Weekly US Broiler Hatchery Report
US - Compared to a year earlier, broiler-type eggs set were down 7 per cent, and broiler chicks placed were down 6 per cent, reports the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).Broiler-Type Eggs Set In 19 Selected States Down 7 Percent
Commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 203 million eggs in incubators during the week ending December 20, 2008. This was down 7 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84 per cent.
Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
Broiler Chicks Placed Down 6 Per Cent
Broiler growers in the 19-state weekly program placed 168 million chicks for meat production during the week ending December 20, 2008. Placements were down 6 per cent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from December 30, 2007 through December 13, 2008 were 8.79 billion, down 2 per cent from the same period a year earlier.