HDR1012000150090225981500BROILER HATCHERY Broiler Hatchery National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released February 25, 1998, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Broiler Hatchery" call Tom Kruchten (202) 690-4870, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Broiler Eggs Set In 15 Selected States Up 1 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 15-State weekly program set in incubators 174 million eggs during the week ending February 21, 1998. This was up 1 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 Down 2 Percent Broiler growers in the 15-State weekly program placed 134 million chicks for meat production during the week ending February 21, 1998. Placements were down 2 percent from the comparable week in 1997. Cumulative placements from January 4, 1998, through February 21, 1998 were 956 million, up slightly from the 954 million placed during the same period a year earlier. * * * * * * * * The next "Broiler Hatchery" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on March 4, 1998. 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 :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Jan 17 : Jan 24 : Jan 31 : Feb 7 : Feb 14 : Feb 21 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 24,932 25,041 25,338 25,377 25,351 25,808 AR : 28,965 29,138 29,093 *29,221 *29,727 29,608 DE : 4,336 4,289 4,502 4,502 4,581 4,638 FL : 2,841 2,857 2,629 2,678 2,844 2,800 GA : 29,726 29,620 29,169 29,195 *29,823 29,718 MD : 8,578 8,678 8,361 8,000 8,501 8,614 MS : 17,724 17,229 16,973 17,379 17,581 17,799 NC : 17,293 16,468 16,648 16,969 *17,861 17,734 PA : 3,738 3,680 3,530 3,575 *3,727 3,645 SC : 4,208 4,197 4,155 4,197 4,260 4,289 TX : 12,409 12,358 12,068 12,426 12,369 12,523 VA : 6,397 6,552 6,069 6,542 6,610 6,630 CA, TN, & WV : 10,875 10,134 10,195 10,326 11,170 10,437 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1998 Total : 172,022 170,241 168,730 *170,387 *174,405 174,243 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 166,957 168,895 170,898 172,851 173,704 173,366 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 103 101 99 99 100 101 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Broiler Chicks Placed in 15 Selected States ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Week Ending State :--------------------------------------------------------------- : Jan 17 : Jan 24 : Jan 31 : Feb 7 : Feb 14 : Feb 21 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 : AL : 18,282 18,417 18,195 17,740 18,399 17,897 AR : 23,402 24,162 23,060 *23,492 *23,652 22,634 DE : 5,407 5,267 5,838 4,718 4,464 5,229 FL : 2,624 2,482 2,779 2,907 2,551 2,614 GA : 24,501 24,793 24,081 23,971 *23,960 23,440 MD : 5,332 5,805 5,106 6,188 6,394 5,534 MS : 14,670 14,345 14,189 14,722 14,331 14,134 NC : 12,338 13,075 13,392 13,656 *12,605 12,790 PA : 2,631 2,690 2,677 2,687 *2,574 2,579 SC : 3,840 3,303 3,161 2,974 3,519 3,579 TX : 9,498 9,648 9,630 9,561 9,606 9,446 VA : 4,879 5,384 5,353 5,166 5,199 4,762 CA, TN, & WV : 8,623 9,115 9,581 9,811 9,258 9,659 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1998 Total : 136,027 138,486 137,042 *137,593 *136,512 134,297 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 Total : 137,560 137,072 136,782 133,727 136,118 136,402 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- % of Prev Yr : 99 101 100 103 100 98 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Revised