HDR1012000150090409971500BROILER HATCHERY Broiler Hatchery National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released April 9, 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 171 million eggs during the week ending April 5, 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 6 Percent Broiler growers in the 15-State weekly program placed 140 million chicks for meat production during the week ending April 5, 1997. Placements were up 6 percent from the comparable week in 1996. Cumulative placements from December 29, 1996, through April 5, 1997 were 1.93 billion, 3 percent above the 1.88 billion placed during the same period a year earlier. * * * * * * * * The next "Broiler Hatchery" report will be released at 3 P.M. ET on April 16, 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 :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Mar 1 : Mar 8 : Mar 15 : Mar 22 : Mar 29 : Apr 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 26,108 25,593 *25,021 26,026 *25,339 25,802 AR : 29,990 29,771 29,969 29,812 28,548 29,982 DE : 4,601 4,620 4,511 4,510 4,708 4,606 FL : 2,927 3,131 2,561 2,556 2,563 2,566 GA : 30,097 29,368 *29,633 29,190 *28,214 28,604 MD : 8,718 8,929 8,893 8,711 8,686 8,838 MS : 17,246 17,341 17,223 17,512 *17,499 17,462 NC : 17,929 17,535 *17,549 17,158 17,092 17,461 PA : 3,655 3,810 3,571 3,747 3,655 3,649 SC : 4,340 4,343 4,341 4,341 4,341 4,343 TX : 12,143 12,046 *12,129 12,129 12,161 12,153 VA : 6,583 6,685 6,620 6,596 6,670 6,665 CA, TN, & WV : 9,523 9,889 9,525 9,517 *9,593 9,213 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 173,860 173,061 *171,546 171,805 *169,069 171,344 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 167,104 166,580 164,608 164,399 163,643 166,379 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 104 104 104 105 103 103 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broiler Chicks Placed in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Mar 1 : Mar 8 : Mar 15 : Mar 22 : Mar 29 : Apr 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 19,016 18,443 18,738 18,817 *18,167 18,631 AR : 24,497 22,878 24,003 24,161 24,336 24,920 DE : 5,966 5,148 5,302 5,087 5,323 5,163 FL : 2,676 2,774 2,820 2,860 3,136 2,388 GA : 23,606 23,970 24,120 24,269 *24,155 23,332 MD : 5,402 6,381 5,734 5,919 6,392 6,423 MS : 14,435 14,936 14,938 14,964 *14,348 14,809 NC : 13,611 13,901 13,668 14,284 14,129 13,727 PA : 2,952 2,671 2,588 2,856 2,889 2,737 SC : 3,894 3,799 3,888 3,869 3,554 3,778 TX : *8,995 *9,013 *9,063 *9,015 *9,142 9,130 VA : 5,621 4,919 5,575 5,550 4,948 5,487 CA, TN, & WV : 9,177 9,896 9,443 9,326 *9,782 9,439 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total :*139,848 *138,729 *139,880 *140,977 *140,301 139,964 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1996 Total : 132,418 134,071 136,164 134,718 134,806 132,168 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 106 103 103 105 104 106 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised