WASHINGTON – Egg production in the US advanced 2 percent to 8.07 billion during December 2012, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) of the US Department of Agriculture.

Production included 7.03 billion table eggs and 1.04 billion hatching eggs, of which 969 million were broiler-type and 71 million were egg-type, NASS said. The total number of layers during December 2012 increased 2 percent to an average of 344 million. December egg production per 100 layers was flat at 2,346 eggs.

All layers on Jan. 1, 2013 totaled 343 million, up 1 percent from 2011, according to NASS. The 343 million layers consisted of 288 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 51.2 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs and 2.97 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on Jan. 1, 2013 declined 1 percent to an average of 75.1 eggs per 100 layers.

Egg-type chicks hatched during December 2012 eased 5 percent to total 37.1 million compared to December 2011. Eggs in incubators totaled 37.5 million on Jan. 1, 2013, down 3 percent from a year ago, according to NASS.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders dropped 31 percent to 191,000 during December 2012.

Broiler-type chicks hatched during December 2012 totaled 763 million, up 1 percent from December 2011. Eggs in incubators declined 4 percent to 611,000,000 on Jan. 1, 2013.

Leading breeders placed 6.63 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during December 2012, up 3 percent from December 2011, NASS said.