US broiler eggs, chicks down last week of January

U.S. commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 195 million eggs in incubators during the week ending January 28, down 5 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week in 2011, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85 percent. Broiler growers in the program placed 161 million chicks for meat production during the week ending January 28. Placements were down 4 percent from the comparable week in 2011. Cumulative placements from January 1 through January 28 were 647 million, down 4 percent from the same period in 2011, according to the USDA.
For more U.S. poultry information and statistics, see www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html.