HDR1012000150090410961500BROILER HATCHERY Released April 10, 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 Down Slightly Commercial hatcheries in the 15-State weekly program set in incubators 166 million eggs during the week ending April 6, 1996. This was down slightly from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 82 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier. Broiler Chicks Placed Down 2 Percent Broiler growers in the 15-State weekly program placed 132 million chicks for meat production during the week ending April 6, 1996. Placements were down 2 percent from the comparable week in 1995. Cumulative placements from October 29, 1995, through April 6, 1996, were 3.04 billion, 2 percent above the 2.97 billion placed during the same period a year earlier. * * * * * * * * The next "Broiler Hatchery" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on April 17, 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 (4-96) Broiler Eggs Set in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Mar 2 : Mar 9 : Mar 16 : Mar 23 : Mar 30 : Apr 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 24,039 23,528 23,992 24,117 23,135 24,015 AR : 29,904 29,323 28,640 28,311 28,368 29,169 DE : 4,590 4,600 4,244 4,303 4,159 4,285 FL : 2,869 2,879 2,839 2,810 2,785 2,672 GA : 28,938 29,056 *28,130 28,539 *28,262 28,651 MD : 9,003 8,902 8,869 8,396 8,832 8,772 MS : 15,254 15,298 *15,532 *15,632 16,122 15,917 NC : 17,446 17,765 17,581 17,882 17,526 17,554 PA : 3,322 3,234 3,411 3,133 3,238 3,318 SC : 4,355 4,360 4,247 4,222 4,182 4,275 TX : 11,346 11,312 *11,301 11,311 11,358 11,452 VA : 6,447 6,317 6,379 6,368 *6,335 6,342 CA, TN, & WV : 9,591 *10,006 9,443 9,453 *9,341 9,445 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 167,104 *166,580 *164,608 *164,477 *163,643 165,867 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1995 Total : 164,502 164,908 165,416 163,610 164,797 166,063 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 102 101 100 101 99 100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broiler Chicks Placed in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Mar 2 : Mar 9 : Mar 16 : Mar 23 : Mar 30 : Apr 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 16,349 17,109 17,219 17,231 16,853 16,570 AR : 23,242 23,644 24,636 23,159 22,871 22,737 DE : 5,325 5,057 5,478 5,386 5,157 4,802 FL : 2,608 2,445 2,904 2,368 2,575 2,705 GA : 22,905 23,343 23,644 24,066 *23,756 22,634 MD : 6,011 6,653 5,886 6,132 6,380 6,507 MS : 12,879 13,293 13,323 13,600 13,447 12,976 NC : 13,694 13,576 14,031 13,824 13,879 13,927 PA : 2,410 2,545 2,578 2,564 2,526 2,543 SC : 3,407 3,830 3,574 3,226 3,990 3,531 TX : *8,479 *8,408 *8,485 *8,483 *8,592 8,356 VA : 5,621 5,197 5,507 5,321 *5,132 5,264 CA, TN, & WV : 9,488 8,971 8,899 *9,350 *9,648 9,421 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total :*132,418 *134,071 *136,164 *134,710 *134,806 131,973 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1995 Total : 129,257 131,414 133,814 133,954 134,995 134,826 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 102 102 102 101 100 98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised 2