Hatcheries in the United States set 210 million eggs in incubators during the week ending March 1, 2014, while hatcheries in the 19 state weekly program set 202 million eggs in incubators for the week. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 83 percent.
Chicks placed for meat production declined slightly, according to NASS. Broiler growers in the US weekly program placed 168 million chicks for meat production, while growers in the 19 state weekly program placed 162 million chicks for the week ending March 1, a decline of 1 percent compared to a year ago.
Cumulative placements from Dec. 29, 2013 through March 1 were 1.52 billion, a slight increase from the comparable year-ago period, NASS noted.
