US broiler eggs, chicks down

Broiler placements were down 4% from 2010 numbers.

U.S. commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 196 million eggs in incubators during the week ending July 9, down 5% from the eggs set the corresponding week in 2010, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85%. Broiler growers in the weekly program placed 166 million chicks for meat production during the week ending July 9. Placements were down 4% from the comparable week in 2010. Cumulative placements from January 2 through July 9 were 4.61 billion, up slightly from the same period in 2010.