News

Broiler hatchery down on week, up on year

Broiler hatchery numbers continue to trend above year ago levels.

The USDA says 244.016 million broiler-type eggs were placed into incubators last week, a drop of 3.452 million on the week, but still up 5% on the year, as producers try to meet demand expectations without further stressing margins.

Average hatchability was 79.7%.

193.213 million broiler-type chicks entered meat production, 480,000 less than the previous week, but 3% more than a year ago, with those birds heading to market in late October and early November.

The USDA expects broiler production to be 46.876 billion pounds in 2024, compared to 46.387 billion 2023, with the next guess out Thursday, September 12^th.

Comparisons for Brownfield states:

Arkansas: Sets: 25.16 million eggs, compared to 25.541 million the prior week; Placements: 20.699 million head, compared to 21.464 million the week before

Kentucky: Sets: 7.994 million eggs, compared to 8.173 million the prior week; Placements: 6.153 million head, compared to 6.059 million the week before

Missouri: Sets: 9.02 million eggs, compared to 9.041 million the prior week; Placements: 6.29 million head, compared to 5.786 million the week before

California/Tennessee/West Virginia: Sets: 15.692 million eggs, compared to 15.763 million the prior week; Placements: 13.561 million head, compared to 13.661 million the week before