WASHINGTON – During the week ending Jan. 1, commercial hatcheries in the 19 state weekly program set 203 million eggs in incubators, according to the US Department of Agriculture. This was up slightly 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 Jan. 1. Placements were down slightly from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from Jan. 3, 2010, through Jan. 1, 2011, were 8.80 billion, up 2% from the same period a year earlier.