Broiler Hatchery ISSN: 1949-1840 Released March 14, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Broiler-Type Eggs Set Down 5 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 19 State weekly program set 198 million eggs in incubators during the week ending March 10, 2012. This was down 5 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier. Broiler-Type Chicks Placed Down 5 Percent Broiler growers in the 19 State weekly program placed 163 million chicks for meat production during the week ending March 10, 2012. Placements were down 5 percent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from January 1, 2012 through March 10, 2012 were 1.62 billion, down 4 percent from the same period a year earlier. Broiler-Type Eggs Set - 19 Selected States: 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Week ending State :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February 4, :February 11, :February 18, :February 25, : March 3, : March 10, : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 eggs : Alabama ......................: 26,946 27,085 27,624 28,000 27,581 27,476 Arkansas .....................: 19,931 20,091 19,499 20,142 20,493 20,665 Delaware .....................: 3,265 3,188 3,191 3,190 3,191 3,303 Florida ......................: 1,352 1,352 1,243 1,353 1,350 1,350 Georgia ......................: 31,616 31,983 32,222 32,143 32,150 32,374 Kentucky .....................: 7,483 7,751 7,571 6,483 7,855 7,841 Louisiana ....................: 3,440 3,470 3,424 3,379 3,470 3,440 Maryland .....................: 6,874 7,484 7,067 7,204 7,212 7,674 Mississippi ..................: 17,623 17,832 17,663 17,814 17,799 17,682 Missouri .....................: 7,784 7,817 7,807 7,672 7,840 7,648 : North Carolina ...............: 20,207 20,310 20,336 20,325 20,397 20,342 Oklahoma .....................: 6,841 6,923 6,768 6,688 6,930 6,930 Pennsylvania .................: 3,649 3,539 3,497 3,714 3,763 3,639 South Carolina ...............: 5,318 5,282 5,404 5,296 5,291 5,472 Texas ........................: 14,420 15,035 15,011 14,705 14,732 14,994 Virginia .....................: 5,985 6,199 5,963 6,168 6,118 6,207 California, Tennessee, : and West Virginia ............: 10,428 10,140 10,373 11,100 11,030 10,992 : 19 State total ...............: 193,162 195,481 194,663 195,376 197,202 198,029 : Previous year total ..........: 205,787 204,337 207,150 206,633 208,530 207,787 : Percent of previous year .....: 94 96 94 95 95 95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Broiler-Type Chicks Placed - 19 Selected States: 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Week ending State :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : February 4, :February 11, :February 18, :February 25, : March 3, : March 10, : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 chicks : Alabama ......................: 19,955 19,445 21,845 18,833 18,749 19,390 Arkansas .....................: 20,438 18,219 19,111 19,144 19,498 18,611 Delaware .....................: 4,016 4,433 4,404 3,440 4,117 3,910 Florida ......................: 1,149 1,048 1,062 1,073 1,454 1,174 Georgia ......................: 26,053 27,384 25,271 27,877 27,520 28,332 Kentucky .....................: 6,181 6,544 6,008 5,662 6,562 6,595 Louisiana ....................: 3,023 3,062 3,068 3,092 3,091 3,022 Maryland .....................: 5,849 6,490 5,959 6,751 5,778 6,441 Mississippi ..................: 14,721 15,172 15,227 15,317 15,599 15,428 Missouri .....................: 4,934 5,755 5,674 4,613 5,566 6,020 : North Carolina ...............: 15,699 15,648 15,418 15,820 15,856 15,816 Oklahoma .....................: 3,220 4,755 4,003 5,026 4,125 4,014 Pennsylvania .................: 3,211 3,107 3,159 3,045 2,894 2,917 South Carolina ...............: 4,956 4,798 4,971 4,197 4,523 4,230 Texas ........................: 11,576 12,119 11,949 11,972 12,466 12,321 Virginia .....................: 5,164 4,607 4,096 4,547 5,368 4,581 California, Tennessee, : and West Virginia ............: 10,622 9,442 10,057 10,137 10,165 9,900 : 19 State total ...............: 160,767 162,028 161,282 160,546 163,331 162,702 : Previous year total ..........: 168,151 167,953 167,473 168,805 167,792 170,434 : Percent of previous year .....: 96 96 96 95 97 95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Data for broiler hatchery estimates are collected weekly from all chicken hatcheries within the 19 States that hatch at least one million chicks a year. The 19 States account for approximately 97 percent of the broilers produced on an annual basis. Individual NASS field offices maintain a list of all known hatcheries and update their lists on a continual basis. All hatcheries within the 19 States that meet the minimum size criteria are given adequate time to respond to the weekly survey. Those that do not respond are contacted by telephone. Estimating Procedures: All data are analyzed for unusual values. Data from each operation are compared to their own past operating profile and to trends from similar operations. Data for missing operations are estimated based on similar operations or historical data. NASS field offices prepare these estimates by using a combination of survey indications and historic trends. Individual State estimates are reviewed by the Agricultural Statistics Board for reasonableness. Individual hatchery data are summed to State and 19 State totals. Revision Policy: Revisions are generally the result of late or corrected data. Revisions made to the previous five-week's data during the current week are published in this report. Final estimates are published in the annual Hatchery Production Summary released in April. Reliability: Estimates are subject to errors such as omission, duplication, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. While these errors cannot be measured directly, they are minimized through strict quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity specialists in the Livestock Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Dan Kerestes, Chief, Livestock Branch ................................... (202) 720-3570 Bruce Boess, Head, Poultry and Specialty Commodities Section ............ (202) 720-4447 Cody Brokmeyer - Poultry Slaughter, Turkey Hatchery, Turkeys Raised .. (202) 690-3237 David Colwell - Cold Storage ......................................... (202) 720-8784 LaKeya Jones - Catfish Processing, Catfish Production, Trout Production, Census of Aquaculture, Honey, Egg Products, Mink .............. (202) 720-0585 Kim Linonis - Layers, Eggs ........................................... (202) 690-8632 Miste Salmon - Broiler Hatchery, Chicken Hatchery .................... (202) 720-3244 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. 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