Turkey hatchery numbers are pointing towards a tighter supply of market ready birds later this year.
The USDA says there were 26.307 million turkey eggs in incubators at the start of the month, down 1% from both September 1st and October 1st, 2022.
There were 21.597 million turkeys hatched in September and 19.228 million of those poults were placed, both 1% lower than a year ago.
The USDA projects 2023 federally inspected turkey production at 5.548 billion pounds, with the next estimate out November 9th.
