HDR1012000150090402971500Broiler Hatchery Broiler Hatchery National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released April 2, 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. Broiler Eggs Set In 15 Selected States Up 3 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 15-State weekly program set in incubators 169 million eggs during the week ending March 29, 1997. This was up 3 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 4 Percent Broiler growers in the 15-State weekly program placed 140 million chicks for meat production during the week ending March 29, 1997. Placements were up 4 percent from the comparable week in 1996. Cumulative placements from December 29, 1996, through March 29, 1997 were 1.79 billion, 3 percent above the 1.74 billion placed during the same period a year earlier. * * * * * * * * The next "Broiler Hatchery" report will be released at 3 P.M. ET on April 9, 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 22 : Mar 1 : Mar 8 : Mar 15 : Mar 22 : Mar 29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 25,996 26,108 25,593 25,354 26,026 25,214 AR : 29,862 29,990 29,771 29,969 29,812 28,548 DE : 4,520 4,601 4,620 4,511 4,510 4,708 FL : 3,032 2,927 3,131 2,561 2,556 2,563 GA : 29,994 30,097 *29,368 29,875 *29,190 28,253 MD : 8,758 8,718 8,929 8,893 8,711 8,686 MS : 17,297 17,246 *17,341 17,223 17,512 17,465 NC : 17,629 17,929 17,535 17,621 17,158 17,092 PA : 3,468 3,655 3,810 3,571 3,747 3,655 SC : 4,403 4,340 4,343 4,341 4,341 4,341 TX : 12,132 12,143 *12,046 12,134 12,129 12,161 VA : 6,565 6,583 6,685 6,620 6,596 6,670 CA, TN, & WV : 9,710 9,523 9,889 9,525 9,517 9,573 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 173,366 173,860 *173,061 172,198 *171,805 168,929 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 167,796 167,104 166,580 164,608 164,399 163,643 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 103 104 104 105 105 103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broiler Chicks Placed in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Feb 22 : Mar 1 : Mar 8 : Mar 15 : Mar 22 : Mar 29 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 18,184 19,016 18,443 18,738 18,817 18,172 AR : 22,949 24,497 22,878 24,003 24,161 24,336 DE : 4,803 5,966 5,148 5,302 5,087 5,323 FL : 2,495 2,676 2,774 2,820 2,860 3,136 GA : 23,915 23,606 23,970 24,120 *24,269 24,230 MD : 6,607 5,402 6,381 5,734 5,919 6,392 MS : 14,142 14,435 14,936 14,938 *14,964 14,359 NC : 13,608 13,611 13,901 13,668 14,284 14,129 PA : 2,908 2,952 2,671 2,588 2,856 2,889 SC : 3,779 3,894 3,799 3,888 3,869 3,554 TX : 8,952 8,967 8,985 9,035 8,987 9,114 VA : 4,969 5,621 4,919 5,575 *5,550 4,948 CA, TN, & WV : 9,091 9,177 9,896 9,443 9,326 9,780 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 136,402 139,820 138,701 139,852 *140,949 140,362 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 131,680 132,418 134,071 136,164 134,718 134,806 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 104 106 103 103 105 104 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised