American Hatcheries Report 254 Million Eggs Incubated As Placements Rise
According to USDA, American hatcheries increased placements of eggs and chicks during the week ending on February 14th. Hatcheries set 254 million eggs in incubators during the week, which the agency said is up 2% year-over-year. The average hatchability, which is the number of chicks hatched by eggs set three weeks earlier, was 79%. Broiler placements totaled 196 million chicks for meat, also a 2% increase. From January 10th-February 14th, placements increased 2% on an annual basis to 1.18 billion. Georgia had the largest number of broiler-type eggs, set at 36.3 billion.