Source:  Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 9/29/11

Commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 188 million eggs in incubators during the week ended Sept. 24, down 9 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 85 percent.

Broiler growers in the program placed 159 million chicks for meat production during the same week, down 5 percent from a year earlier.
Cumulative placements from Jan. 2 through Sept. 24 were 6.39 billion, down 1 percent from the same period a year earlier.

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