Commercial hatcheries set 201 million eggs in incubators during the week ending Dec. 21, 2013, an increase of 2 percent from the eggs set the corresponding week a year ago, the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service reported. Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the period was 83 percent.
Broiler-type chicks placed for meat production eased 1 percent, according to NASS. Broiler growers placed 165 million chicks for meat production during the week ending Dec. 21. Cumulative placements from Dec. 30, 2012, through Dec. 21, 2013, gained 1 percent to total 8.35 billion placements.
