Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 8/4/11

Commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 195 million eggs in incubators during the week ending July 30, down 6 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier, USDA reported.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85 percent.

Broiler growers in the program placed 163 million chicks for meat production during the week ending July 30, down 4 percent from the comparable week a year earlier.

Cumulative placements from Jan. 2 through July 30 were 5.10 billion, down slightly from the same period a year earlier.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.