January 24, 2008

 

US December 2007 egg production drops, hatched chicks increases
 

 

US egg production totalled 7.76 billion during December 2007, a slight fall from 2006.
 

Production included 6.63 billion table eggs and 1.13 billion hatching eggs.

 

Among the hatching eggs, 1.06 billion were broiler-type and 67 million were egg-type.

 

Total number of layers during December 2007 was about 344 million, a drop of 1 percent from 2006. December egg production per 100 layers averaged 2,256 eggs, up 1 percent from the same period in 2006.

 

Total layers in the US on January 1, 2008 is 345 million, a drop of 1 percent from last year.

 

The 345 million consisted of 285 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 57.2 million layers producing broiler-type, and 2.75 million layers producing egg-type.

 

Rate of lay per day on January 1, 2008 averaged 72.4 eggs per 100 layers, up 2 percent from the same period in 2007.

 

A total of 35.5 million egg-type chicks were hatched during December 2007, up 7 percent from December 2006. Eggs in incubators totalled 35.8 million on January 1, 2008, up 4 percent from a year ago.

 

Leading breeders placed 245,000 egg-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during December 2007, up 4 percent from December 2006.

 

Broiler-type chicks hatched during December 2007 totaled 823 million, up 3 percent from December 2006. Eggs in incubators totaled 677 million on January 1, 2008, up 4 percent from a year earlier.

 

Leading breeders placed 6.75 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during December 2007, down 6 percent from December 2006.