How to Read the USDA Broiler Hatchery Report — Weekly Eggs Set, Chicks Placed and Hatchability
USDA Broiler Hatchery, U.S. weekly estimates, week ending October 24, 2026: 246 million broiler-type eggs set and 188 million chicks placed, both up slightly from a year ago.
Key figures (Broiler Hatchery, October 28, 2026 report)
As of 30 October 2026, 03:04 KST; most recently published report: Broiler Hatchery, released October 28, 2026, by the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), covering U.S. broiler-type eggs set and chicks placed in the week ending October 24, 2026. The NASS October 2026 calendar lists the release at 3:00 pm ET; the publication page lists the next scheduled releases at 3:00 PM without a time zone, on Wednesdays November 4 and November 18 and on Thursday November 12, 2026 (the page gives no reason; November 11 is the Veterans Day federal holiday). Primary source: https://esmis.nal.usda.gov/sites/default/release-files/796127/brls4326.txt[1][3][4]
| Indicator (weekly, United States unless noted) | Previous (week ending October 17, 2026, as revised) | Current (week ending October 24, 2026) | Change vs previous | Change vs year ago (same week in 2025) | Evidence type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broiler-type eggs set (1,000 eggs) | 245,609 | 245,995 | +386 (+0.2%, this page's calculation) | up slightly (published wording; not published as a number) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (October 28 release; previous week as revised in it); week-to-week changes: this page's calculation |
| Broiler-type chicks placed (1,000 chicks) | 193,281 | 188,303 | -4,978 (-2.6%, this page's calculation) | up slightly (published wording; not published as a number) | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (October 28 release; previous week as revised in it); week-to-week changes: this page's calculation |
| Average hatchability (percent) | 79.7 (October 21 report) | 79.5 | -0.2 percentage point (this page's calculation) | not published | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record; change: this page's calculation |
| Cumulative chicks placed from the week ending January 10, 2026 | 8.03 billion (through October 17) | 8.21 billion (through October 24) | not computed: both totals are rounded | up 2% (published) for both periods | USDA NASS primary statistical record |
| Eggs set, Alabama (1,000 eggs) | 34,362 | 35,039 | +677 (+2.0%, this page's calculation) | not published by state | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (October 28 release; previous week as revised in it); week-to-week changes: this page's calculation |
| Chicks placed, Georgia (1,000 chicks) | 26,179 | 26,065 | -114 (-0.4%, this page's calculation) | not published by state | levels: USDA NASS primary statistical record (October 28 release; previous week as revised in it); week-to-week changes: this page's calculation |
Comparison basis: weekly levels are as published in thousands; the previous week is the revised figure printed in the October 28 report, not the first print. Week-to-week changes are this page's calculation rounded to one decimal. Year-ago comparisons are published only as words or whole percentages for the U.S. totals; the report prints no year-ago levels. The two releases, publication page and calendar are all from USDA and count as one source.[1][2]
In three lines
1. The weekly NASS report counts broiler-type eggs set in incubators and chicks placed with growers for meat production, by selected state or state group, and for the United States.
2. In the week ending October 24, 2026, U.S. hatcheries set 246 million eggs and growers placed 188 million chicks, both up slightly from a year ago.
3. Average hatchability for chicks hatched that week was 79.5%.[1]
What the report says (in NASS's words)
"Hatcheries in the United States weekly program set 246 million eggs in incubators during the week ending October 24, 2026, up slightly from a year ago." "Broiler growers in the United States weekly program placed 188 million chicks for meat production during the week ending October 24, 2026, up slightly from a year ago." "Cumulative placements from the week ending January 10, 2026 through October 24, 2026 for the United States were 8.21 billion." "Cumulative placements were up 2 percent from the same period a year earlier."[1]
Hatchability. "Average hatchability for chicks hatched during the week in the United States was 79.5 percent." "Average hatchability is calculated by dividing chicks hatched during the week by eggs set three-weeks earlier."[1]
Who reports. "Data for broiler hatchery estimates are collected weekly from all broiler-type hatcheries that hatch at least one million chicks a year." "Those that do not respond are contacted by telephone." "The weekly United States total for chicks placed includes states receiving greater than 500,000 chicks annually for grow-out." "Data for missing operations are estimated based on similar operations or historical data."[1]
Reading in pairs
First print vs revised. "Revisions are generally the result of late or corrected data." "Revisions made to the previous five-week's data during the current week are published in this report." For the week ending October 17, U.S. eggs set were first printed as 245,764 thousand and revised to 245,609 (-155), and chicks placed from 193,298 to 193,281 (-17); the week ending October 10 was revised down by 200 thousand in both series (this page's subtraction).[1][2]
Week to week vs year to year. U.S. chicks placed fell 2.6% from the previous week (this page's calculation) yet were described as up slightly from a year ago; for the week ending October 17 the report said up 2 percent.[1][2]
Eggs set vs chicks placed. Eggs set and chicks placed are separate weekly counts; hatchability relates chicks hatched in a week to eggs set three weeks earlier, so the two counts in the same week are not a matched pair.[1]
States vs the U.S. total. States are listed individually or grouped (California, Tennessee and West Virginia together, plus Other States). In the week ending October 24, Alabama had the most eggs set (35,039 thousand) and Georgia the most chicks placed (26,065 thousand) among the states listed individually; the report does not explain state differences.[1]
Weekly vs final. "Final estimates are published in the annual Hatchery Production Summary released in April."[1]
Verified facts
Each fact is labelled with its evidence typeEach fact in this section carries its evidence type — either cross-checked against independent sources, or confirmed from a single authoritative record.
U.S. hatcheries set 246 million broiler-type eggs in the week ending October 24, 2026, up slightly from a year ago.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
U.S. broiler growers placed 188 million chicks for meat production in the week ending October 24, 2026, up slightly from a year ago.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Average hatchability for U.S. broiler-type chicks hatched in the week ending October 24, 2026 was 79.5 percent.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
Cumulative U.S. broiler chick placements from the week ending January 10 through October 24, 2026 were 8.21 billion, up 2 percent from a year earlier.[1] 1 source · authoritative record
The USDA publication page lists the next scheduled Broiler Hatchery releases on November 4 and November 12, 2026.[3] 1 source · authoritative record
Statements and readings
Not counted as facts — each item shows what kind of statement it isFrom here on: statements not counted as facts — single-source reports, the issuing body’s own statements, and this page’s own readings, each labeled.
U.S. broiler chicks placed fell by 4,978 thousand (2.6%) from the week ending October 17 to the week ending October 24, 2026.[1] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's calculation from the October 28 release
U.S. eggs set for the week ending October 17, 2026 were revised down by 155 thousand, from 245,764 thousand to 245,609 thousand.[1][2] This page’s own calculation or reading · This page's comparison of the October 21 and October 28 releases
Timeline
- 2026-10-21
NASS releases Broiler Hatchery for the week ending October 17, 2026.[2]
- 2026-10-28
NASS releases Broiler Hatchery for the week ending October 24, 2026.[1][4]
- 2026-11-04
Next scheduled Broiler Hatchery release listed on the USDA publication page.[3]
- 2026-11-12
Following scheduled Broiler Hatchery release listed on the USDA publication page, on a Thursday.[3]
What this page could not establish
These are questions this page tried to answer and could not. The gaps are left open rather than filled with a guess.- How large were the year-ago increases described as up slightly?
- Why did chicks placed fall from the previous week?
- Model
- claude-opus-5
- Time
- 10/30/2026, 03:08
- Body characters
- 5,935
- Sources
- 4 sources adopted
- Model
- ChatGPT (checked sources on the web)
- Time
- 10/30/2026, 03:12
- Verdict
- Revision required
Show revision history (3)
| 10/30/2026, 09:00 | First authored (claude-opus-5) | Created |
| 10/30/2026 | First version. Read in full the USDA NASS Broiler Hatchery text releases of October 28 and October 21, 2026, including the state eggs-set and chicks-placed tables and methodology, plus the publication page and the NASS October 2026 release calendar; quotations are complete sentences matched against the source text. | Updated |
| 10/30/2026 | Revised after review: the three-line summary describes the counts by selected state or state group and for the United States; the summary calls the weekly figures estimates; upcoming release dates are described as scheduled. | Updated |
Frequently asked
How many broiler-type eggs did U.S. hatcheries set in the week ending October 24, 2026?
245,995 thousand (published as 246 million), up slightly from a year ago, according to the NASS report of October 28, 2026.[1]
How many broiler chicks were placed for meat production in the U.S. in the week ending October 24, 2026?
188,303 thousand (188 million), up slightly from a year ago and 2.6% below the revised previous week by this page's calculation.[1]
What does the 79.5% U.S. average hatchability for the week ending October 24, 2026 measure?
Chicks hatched during that week divided by eggs set three weeks earlier, for the United States; the previous week's figure was 79.7%.[1]
Which hatcheries report to the weekly U.S. Broiler Hatchery survey for October 2026?
All broiler-type hatcheries that hatch at least one million (1,000,000) chicks a year; data for missing operations are estimated from similar operations or historical data.[1]
Why did the week ending October 17, 2026 U.S. figures change in the October 28 report?
NASS revises the previous five weeks, generally for late or corrected data: eggs set went from 245,764 to 245,609 thousand and chicks placed from 193,298 to 193,281 thousand.[1][2]
How many U.S. broiler chicks were placed from January 10 through October 24, 2026?
8.21 billion cumulative placements from the week ending January 10, 2026, up 2% from the same period a year earlier.[1]
Official links
Sources
- [1] Broiler Hatchery, released October 28, 2026 (USDA NASS, text release) primary
- [2] Broiler Hatchery, released October 21, 2026 (USDA NASS, text release) primary
- [3] Broiler Hatchery publication page (USDA ESMIS, page as current on 2026-10-30) primary
- [4] NASS Reports by Date calendar, October 2026 primary