August 27, 2004

US Egg Production Up 2% In July
 

U.S. egg production totaled 7.54 billion during July 2004. This figure is up 2% from the previous year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) in their monthly Chickens and Eggs report.

Production included 6.45 billion table eggs, and 1.10 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.04 billion were broiler-type and 56.0 million were egg-type.

The total number of layers averaged 342 million during July 2004, increasing 2% from a year earlier. Egg production in July per 100 layers was 2,207 eggs, down slightly from July 2003.

All layers in the U.S. on August 1, 2004 totaled 342 million, up 2% from the year before. The 342 million layers consisted of 283 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 56.2 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, as well as 2.40 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. The rate of lay per day on August 1, 2004 averaged 71.0 eggs per 100 layers, falling 1 percent from a year ago.

Laying flocks in the 30 major egg producing States produced 7.05 billion eggs during July 2004, increasing 2 percent from a year ago. The average number of layers during July was up 2 percent from a year ago at 319 million.

Egg-type chicks hatched during July totaled 34.1 million, which is down 4 percent from July 2003. Eggs in incubators totaled 31.1 million on August 1, 2004, up 1 percent from a year ago. Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 243,000 during July 2004, up 6 percent from July 2003.

The July 2004 hatch of broiler-type chicks, at 807 million, was up 4 percent from July of the previous year. There were 663 million eggs in incubators on August 1, 2004, up 3 percent from a year earlier.

Leading breeders placed 6.83 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during July 2004, down 3 percent from July 2003.