Cold Storage, Capacity of Refrigerated Warehouses .................. (202) 720-3240 Autumn Stone - Layers, Eggs ........................................................ (202) 690-3676 Takiyah Walker - Chicken Hatchery, Broiler Hatchery ................................ (202) 720-6147 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: www.nass.usda.gov. 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