Commercial hatcheries set 198 million broiler-type eggs in incubators during the week ending February 2. This was up 3 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week in 2011, according to a report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84 percent.
Meanwhile, broiler growers in the 19-state weekly program placed 162 million chicks for meat production during the week. Placements were up 1 percent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from December 30, 2012, through February 2, were 814 million, up 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.
