WASHINGTON – United States egg production was up 1 percent, egg-type chicks hatched was down 6 percent and broiler-type chicks hatched was down slightly from last year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board, US Department of Agriculture.

US egg production totaled 7.55 billion during September 2012. Production included 6.57 billion table eggs, and 987 million hatching eggs, of which 919 million were broiler-type and 68 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during September 2012 averaged 337 million, up 1 percent from last year. September egg production per 100 layers was 2,241 eggs, up slightly from September 2011.

All layers on Oct. 1, 2012, totaled 338 million, up 1 percent from last year. The 338 million layers consisted of 285 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 49.3 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.96 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on Oct. 1, 2012, averaged 74.3 eggs per 100 layers, down 1 percent from Oct. 1, 2011.

Egg-type chicks hatched during September 2012 totaled 37.5 million, down 6 percent from September 2011. Eggs in incubators totaled 37.2 million on Oct. 1, 2012, up 1 percent from a year ago.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 206,000 during September 2012, down 18 percent from September 2011.

Broiler-type chicks hatched during September 2012 totaled 718 million, down slightly from September 2011. Eggs in incubators totaled 581 million on Oct. 1, 2012, up 2 percent from a year earlier.

Leading breeders placed 6.68 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during September 2012, up slightly from September 2011.