While the number of eggs placed was down 7 per cent, the number of broiler chicks placed was down 5 per cent, according to the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
The production data for the week ending 10 January are in and they reflect that the US meat industry is in contraction mode.
This was the first full production week of the new year: official broiler production data is not out yet but preliminary USDA estimates indicate that total broiler production for the week was down 1.3 per cent from year ago levels.
Broiler producers on their part also continue to place fewer birds for grow out than a year ago. For the past six weeks, broiler egg sets were on average 7.3 per cent lower than a year ago while chick placements were on average 6.4 per cent lower than last year.
Commercial hatcheries in the 19-state weekly program set 203 million eggs in incubators during the week ending 3 January 2009. This was down 7 per cent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year earlier. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84%. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier.
Broiler growers in the 19-state weekly program placed 169 million chicks for meat production during the week ending 3 January 2009. Placements were down 5 per cent from the comparable week a year earlier. Cumulative placements from 30 December 2007 through 3 January 2009 were 9.12 billion, down 2% from the same period a year earlier.
