Title: “US Hatchery Numbers Experience Modest Decline, but Remain Robust in September 2023”
Article:
In the week ending September 9, hatcheries across the United States placed 237 million eggs in incubators, showing a slight 1% decrease compared to the same period the previous year. This data, reported by the National Agricultural Statistics Service, sheds light on the current state of the country’s poultry industry.
The average hatchability rate for chicks during this week was 80.3%, indicating a healthy hatching process.
During the same week, broiler growers in the U.S. placed 189 million chicks for meat production, which marked a 2% decline from a year ago. However, when looking at the bigger picture, from January 7 to September 9, the cumulative number of placements in the United States reached a substantial 6.75 billion. While this represents a 1% decrease compared to the same period in the previous year, it still underscores the industry’s resilience.
Shifting focus to the turkey sector, as of September 1, the count of turkey eggs in incubators totaled 26.8 million. This number revealed a 3% decrease from the count recorded on September 1, 2022, and a 2% reduction from the total on August 1, which stood at 27.2 million eggs.
In August 2023, turkey poults hatched in the U.S. amounted to 23.9 million, signaling a modest decrease from August 2022. However, it’s worth noting that this figure marked a noteworthy 5% increase from the total count in July 2023, which amounted to 22.6 million poults.
Furthermore, the United States saw the placement of 22.8 million net poults in August 2023, a slight increase from the placements during the same month the previous year. This reflected a 2% rise from the total net poult placements in July 2023, which was 22.4 million.
While these numbers indicate some fluctuations in the poultry industry, they also highlight its overall stability and resilience, positioning it well for continued growth and productivity.
