WASHINGTON – Egg production in the US totaled 7.58 billion during April 2012, down 1 percent from 2011, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).

Production included 6.54 billion table eggs and 1.04 billion hatching eggs, of which 964 million were broiler-type and 73 million were egg-type, NASS said. The total number of layers declined slightly during April to an average of 339 million. April egg production per 100 layers also declined slightly to 2,233 eggs, according to NASS.

All layers totaled 338 million on May 1, down slightly from 2011 totals. The 338 million layers consisted of 283 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 52.8 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.98 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs, according to NASS. The average rate of lay per day eased 1 percent to 73.6 eggs per 100 layer.

Egg-type chicks hatched during April were down 8 percent to 39.7 million, NASS said. Eggs in incubators totaled 42.0 million on May 1, an increase of 4 percent from 2011.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 172,000 during April, down 40 percent from the comparable year-ago period.

Broiler-type chicks hatched during April were down 4 percent to 748 million, NASS said. Eggs in incubators totaled 619 million on May 1, down 4 percent from 2011.

Leading breeders placed 6.52 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during April, down 7 percent from 2011.