Broiler sets and placements were lower last week, implying a tighter supply of chicken this spring.

The USDA says 241.541 million broiler type eggs were placed into incubators, slightly less than both the previous week and last year, with average hatchability declining to 79.3%.

185.477 million chicks were moved into meat production, also down modestly on both the week and the year.

The USDA projects 2024 broiler production at 46.775 billion pounds with the updated estimate out March 8th.

…