Hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 202 million eggs in incubators during the week. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 83 percent, USDA noted.
Broiler growers in the weekly program placed 165 million chicks for meat production during the week. This represents a 2 percent increase over the comparable year-ago period. Cumulative placements from Dec. 29, 2013 through Sept. 27, 2014 for totaled 6.72 billion, a slight increase compared to the same period a year earlier.
