Source: Lisa M. Keefe, MEATINGPLACE, 1/8/16

Eggs set in incubators for meat production across the U.S. dropped 1 percent in the week ended Jan. 2, compared with the same period a year earlier. Chicks placed for meat production across the U.S. in the same period was up “slightly” from the same period a year earlier, according to data released by USDA.

Hatcheries set 205 million eggs in incubators during the week ended Jan. 2, down slightly from the year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week in the United States was 84 percent.

Meanwhile, broiler growers placed 170 million chicks for meat production during the week ended Jan. 2, down slightly from the year earlier.

Cumulative placements from the week ended Jan. 2 for the United States were 9.1 billion. Cumulative placements were up 2 percent from the same period a year earlier.

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