Broiler eggs set in US up 6 percent for week ending October 19

Commercial broiler hatcheries in the United States set 188 million eggs in incubators during the week ending October 19, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Broiler Hatchery report released on October 23. That was a 6 percent increase when compared to the corresponding week of 2012.
The Broiler Hatchery report, the first of its kind released since the partial government shutdown in early October, also showed an increase in broiler chick placements for the same week. An estimated 162 million broiler chicks were placed, for a year-over-year increase of 5 percent. Cumulative placements for the period between December 30, 2012, and October 19 were at 6.91 billion chicks, a 1 percent increase from the comparable period of the previous year.

Eggs set in US broiler hatcheries climb 5 percent

Commercial broiler hatcheries in the United States set 201 million eggs during the week ending August 17, a 5 percent increase from the corresponding week in 2012. The number of broiler eggs, however, dropped from the previous week, when 202 million broiler eggs were set, according to the USDA Broiler Hatchery report, released on August 21.
The report also revealed that broiler growers placed 166 million chicks for meat production during the week, a 2 percent jump from the same week in 2012, but the same number of chicks placed during the week ending August 10. 

Alberta, Saskatchewan join Canadian hatching egg producer agreement

Alberta Hatching Egg Producers and the Saskatchewan Broiler Hatching Egg Producers' Marketing Board have officially joined Canadian Hatching Egg Producers.
Members of the agreement work with the chicken industry and governments to set optimal production levels to meet the chicken industry's needs.
Under the system of supply management, Canadian Hatching Egg Producers works closely with 245 broiler hatching egg farmers across Canada to manage the production of more than 665 million broiler hatching eggs. It also ensures that all farmers meet stringent food safety requirements.
"We have always worked closely with the Alberta and Saskatchewan boards. With the addition of these two provinces, Canadian Hatching Egg Producers has created a more streamlined and responsive organization," says Jack Greydanus, chair of Canadian Hatching Egg Producers. "Looking ahead, talks are already underway with the remaining two provinces that produce broiler hatching eggs -- Nova Scotia and New Brunswick."

US broiler-type eggs set up 1 percent

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. 

Broiler eggs set for week improves two percent from 2012

Commercial hatcheries in the United States Department of Agriculture’s 19-state weekly program set 199 million eggs in incubators during the week ending February 16, according to the USDA’s weekly broiler hatchery report. This shows a 2 percent improvement from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
Broiler growers in the weekly program placed 164 million chicks for meat production during the week ending February 16. Placements were up 1 percent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from December 30, 2012, through February 16 for the 19-state total were 1.14 billion, up 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Broiler-type eggs set up 3 percent, chicks placed up 1 percent

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.

US broiler eggs, chicks down last week of November

U.S. commercial hatcheries in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 19-state weekly program set 194 million eggs in incubators during the week ending November 26, down 6% 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 156 million chicks for meat production during the week ending November 26, down 5% from 2010 numbers. Cumulative placements from January 2 through November 26 were 7.76 billion, down 3% from the same period in 2010.
For more information and statistics on U.S. poultry, visit www.wattagnet.com/marketdata.html. 

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.

US broiler-type eggs set, chicks hatched up 2% from 2010

U.S. broiler-type eggs set and broiler-type chicks hatched were both up 2% from 2010 for the week ending April 2, 2011, according to the USDA.

Broiler-type eggs set and broiler-type chicks hatched were both up 2% from 2010 for the week ending April 2, 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Commercial hatcheries in the 19-State weekly program set 208 million eggs in incubators during the reported week. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84%. Broiler growers in the same program placed 173 million chicks for meat production during the reported week. Placements were up 2% from the same week in 2010. Cumulative placements from January 2, 2011 through April 2, 2011 were 2.20 billion, up 1% from the same period in 2010.

Broiler hatching egg costs may double in 2011

The cost per dozen hatching eggs has increased by 54% in recent years due to increased feed costs, according to Michael Donohue, vice president of Agri Stats Inc., and may actually double in 2011 as birds that have been raised on higher priced grains come into production.
Addressing the audience at the 2011 Hatchery-Breeder Clinic, held in conjunction with the International Poultry Expo and International Feed Expo, Donohue said that hatching egg costs could go even higher, since corn prices could reach $7.50 per bushel or more in 2011. Because of the near doubling in hatching egg production cost, Donohue said the work of people in hatcheries and on breeder farms has twice the value it did before, and managers should educate employees about the higher value of each egg and the impact they can have on the bottom line.
Labor costs also play a factor, making up 40% to 45% of hatching cost, according to Donohue. The industry's chicks per man hour keeps improving, but fully loaded labor cost per hour, which includes all benefit costs, has almost doubled in the last 23 years. As a final factor in production costs, hatcheries have experienced a 50% increase in energy costs over the last 12 years, said Donohue, and energy efficiency will continue to increase in importance for controlling hatchery costs.

Canadian Young Farmers Program winner to study US hatching egg industry at Aviagen

Hatching egg producer Laurens Van Der Rijt, the recipient of the Canadian Broiler Hatching Egg Producers Association's Young Farmers Program, is headed to Aviagen's Alabama facilities to study the U.S. poultry industry.
The program, which aims to broaden knowledge of the hatching egg industry in other countries and is designed around the recipient's experience, allowed Van Der Rijt the opportunity to look at Aviagen's product performance, nutritional advice, veterinary issues, biosecurity objectives, production planning and shipping/export processes. Van Der Rijt was also able to examine a company hatchery, egg depot, pullet and breeder farms and a commercial customer facility.

FDA to ban surplus broiler hatching eggs

The FDA in a surprise move indicated that surplus broiler hatching eggs could not be sold to breakers. The National Chicken Council (NCC), the industry body representing 95% of U.S. broiler producers, has petitioned the FDA to rescind the intended provision of the Final Rule preventing integrators selling surplus or non-settable hatching eggs into the breaker market.
According to the NCC, 367 million surplus hatching eggs worth $5 million were sold to breakers in 2009. This represents 16 cents per dozen for eggs which averaged over 65 grams, an absolute bargain for breakers. In evaluating this figure, based on approximately 165 million broilers processed per week with 95% livability, 80% hatchability and 3% breakable rejects the broiler industry in all probability transfers 330 million eggs or nearly 28 million dozen to breakers each year. If the unit value approaches a more realistic 35 cents per dozen the loss to the broiler industry would actually approach $10 million annually.
As with many of the decisions made by FDA with regard to the Final Rule to suppress Salmonella enteritidis (SE) infection in consumers, this ban makes absolutely no sense. ...Read the full blog on www.animalagnet.com.

New law increases FDA control

The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 (H.R.2749) was passed by a majority vote on Thursday, July 30. It specifies mandatory registration for products that come under the purview of the Food and Drug Administration.
It also gives FDA the power to recall as well as detain and seize food products.
Red meat, poultry and eggs, currently regulated by USDA, are not governed by the new law.

Ohio livestock measure slated for ballot

Ohio farm families joined lawmakers to support a measure that would help ensure animal well-being, consumer choice and the availability of Ohio-grown food, according to a Ohio Farm Bureau Federation release.
The Ohio House and Senate Agriculture Committees have passed joint resolutions that will allow Ohio to create a Livestock Care Standards Board to supervise how farm animals are raised.
The Ohio House approved the resolution by a vote of 84-13. The measure will be placed before voters in November.

CDC's report misleading says NCC

The National Chicken Council said unconfirmed data has skewed the report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on foodborne illness.
The report suggests that poultry is the single leading cause of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, held responsible for 21% of the cases. NCC says the data blames poultry for 1,355 out of 6,395 cases. Of these, 741 stemmed from a single incident in an Alabama jail in 2006, which has still not been confirmed to have been caused by poultry. Without this number, poultry would account for 641, or 10.9% of the reported incidents.
Steve Pretanik, NCC's director of science and technology, said it was unfair to present a picture that is skewed by a single event and which presents a misleading picture of the safety of poultry.

Major damages in Washington egg farm fire

About 180,000 chickens were killed in a three-alarm fire that broke out at an egg farm near Stanwood, Wash., on June 2, according to a report in The Seattle Times.
The property is owned by the National Food Corp. The fire burned through three large chicken coops which were attached at one end by a connecting structure. The total damage is estimated to be $2.2 million. The Snohomish County officials said the fire was accidental.

Shell eggs broken down 6% from 2008

During April 166 million shell eggs were broken, down 6% from April a year ago, but 3% above the 161 million broken last month, reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Shell eggs broken totaled 637 million dozen during calendar year 2009 through April, down 4% from the comparable period in 2008. To date, cumulative total edible product from eggs broken in 2009 was 835 million pounds, down 4% from 2008.

Cobb announces Flock of the Year award

Chris and Sarah Budden of Offwell, near Honiton, Devon, U.K., are the winners of Cobb’s Flock of the Year award.
In presenting the award, Antony Taylor, regional account manager for Cobb Europe, said it was an excellent achievement for the Buddens to have the best flock in 2008 out of almost 30 million Cobb parent stock throughout the region. The flock provides hatching eggs for P.D. Hook.
The winning flock was the third that the Buddens have managed since they bought the Northcombe Farm unit.

Investigation initiates change in layer housing

Following a welfare investigation of a Maine farm and refusal of deliveries by supermarket chains, the chief executive officer of Radlo Foods said they will stop using cage confinement systems.
On April 1 the Maine Department of Agriculture, together with a representative of the State Animal Welfare Department entered an in-line egg production complex in Turner, Maine.
The farm, owned by Quality Egg of New England LLC, is one of eight similar units formerly owned and operated by companies under the control of Austin “Jack” DeCoster who established the complex of approximately 4 million hens during the mid-1960s.
During the 1990s the operation was subjected to penalties imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and a multi-million dollar settlement of an action brought by employees and was reorganized in 1997 as an LLC.
The present problem arises from an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals who placed an agent in the farm as an employee of Maine Contract Farms LLC, responsible for flock management. Allegations including neglect of flocks and mishandling are currently under investigation by state authorities and if substantiated will be referred to the Franklin County District Attorney. The farm was leased from Quality Egg LLC by Radlo Foods to produce branded eggs.
Faced with adverse publicity, a number of supermarket chains in the state and region refused deliveries of eggs from the complex. A national company that had franchised Radlo Foods, initiated an immediate investigation of the allegations. The franchisee revoked the agreement with Radlo Foods on grounds Radlo "was working with a farm that is not in compliance with the strict animal welfare standards required." Radlo Foods in turn is withdrawing from the operation in Maine.
Radlo Foods has pledged to become an exclusively cage-free company within 10 years.

AI found on Perdue farm in Kentucky

Non-pathogenic or low-pathogenic avian influenza, which strain poses minimal risk to human health, was recently discovered on a single broiler/breeder poultry farm in western Kentucky, according to a news report from www.lex18.com.
The farm has been quarantined by State Veterinarian Robert C. Stout. A location producing hatching eggs for Perdue Farms Inc., the company plans to depopulate 20,000 chickens on the farm.
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is surveying backyard flocks within a two-mile radius of the farm.
"There is no evidence that any infected poultry are in the human food supply as a result of this infection,” Stout said. “We will do what is necessary to minimize the disruption to overseas trade."