Nearly 839 million broiler-type chicks hatched in May, up 4.5 percent from April and up over 2 percent from May 2017. A strong hatch should be expected for June as well, as broiler-type eggs in incubators totaled almost 700 million eggs as of June 1, up nearly 4 percent year over year. USDA reports that the broiler category is driving this year’s increase in animal inventories.

The average number of layers on hand in May was 386 million, up 3 percent from a year ago but holding steady from the month before. Over 60 million egg-type chicks were hatched in May, up 12 percent from a year ago, and egg-type eggs in incubators totaled 51 million as of June 1, up 8 percent year over year.

Monthly broiler hatches, by season

Source: USDA
Posted by: Information Services
Our Information Services team assists our clients with understanding commodity and ingredient market dynamics. Using our extensive database of intelligence, we also produce regular commodity and commercial market publications covering supply and demand fundamentals, news alerts on events that shape the markets, and resource guides to give you a complete picture of the industries we monitor.