Commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 202 million eggs in incubators during the week ending May 25. This was up 1 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week in 2012, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Broiler Hatchery report, released on May 29.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84 percent. Meanwhile, growers in the same weekly program placed 166 million chicks for meat production. Placements were down slightly from the comparable week in 2012.
Cumulative placements from December 30, 2012 through May 25 for the 19-state total were 3.44 billion, up slightly from the same period in 2012, according to the report.
