State, national egg production up slightly from previous year

DES MOINES — Iowa egg production during December 2023 was 1.10 billion eggs, up 5% from the previous December, according to the latest Chickens and Eggs report from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The average number of all layers on hand during December 2023 was 42.6 million, up 4 percent from last year. Eggs per 100 layers for December 2023 was 2,582, up 1% from a year ago.

Nationwide, United States egg production totaled 9.45 billion during December 2023, up 3 percent from last year. Production included 8.14 billion table eggs, and 1.31 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.21 billion were broiler-type and 97.0 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during December 2023 averaged 384 million, up 2 percent from last year. December egg production per 100 layers was 2,462 eggs, up 1 percent from December 2022.

All layers in the United States on Jan. 1, 2024 totaled 379 million, up 1 percent from last year. The 379 million layers consisted of 312 million layers producing table or market type eggs, 63.6 million layers producing broiler-type hatching eggs, and 3.83 million layers producing egg-type hatching eggs. Rate of lay per day on Jan. 1, 2024, averaged 79.3 eggs per 100 layers, up 2 percent from Jan. 1, 2023.

Egg-type chicks hatched during December 2023 totaled 48.4 million, down slightly from December 2022. Eggs in incubators totaled 49.0 million on Jan. 1, 2024, up 3 percent from a year ago.

Domestic placements of egg-type pullet chicks for future hatchery supply flocks by leading breeders totaled 219 thousand during December 2023, up 1 percent from December 2022.

Broiler-type chicks hatched during December 2023 totaled 849 million, down 1 percent from December 2022. Eggs in incubators totaled 718 million on Jan. 1, 2024, down slightly from a year ago.