WASHINGTON – Egg production totaled 7.73 billion during July 2012, down slightly from 2011 levels, according the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Production included 6.68 billion table eggs, and 1.05 billion hatching eggs, of which 983 million were broiler-type and 68 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during July also declined slightly to an average of 335 million, NASS said. July egg production per 100 layers was 2,307 eggs, up slightly from July 2011.

All layers on Aug. 1 totaled 334 million, a slight decrease from 2011. Of the 334 million layers, 281 million layers produced table or market type eggs, 50.6 million layers produced broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.78 million layers produced egg-type hatching eggs. Daily rate of lay on Aug. 1 averaged 74.8 eggs per 100 layers, up 1 percent from the comparable year-ago month.

Egg-type chicks hatched in July declined 8 percent, NASS said. Egg-type chicks hatched totaled 34.0 million. Eggs in incubators climbed 4 percent to 38.6 million on Aug. 1, 2012, NASS said.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks totaled 262,000 during July, an increase of 12 percent from July 2011, according to NASS.

Broiler-type chicks hatched eased 1 percent during July to 763 million. Eggs in incubators totaled 611 million on Aug. 1, up slightly from 2011.

NASS said breeders placed 6.07 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during July, down 6 percent from July 2011.