WASHINGTON – During the week ending March 27, commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 205 million eggs in incubators, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is up 3% from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 83%.

Broiler growers in the 19-state weekly program placed 169 million chicks for meat production during the week ending March 27. Placements were up 1% from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from Jan. 3, 2010 through March 27, 2010 were 2.01 billion, down slightly from the same period a year earlier.