Commercial hatcheries set 193 million eggs in incubators during the week ending Oct. 26, 2013, an increase of 3 percent from the eggs set the comparable period a year ago, according to the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week was 84 percent. Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three weeks earlier, NASS said.
Broiler-type chicks placed for meat production slip 2 percent to 153 million chicks during the week ending Oct. 26. Cumulative placements from Dec. 30, 2012, through Oct. 26 edged higher by 1 percent to 7.07 billion.
