Prices May Fall But Don't Count Your Chickens
CHICAGO - In the U.S. commercial poultry business, the egg comes first and then the chicken, so recent increases in the egg count suggest the industry, after a tough 2006, will soon have more birds to sell.
15 May 2007
2 minute read
And while more chickens would be a welcome change from the "we are cutting back" message that large U.S. chicken companies began sending last year, increased production could drive prices down again, analysts said.
Government data showed three per cent more eggs were placed in incubators last week for hatching into meat-producing chickens. Increases of four per cent were reported in each of the two weeks before that.
Major U.S. chicken companies struggled in 2006 amid low chicken prices and abundant meat supplies. They responded by cutting production, which pushed chicken prices higher.
