December Egg Production Up 2 Percent
United States egg production totaled 8.07 billion during December 2012, up 2 percent from last year. Production included 7.03 billion table eggs, and 1.04 billion hatching eggs, of which 969 million were broiler-type and 71 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during December 2012 averaged 344 million, up 2 percent from last year. December egg production per 100 layers was 2,346 eggs, unchanged from December 2011.
All layers in the United States on January 1, 2013 totaled 343 million, up 1 percent from last year. The 343 million layers consisted of 288 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 51.2 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 2.97 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on January 1, 2013, averaged 75.1 eggs per
100 layers, down 1 percent from January 1, 2012.
Egg-Type Chicks Hatched Down 5 Percent
Egg-type chicks hatched during December 2012 totaled 37.1 million, down 5 percent from December 2011. Eggs in incubators totaled 37.5 million on January 1, 2013, down 3 percent from a year ago.
Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 191 thousand during December 2012, down 31 percent from December 2011.
Broiler-Type Chicks Hatched Up 1 Percent
Broiler-type chicks hatched during December 2012 totaled 763 million, up 1 percent from December 2011. Eggs in incubators totaled 611 million on January 1, 2013, down 4 percent from a year earlier.
Leading breeders placed 6.63 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during December 2012, up 3 percent from December 2011.
Source: USDA