January Egg Production Up 3 Percent - US - US egg production totaled 7.61 billion during January 2005, up 3 percent from last year, report the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Chickens and Eggs report.

January Egg Production Up 3 Percent

Production included 6.52 billion table eggs, and 1.09 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.03 billion were broilertype and 64 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during January 2005 averaged 348 million, up 3 percent from a year earlier. January egg production per 100 layers was 2,188 eggs, up slightly from January 2004.

All layers in the U.S. on February 1, 2005, totaled 348 million, up 3 percent from a year ago. The 348 million layers consisted of 289 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 56.6 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.68 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on February 1, 2005, averaged 69.8 eggs per 100 layers, up slightly from a year ago.

Average Number of All Layers United States 2002 - 2005

Egg-Type Chicks Hatched Up 4 Percent

Egg-type chicks hatched during January totaled 36.8 million, up 4 percent from January 2004. Eggs in incubators totaled 33.3 million on February 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 157,000 during January 2005, down 4 percent from January 2004.

Broiler Hatch Up 3 Percent

The January 2005 hatch of broiler-type chicks, at 796 million, was up 3 percent from January of the previous year. There were 654 million eggs in incubators on February 1, 2005, up 3 percent from a year earlier.

Leading breeders placed 6.29 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during January 2005, down 8 percent from January 2004.

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