HDR1012000150090319971500BROILER HATCHERY Released March 19, 1997, 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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. The "Broiler Hatchery" report is available on AutoFax, (202) 720-2000, report 4300. Broiler Eggs Set In 15 Selected States Up 5 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 15-State weekly program set in incubators 172 million eggs during the week ending March 15, 1997. This was up 5 percent 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 Up 3 Percent Broiler growers in the 15-State weekly program placed 140 million chicks for meat production during the week ending March 15, 1997. Placements were up 3 percent from the comparable week in 1996. Cumulative placements from December 29, 1996, through March 15, 1997 were 1.51 billion, 2 percent above the 1.47 billion placed during the same period a year earlier. * * * * * * * * The next "Broiler Hatchery" report will be released at 3 P.M. ET on March 26, 1997. 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. Broiler Eggs Set in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Feb 8 : Feb 15 : Feb 22 : Mar 1 : Mar 8 : Mar 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 25,655 25,752 25,996 26,008 25,593 25,354 AR : 30,092 29,951 29,862 29,990 29,771 29,969 DE : 4,696 4,678 4,520 4,601 4,620 4,511 FL : 2,792 2,863 3,032 2,927 3,131 2,561 GA : 29,623 29,942 *29,994 30,097 *29,222 29,965 MD : 8,687 8,677 8,758 8,718 8,929 8,893 MS : 17,292 17,391 17,297 17,246 17,347 17,177 NC : 17,700 *17,639 *17,629 18,013 *17,535 17,621 PA : 3,736 3,554 3,468 *3,655 3,699 3,651 SC : 4,355 4,406 4,403 4,340 4,343 4,341 TX : 12,106 12,116 *12,132 12,143 12,077 12,129 VA : 6,674 6,647 6,565 6,583 6,685 6,620 CA, TN, & WV : 9,443 *10,088 *9,710 9,523 9,889 9,525 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 172,851 *173,704 *173,366 *173,844 *172,841 172,317 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 167,122 168,695 167,796 167,104 166,580 164,608 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 103 103 103 104 104 105 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broiler Chicks Placed in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Feb 8 : Feb 15 : Feb 22 : Mar 1 : Mar 8 : Mar 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 17,849 18,028 18,184 19,016 18,443 18,738 AR : 23,525 24,562 22,949 24,497 22,878 24,003 DE : 5,084 5,497 4,803 5,966 5,148 5,302 FL : 2,851 2,528 2,495 2,676 2,774 2,820 GA : 23,454 23,623 23,915 23,606 *23,970 24,139 MD : 5,591 5,328 6,607 5,402 *6,381 5,732 MS : 13,967 13,988 14,142 14,435 14,936 14,938 NC : 12,770 13,007 *13,608 13,611 *13,901 13,668 PA : 2,570 2,787 2,908 *2,952 2,747 2,726 SC : 3,855 3,158 3,779 3,894 3,799 3,908 TX : 8,734 8,940 8,952 8,967 8,984 9,035 VA : 4,873 5,128 4,969 5,621 4,919 5,575 CA, TN, & WV : 8,604 9,544 *9,091 9,177 9,896 9,443 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 133,727 136,118 *136,402 *139,820 *138,776 140,027 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 133,801 131,709 131,680 132,418 134,071 136,164 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 100 103 104 106 104 103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised