Broiler-type chicks hatched during March 2020 totaled 855 million, up 2-percent from March 2019. Eggs in incubators totaled 710 million on April 1, 2020, up 2-percent from a year ago, based on USDA’s latest Chickens and Eggs report.
Leading breeders placed 8.82 million broiler-type pullet chicks for future domestic hatchery supply flocks during March 2020, up 7-percent from March 2019.
The United States’ egg production totaled 9.53 billion during March 2020, down 1-percent from last year. Production included 8.29 billion table eggs, and 1.24 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.15 billion were broiler-type and 90.3 million were egg type. The average number of layers during March 2020 totaled 395 million, down 3-percent from last year.
March egg production per 100 layers was 2,411 eggs, up 1-percent from March 2019. Total layers in the United States on April 1, 2020 totaled 396 million, down 3-percent from last year. The 396 million layers consisted of 331 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 61.8 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 3.40 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on April 1, 2020, averaged 78.0 eggs per 100 layers, up 1-percent from April 1, 2019.
Total frozen poultry supplies on March 31, 2020 were up 4-percent from the previous month and down 2-percent from a year ago. Total stocks of chicken were down slightly from the previous month but up 6-percent from last year. Total pounds of turkey in freezers were up 14-percent from last month but down 17-percent from March 31, 2019. Follow the link for USDA’s latest Cold Storage report.
