News

Broiler sets, placements fall on week, rise on year

Broiler numbers fell sharply over the past week while holding ahead of last year.

The USDA says 246.428 million broiler-type eggs were set into incubators, down 3.178 million on the week with the largest declines in the southeast, but that’s still up 2% on the year.

189.689 million broiler-type chicks were placed into meat production, 3.632 million less than the previous week, but 2% more than a year ago, with the cumulative 2026 pace still 2% ahead of 2025.

Those birds will start heading to market in early November.

The USDA’s updated annual egg and production projections are out Friday.

Comparisons for Brownfield states:

Arkansas: Sets: 26.021 million eggs, compared to 26.101 million the prior week; Placements: 21.129 million head, compared to 21.267 million the week before

Kentucky: Sets: 7.882 million eggs, compared to 7.837 million the prior week; Placements: 5.292 million head, compared to 5.959 million the week before

Missouri: Sets: 8.991 million eggs, compared to 8.669 million the prior week; Placements: 5.032 million head, compared to 5.608 million the week before

California/Tennessee/West Virginia: Sets: 16.181 million eggs, compared to 16.112 million the prior week; Placements: 14.19 million head, compared to 13.749 million the week before