HDR1012000150090327961500BROILER HATCHERY Released March 27, 1996, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Broiler Hatchery" call Tom Kruchten at (202) 690-4870, office hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the NASS Information Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Broiler Eggs Set In 15 Selected States Up 1 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 15-State weekly program set in incubators 165 million eggs during the week ending March 23, 1996. This was up 1 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 83 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier. Broiler Chicks Placed Up Slightly Broiler growers in the 15-State weekly program placed 135 million chicks for meat production during the week ending March 23, 1996. Placements were up slightly from the comparable week in 1995. Cumulative placements from October 29, 1995, through March 23, 1996, were 2.78 billion, 3 percent above the 2.70 billion placed during the same period a year earlier. * * * * * * * * The next "Broiler Hatchery" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on April 3, 1996. Subscription Information To subscribe to NASS reports or to order single copies, call toll free, 1-800-999-6779. You may write: ERS/NASS, 341 Victory Drive, Herndon, VA 22070. Pou 2-2 (3-96) Broiler Eggs Set in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Feb 17 : Feb 24 : Mar 2 : Mar 9 : Mar 16 : Mar 23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 24,179 *24,424 24,039 23,528 *23,992 24,117 AR : 30,076 29,747 29,904 29,322 28,640 28,311 DE : 4,617 4,622 4,590 4,600 *4,244 4,303 FL : 2,903 2,907 2,869 2,879 *2,839 2,810 GA : 29,063 28,842 *28,938 28,962 *28,726 28,533 MD : 9,766 9,576 *9,003 *8,902 *8,869 8,396 MS : 15,182 15,173 15,254 15,316 15,768 15,647 NC : 18,008 18,009 17,446 17,765 17,581 17,882 PA : 3,533 3,278 3,273 3,234 3,411 3,133 SC : 4,383 4,373 4,355 4,360 4,247 4,222 TX : 11,161 11,364 11,346 *11,312 *11,075 11,341 VA : 6,759 6,629 6,447 6,317 6,379 6,367 CA, TN, & WV : *9,065 *9,727 *9,591 *9,706 *9,437 9,453 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total :*168,695 *168,671 *167,055 *166,203 *165,208 164,515 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1995 Total : 162,677 163,588 164,502 164,908 165,416 163,610 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 104 103 102 101 100 101 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broiler Chicks Placed in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Feb 17 : Feb 24 : Mar 2 : Mar 9 : Mar 16 : Mar 23 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 17,273 17,482 16,349 17,109 *17,219 17,231 AR : 23,461 23,116 23,242 23,574 24,586 23,159 DE : 4,871 5,177 5,325 5,057 *5,478 5,386 FL : 2,527 2,440 2,608 2,445 *2,904 2,368 GA : 23,114 23,154 22,905 23,311 *23,644 24,010 MD : 6,596 6,665 6,712 7,333 *6,582 6,130 MS : 12,513 13,130 12,879 13,293 13,323 13,600 NC : 13,506 13,479 13,694 13,576 14,031 13,824 PA : 2,298 2,292 2,371 2,545 2,578 2,564 SC : 3,479 3,399 3,407 3,830 3,574 3,226 TX : 8,325 8,343 8,452 8,381 8,458 8,456 VA : 5,582 5,080 5,621 5,197 *5,507 5,321 CA, TN, & WV : *8,164 *8,604 *9,488 *8,971 *8,899 9,337 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total :*131,709 *132,361 *133,053 *134,622 *136,783 134,612 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1995 Total : 131,137 128,297 129,257 131,414 133,814 133,954 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 100 103 103 102 102 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised 2