December Egg Production Up 2 Percent - US - US egg production totaled 7.70 billion during December 2004, up 2 percent from last year, report the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Chickens and Eggs report.

December Egg Production Up 2 Percent

Production included 6.62 billion table eggs, and 1.08 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.02 billion were broiler-type and 62 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during December 2004 averaged 345 million, up 2 percent from a year earlier. December egg production per 100 layers was 2,235 eggs, up 1 percent from December 2003.

Average Number of All Layers United States 2002 - 2005

All layers in the U.S. on January 1, 2005, totaled 346 million, up 3 percent from a year ago. The 346 million layers consisted of 287 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 56.2 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.72 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on January 1, 2005, averaged 71.3 eggs per 100 layers, up slightly from a year ago.

Egg-Type Chicks Hatched Up 10 Percent

Egg-type chicks hatched during December totaled 37.0 million, up 10 percent from December 2003. Eggs in incubators totaled 34.4 million on January 1, 2005, up 9 percent from a year ago.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 235,000 during December 2004, down 4 percent from December 2003.

Broiler Hatch Up 2 Percent

The December 2004 hatch of broiler-type chicks, at 793 million, was up 2 percent from December of the previous year. There were 651 million eggs in incubators on January 1, 2005, up 2 percent from a year earlier.

Leading breeders placed 6.08 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during December 2004, down 13 percent from December 2003.

To view the full report, including tables, please click here

Source: USDA NASS - Chickens and Eggs Report - 24th January 2005