Broiler Hatchery ISSN: 1949-1840 Released May 23, 2012, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Broiler-Type Eggs Set Down 3 Percent Commercial hatcheries in the 19 State weekly program set 200 million eggs in incubators during the week ending May 19, 2012. This was down 3 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 May 19, 2012. Placements were down 4 percent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from January 1, 2012 through May 19, 2012 were 3.27 billion, down 4 percent from the same period a year earlier. Broiler-Type Eggs Set - 19 Selected States: 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Week ending State :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : April 14, : April 21, : April 28, : May 5, : May 12, : May 19, : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 eggs : Alabama ......................: 27,904 28,211 28,238 28,120 27,795 28,381 Arkansas .....................: 21,233 21,168 21,246 21,684 21,793 21,765 Delaware .....................: 3,550 3,622 3,470 3,620 3,622 3,696 Florida ......................: 1,352 1,347 1,353 1,352 1,353 1,353 Georgia ......................: 32,536 32,220 32,356 32,743 32,771 32,619 Kentucky .....................: 7,668 7,451 7,421 7,659 7,728 7,735 Louisiana ....................: 3,530 3,530 3,440 3,359 3,470 3,455 Maryland .....................: 7,393 7,570 7,628 7,449 7,087 7,200 Mississippi ..................: 17,717 18,068 17,404 17,731 18,185 17,810 Missouri .....................: 7,686 7,711 7,473 7,481 7,687 7,726 : North Carolina ...............: 20,557 20,434 20,139 20,416 20,389 20,426 Oklahoma .....................: 6,688 6,849 6,970 6,712 6,926 6,843 Pennsylvania .................: 3,934 3,795 3,597 3,610 3,636 3,795 South Carolina ...............: 5,364 5,771 5,437 5,376 5,481 5,462 Texas ........................: 14,808 14,782 14,551 14,696 14,627 14,769 Virginia .....................: 6,166 6,399 6,294 6,290 6,281 6,279 California, Tennessee, : and West Virginia ...........: 11,562 11,267 10,972 10,914 11,021 10,731 : 19 State total ...............: 199,648 200,195 197,989 199,212 199,852 200,045 : Previous year total ..........: 208,968 209,132 207,087 207,982 206,342 206,792 : Percent of previous year .....: 96 96 96 96 97 97 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Broiler-Type Chicks Placed - 19 Selected States: 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : Week ending State :----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : April 14, : April 21, : April 28, : May 5, : May 12, : May 19, : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 : 2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ : 1,000 chicks : Alabama ......................: 20,546 19,877 20,201 20,231 19,775 20,741 Arkansas .....................: 19,564 20,389 19,093 18,848 20,132 19,908 Delaware .....................: 4,647 4,733 4,190 4,350 3,956 4,361 Florida ......................: 1,289 1,202 1,250 1,083 1,328 1,509 Georgia ......................: 25,950 27,592 27,300 28,245 27,482 26,779 Kentucky .....................: 6,097 6,222 6,390 6,035 6,666 5,876 Louisiana ....................: 3,040 3,095 3,084 3,124 3,130 3,075 Maryland .....................: 5,915 6,244 6,677 6,380 6,860 6,377 Mississippi ..................: 15,444 15,418 15,353 14,874 15,477 15,047 Missouri .....................: 5,972 4,894 5,924 5,767 5,113 5,491 : North Carolina ...............: 16,403 16,421 16,189 16,434 16,649 16,278 Oklahoma .....................: 3,662 4,238 4,887 5,067 4,573 4,237 Pennsylvania .................: 2,927 2,892 3,101 3,138 3,151 3,015 South Carolina ...............: 4,919 4,754 5,350 4,520 4,819 3,779 Texas ........................: 12,733 12,622 12,424 12,242 12,343 12,106 Virginia .....................: 4,824 4,457 4,906 4,604 4,935 5,187 California, Tennessee, : and West Virginia ...........: 10,860 11,158 10,597 11,207 10,591 11,493 : 19 State total ...............: 164,792 166,208 166,916 166,149 166,980 165,259 : Previous year total ..........: 173,110 172,008 172,624 172,506 174,014 172,512 : Percent of previous year .....: 95 97 97 96 96 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. 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