Source: Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 9/15/11

USDA said Wednesday commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 187 million eggs in incubators during the week ended Sept. 10, down 9 percent from the eggs set the same week a year earlier.

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

Meanwhile, broiler growers in the program placed 161 million chicks for meat production during the week, down 6 percent from the comparable week a year earlier.

Cumulative placements from Jan. 2 through Sept. 10 were 6.07 billion, down 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.

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