Broiler Hatchery ISSN: 1949-1840 Released April 11, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Broiler-Type Eggs Set Down 4 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 19 State weekly program set 199 million eggs in incubators during the week ending April 7, 2012. This was down 4 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 4 Percent Broiler growers in the 19 State weekly program placed 165 million chicks for meat production during the week ending April 7, 2012. Placements were down 4 percent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from January 1, 2012 through April 7, 2012 were 2.27 billion, down 4 percent from the same period a year earlier. Broiler-Type Eggs Set - 19 Selected States: 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Week ending State :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March 3, : March 10, : March 17, : March 24, : March 31, : April 7, : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 eggs : Alabama ......................: 27,989 27,476 28,269 28,251 27,319 27,989 Arkansas .....................: 20,977 21,148 20,142 20,771 21,178 21,240 Delaware .....................: 3,191 3,303 3,415 3,388 3,517 3,506 Florida ......................: 1,350 1,350 1,351 1,348 1,350 1,349 Georgia ......................: 32,150 32,374 32,307 31,890 32,796 32,564 Kentucky .....................: 7,733 7,794 7,723 7,538 7,683 7,709 Louisiana ....................: 3,470 3,440 3,470 3,440 3,500 3,500 Maryland .....................: 7,212 7,674 7,678 7,192 7,000 7,128 Mississippi ..................: 17,799 17,682 17,784 17,907 17,907 17,878 Missouri .....................: 7,840 7,648 7,482 7,657 7,464 7,701 : North Carolina ...............: 20,397 20,342 19,969 20,031 20,077 20,381 Oklahoma .....................: 6,930 6,930 6,365 6,728 6,930 6,910 Pennsylvania .................: 3,763 3,838 3,859 3,771 3,576 3,785 South Carolina ...............: 5,291 5,472 5,118 5,448 5,385 5,488 Texas ........................: 14,764 15,026 15,075 14,941 14,933 14,972 Virginia .....................: 5,947 6,207 6,137 6,047 6,311 6,415 California, Tennessee, : and West Virginia ...........: 10,884 11,035 11,413 10,526 10,783 10,668 : 19 State total ...............: 197,687 198,739 197,557 196,874 197,709 199,183 : Previous year total ..........: 208,530 207,787 208,563 209,382 208,037 208,503 : Percent of previous year .....: 95 96 95 94 95 96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Broiler-Type Chicks Placed - 19 Selected States: 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Week ending State :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : March 3, : March 10, : March 17, : March 24, : March 31, : April 7, : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 chicks : Alabama ......................: 18,749 19,382 20,106 19,610 20,335 20,595 Arkansas .....................: 19,498 18,611 19,004 20,043 20,359 18,964 Delaware .....................: 4,117 3,910 3,901 3,943 3,724 4,760 Florida ......................: 1,454 1,174 1,407 1,217 1,016 1,233 Georgia ......................: 27,520 28,332 27,862 27,284 27,233 28,079 Kentucky .....................: 6,562 6,595 4,894 6,594 6,214 5,964 Louisiana ....................: 3,091 3,022 2,983 3,032 3,025 3,356 Maryland .....................: 5,778 6,441 6,110 5,927 7,020 5,488 Mississippi ..................: 15,599 15,328 15,447 15,207 15,136 15,282 Missouri .....................: 5,566 6,020 5,325 5,245 5,548 5,413 : North Carolina ...............: 15,856 15,816 16,753 16,294 16,080 16,127 Oklahoma .....................: 4,125 4,014 4,605 4,533 3,813 4,123 Pennsylvania .................: 2,894 2,870 3,117 3,113 3,144 3,244 South Carolina ...............: 4,523 4,230 3,646 4,696 4,218 4,096 Texas ........................: 12,466 12,347 12,223 12,143 12,524 12,235 Virginia .....................: 5,368 4,739 4,784 5,365 4,735 4,592 California, Tennessee, : and West Virginia ...........: 10,181 9,883 10,845 10,359 10,859 11,778 : 19 State total ...............: 163,347 162,714 163,012 164,605 164,983 165,329 : Previous year total ..........: 167,792 170,434 170,587 173,852 172,812 172,733 : Percent of previous year .....: 97 95 96 95 95 96 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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. To set-up this free subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Follow NASS" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. Printed reports may be purchased from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS) by calling toll-free (800) 999-6779, or (703) 605-6220 if calling from outside the United States or Canada. Accepted methods of payment are Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377- 8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.