February layers averaged 339 million, slightly down from last year. February egg production per 100 layers was 2,065 eggs, up 1% from February 2010.
On March 1, layers in the US totaled 339 million, down 1% from last March. The 339 million layers consisted of 282 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 54.1 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs and 3.02 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. On March 1, rate of lay per day averaged 73.9 eggs per 100 layers, up 1% from March 1 last year.
Egg-type chicks hatched during February totaled 37.3 million, down 7% from February last year. Om March 1, incubator eggs totaled 40.0 million, up 3% from one year earlier.
During February, domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 264 thousand, down 11% from February last year.
Broiler-type chicks hatched during February totaled 709 million, up 1% from February 2010. Incubator eggs totaled 642 million on March 1, down slightly from one year earlier.
During February, leading breeders placed 7.11 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks, which was up 2% from February last year.