WASHINGTON – Eggs set in incubators during the week ending July 21 increased slightly to 195 million eggs set at commercial hatcheries, according to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85 percent.

During the week ending July 1, broiler growers placed 163 million chicks for meat production, NASS said. Placements climbed slightly from the comparable week in 2011. Cumulative placements from Jan. 1 through July 21 were 4.76 billion, down 3 percent from the same period in 2011.