Broiler-type chicks hatched in the United States during January through December 2013 totaled 9,058,220,000, 1.0 percent over the 8,965,425,000 chicks hatched in 2012 and essentially unchanged from the 9,057,461,000 chicks hatched in 2011, according to “Hatchery Production 2013 Summary” issued this week from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS).
Last year the 19 states in NASS’ weekly hatchery reporting program had a combined hatch of 8,718,888,000 chicks or 96.3 percent of the U.S. total. The comparable hatch and share for 2012 and 2011 were 8,636,579,000 (96.3 percent) and 8,748,541,000 (96.6 percent), respectively.
Topping the states with the most chicks hatched in 2013 was Georgia with 1,435,956,000 chicks, 2.3 percent more than year earlier. Alabama with 1,216,781,000 chicks was the second largest chick-producing state. Of the 16 states individually listed, 12 of these states hatched more chicks in 2013 than in 2012. Pennsylvania’s increase of 7.0 percent was the most of any listed state. Data for California, Tennessee, and West Virginia were combined to avoid possible disclosure of company operations. For these three combined states, 490,919,000 chicks were hatched in 2013, 2.4 percent less than the 503,099,000 chicks hatched in 2012 and 0.1 percent less than the 491,427,000 chicks in hatched 2011.
Broiler-type chicks hatched in 2012 and 2013 were as follows:
| Broiler Chicks Hatched by State, 2012 and 2013 | |||
| 2012 | 2013 | Change | |
| State | -000- | -000- |
percent |
| Georgia | 1,403,444 | 1,435,956 | 2.3 |
| Alabama | 1,224,431 | 1,216,781 | -0.6 |
| Arkansas | 917,540 | 935,617 | 2.0 |
| North Carolina | 871,254 | 872,694 | 0.2 |
| Mississippi | 779,557 | 760,273 | -2.5 |
| Texas | 638,142 | 644,739 | 1.0 |
| Missouri | 345,986 | 362,248 | 4.7 |
| Kentucky | 329,218 | 332,784 | 1.1 |
| Maryland | 319,428 | 325,864 | 2.0 |
| Oklahoma | 281,278 | 283,102 | 0.6 |
| Virginia | 268,399 | 282,152 | 5.1 |
| South Carolina | 224,531 | 216,040 | -3.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 179,420 | 192,040 | 7.0 |
| Delaware | 148,974 | 158,570 | 6.4 |
| Louisiana | 149,295 | 156,621 | 4.9 |
| Florida | 52,574 | 52,488 | -0.2 |
| California, Tennessee, and West Virginia | 503,099 | 490,919 | -2.4 |
| 19 States Total 1/ | 8,636,570 | 8,718,888 | 1.0 |
| Other States 2/ | 328,855 | 339,332 | 3.2 |
| United States | 8,965,425 | 9,058,220 | 1.0 |
1/ States in the weekly hatchery estimating program. 2/ Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin are not published separately to avoid disclosing individual operations.
On January 1, 2014 there were 295 hatcheries with an incubator capacity of 901,657,000 eggs compared with 296 hatcheries with a capacity of 905,408,000 on January 1, 2013, a 0.3 percent decrease in the number of hatcheries and a 0.4 percent decrease in incubator capacity.
