WASHINGTON — Broiler-type chicks hatched during July 2009 totaled 781 million, down 3% from July 2008. Eggs in incubators totaled 628 million on Aug. 1, down 3% from July a year earlier. Leading breeders placed 6.21 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during July 2009, down 4% from July 2008.

U.S. egg production in July totaled 7.59 billion during, down slightly from last year, relays the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Production included 6.51 billion table eggs, and 1.08 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.01 billion were broiler-type and 71 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during July averaged 333 million, down 1% from July last year. July egg production per 100 layers was 2,281 eggs, up 1% from July 2008.

All layers in the U.S. on Aug. 1 totaled 333 million, down 1% from the same month last year. The 333 million layers consisted of 277 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 52.9 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.88 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs.

Rate of lay per day on Aug. 1 averaged 73.4 eggs per 100 layers, up 1% from Aug. 1, 2008.

Egg-type chicks hatched during July 2009 totaled 36.3 million, down 3% from July 2008. Eggs in incubators totaled 32.8 million on Aug. 1, up slightly from July a year ago.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 342 thousand during July 2009, up 40% from July 2008.