Expansion for Broiler Producers

Expansion for Broiler Producers

Maura Bennett
Maura Bennett

US broiler producers are expanding production. The upshot of the most recent Chicken and Eggs report from the USDA.

Shayle Shagam is a USDA livestock analyst and says the signs are clear that a gradual expansion is underway.

Shagum:''The number of broiler chick hatched during April was up about 6% from a year ago. There were about 8% more eggs in incubators than a year ago.

He says the increase is in part due to a rebound from lower production last year due to the COVID pandemic. But higher wholesale prices for broilers have the industry expanding as well.

Shagum told the USDA’s news service broiler production should be up about .5% this year and an additional 1% in 2022. He expects higher grain costs will slow the growth much beyond that.

U.S. egg production totaled 9.19 billion during April 2021, up 1 percent from last year. Production included 7.93 billion table eggs, and 1.27 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.19 billion were broiler-type and 75.8 million were egg type.

Alabama production rose from 199 million eggs in April 2020 to 204 million eggs in April 2021. Georgia produced 426 million eggs in April 2020 above its 421.9-million in April 2021.

The average number of layers during April 2021 totaled 389 million, down 1 percent from last year. April egg production per 100 layers was 2,360 eggs, up 2 percent from April 2020. Total layers in the United States on May 1, 2021, totaled 386 million, down 1 percent from last year.

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