Commercial hatcheries in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 19-State weekly program set 186 million eggs in incubators during the week ending October 8, 2011, according to the latest USDA report.
This was down 7% from the eggs set the corresponding week in 2010. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85%. Broiler growers in the program placed 150 million chicks for meat production during the same week. Placements were down 8% from the comparable week in 2010. Cumulative placements from January 2, 2011 through October 8, 2011 were 6.70 billion, down 2% from the same period in 2010.
For more poultry statistics, please visit www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.
