Responsibility 

for Accurate

 Scales and 

Live Poultry 

Weights

Grain Inspection,

 Packers and Stockyards 

Administration

United States 

Department of Agriculture

www.gipsa.usda.gov

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, 

disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all 

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). 

May 2012

Please direct comments or questions about 

this publication to:

United States Department of Agriculture

Grain Inspection, 

Packers and Stockyards Administration

1400 Independence Avenue S.W.

Washington DC 20250-3601

(202) 720-0219

www.gipsa.usda.gov

GIPSA Toll-Free HOTLINE

1-800-998-3447

This publication does not create or confer any rights for or 

on any person. Nor does it operate to bind the public. You 

can use an alternative approach, if the approach satisfies the 

requirements of the P&S Act and regulations. See 7 U.S.C. 

182-183, 192, 209, and 221-223; and 9 CFR 201.49, 201.53, 

201.55, 201.71-201.73, 201.108-1, 201.76, 201.82, and 201.100, 

which relate to the content in this publication. You may also 

want to see 9 CFR 203.4.

Reweighing

Poultry growers, live poultry dealers, sellers, and others having legitimate interest in 

a load of poultry are entitled to observe the 

scale balancing, weighing, and recording 

procedures on that load. Weighers must not 

deny such persons that right or withhold from 

them any information related to the weight of 

that load. Weighers must check the zero balance of the scale or reweigh a load of poultry 

when requested by such persons.

Live poultry dealers and the weighers they 

employ must comply with a request by any 

authorized P&SP agent to reweigh live poultry, so P&SP can determine if the weights 

recorded by the scale are accurate. False 

weighing is a criminal offense. Legal action may be brought if incorrect weighing is 

found. 

What are the Penalties for Violations 

under the P&S Act?

Administrative and civil penalties for violations of the P&S Act include cease and desist 

orders, civil penalties not more than $11,000 

for each violation, and suspensions of registrations under the P&S Act. Any person 

found guilty of any of the following criminal 

offenses against the United States is subject 

to a fine, imprisonment, or both:

Makes false entries in records or ac- counts;

Neglects to make true; correct entries;

Mutilates, alters, or falsifies any documentary evidence required to be kept;

Refuses to allow inspection of records by 

authorized agents.

Weighers who willfully print or enter a false 

weight on a scale ticket or other record of a 

live poultry dealer are subject to the penalties 

under the P&S Act.

GIPSA, P&SP

Eastern Regional Office

Richard Russell Building

75 Spring St, Ste 230

Atlanta, GA 30303-3308

Phone: 404-562-5840 

FAX: 404-562-5848

Jurisdiction: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut,

Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,

Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,

Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire,

New Jersey, New York, North Carolina,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina,

Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia,

and any U.S. territories or possessions (such as

Puerto Rico).

GIPSA, P&SP

Midwestern Regional Office

Federal Building

210 Walnut St, Ste 317

Des Moines, IA 50309-2110

Phone: 515-323-2579 

FAX: 515-323-2590

Jurisdiction: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky,

Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska,

North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and

Wisconsin.

GIPSA, P&SP

Western Regional Office

One Gateway Center

3950 North Lewiston St, Ste 200

Aurora, CO 80011-1556

Phone: 303-375-4240 

FAX: 303-371-4609

Jurisdiction: Alaska, Arizona, California,

Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana,

Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon,

Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

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Why are Accurate Scales and Weights 

Important?

In the world of poultry marketing, when 

weights are a factor used to determine payment, accurate scales and honest weighing 

protect the poultry grower’s and seller’s right 

to fair value and guard the live poultry dealer’s right to equity. 

Who is Responsible for Accurate Scales 

and Weights?

Live poultry dealers must use accurate scales, 

and ensure that they determine and use accurate weights in the purchase, sale, acquisition, payment, or settlement of live poultry 

(chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and other 

domestic fowl). Live poultry dealers must 

record complete and accurate information 

about weights on the scale tickets and other 

documents issued for these transactions. 

Persons employed by these regulated entities performing weighing services (weighers) 

also have responsibility under the Packers 

and Stockyards Act (P&S Act) and regulations. Weighers must determine and record 

the true weight of live poultry without prejudice or favor to any person and without regard for poultry ownership, price, condition, 

fill, shrink, or other considerations.

How does the P&SP Promote Accurate 

Weighing? 

The Packers and Stockyards Program (P&SP) 

enforces the P&S Act. P&SP promotes accurate weighing in the live poultry industry in 

the following ways: 

Scale Installation and Maintenance

All scales used by live poultry dealers for 

weighing live poultry or feed for purchase, 

sale, acquisition, payment, or settlement must 

be installed and maintained in accordance to 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 44 as incorporated by 

reference into the regulations.

Scale Testing

Such scales must be tested for accuracy by a 

competent agency at least twice during each 

calendar year—once between January 1 and 

June 30, and once between July 1 and December 31. There must be a minimum of 120 

days between the two tests. More frequent 

testing will be required in cases where the 

scale does not maintain accuracy between 

tests. Except that if scales are used on a limited seasonal basis (during any continuous 

8-month period) the live poultry dealer using the scale may use it within an 8-month 

period following each test. Reports of each 

test must be forwarded to P&SP. Any scale 

found to be inaccurate according to accepted 

tolerances, must not be used until it is repaired, retested and found accurate again.

Actual Weight

Whenever live poultry dealers buy, sell, acquire, pay, or settle live poultry transactions 

on a weight basis, payment or settlement 

must be based on the actual weight of the live 

poultry shown on the scale ticket. Similarly, 

whenever the weight of feed is a factor in determining payment or settlement to a poultry 

grower when live poultry is produced under 

a growing arrangement, live poultry dealers 

must base payment or settlement on the actual weight of feed shown on the scale ticket. 

If the actual weight used is not obtained on the 

date and at the place of transfer of possession 

this information must be disclosed with the 

date and location of the weighing on the accountings, bills, or statements issued. If there 

are any adjustments to the actual weight, this 

information and the reason must be disclosed 

on the accountings, bills, or statements issued.

Qualified Weighers

Live poultry dealers must employ qualified 

persons to operate scales for weighing live 

poultry or feed. 

Scales and Weighing Training 

P&SP provides instructions for weighing live 

poultry. All weighers must sign an acknowledgement indicating that they have received 

and read the instructions for weighing live 

poultry issued under the P&S Act, and they 

agree to follow the instructions. 

Care and Promptness in Weighing and Handling Live Poultry

Live poultry dealers must exercise reasonable care and promptness in weighing or otherwise handling live poultry to prevent waste 

of feed, shrinkage, injury, death or other 

avoidable loss. Whenever live poultry is obtained under a poultry growing arrangement, 

poultry must be transported promptly after 

loading and the gross weight for grower payment determined immediately upon arrival at 

the processing plant, holding yard, or other 

scale normally used for such purpose.

Scale Ticket Requirements for Live Poultry 

and Feed 

Every live poultry dealer must keep all accounts, records, and memorandum necessary 

to fully and correctly disclose all transactions involved in the business transaction, 

including the true ownership. 

The scale ticket is a legal document. Every record that is issued where weight 

is a factor of settlement depends on 

a complete and accurate scale ticket. 

Each scale ticket for live poultry must show: 

(1) Name of the agency performing the 

weighing service; (2) Name of the live poultry dealer; (3) Name and address of the grower, purchaser, or seller; (4) Name or initials 

or number of the live poultry weigher, or if 

required by State law, the signature of the 

weigher; (5) Location of the scale; (6) Gross, 

tare, and net weights; (7) Date and time gross 

and tare weights are determined; (8) Number of poultry weighed; (9) Weather conditions; (10) Whether the driver was on or off 

the truck at the time of weighing; and (11) 

License number of the truck or truck number.

Each scale ticket for feed, where the weight 

of feed is a factor in determining payment or 

settlement to a poultry grower, must show:

(1) Name of the agency performing the 

weighing service; (2) Name and address of 

the poultry grower; (3) Name or initials or 

number of the feed weigher, or if required by 

State law, the signature of the weigher; (4) 

Location of the scale; (5) Gross, tare, and net 

weight of each lot assigned to an individual 

grower, if applicable; (6) Date and time gross 

and tare weights determined, if applicable; 

(7) Whether the driver was on or off the truck 

at the time of weighing; and (8) License number of the truck or other identification numbers on the truck and trailer, if weighed together, or trailer if only the trailer is weighed, 

if applicable.

Additional information may be shown on the 

scale ticket if desired, such as price paid, etc. 

However, the information listed above must 

be shown to make a complete legal record.