Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 9/1/11

Commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 192 million eggs in incubators during the week ended Aug. 27, down 7 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier, USDA reported Wednesday.

Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85 percent.

Broiler growers placed 164 million chicks for meat production during the same week, down 4 percent from the comparable week a year earlier.

Cumulative placements from Jan. 2 through Aug. 27 were 5.75 billion, down 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Both egg-sets and chicks placed have declined every week since June 8. Poultry growers have been particularly hard hit by rising feedgrain costs and tepid demand due to a sluggish economy.

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