Hatcheries in the 19 state weekly program set 205 million eggs in incubators for the week, up 1 percent from a year ago. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 83 percent, USDA said.
Chicks placed advanced 4 percent. Broiler growers in the 19 state weekly program placed 170 million chicks for meat production during the week ending March 7. Meanwhile, cumulative placement climbed 3 percent to 1.58 billion from the week ending Jan. 10 through March 7.
