Northwest Iowa — Egg production in northwest Iowa, and statewide, continues to ramp up to full production after the 2015 avian influenza or “bird flu” outbreak.
Iowa egg production during January 2017 was 1.38 billion eggs, up slightly from last month, and up 53 percent from last year, 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 January 2017 was 55.5 million, up 1 percent from last month, and up 32 percent from last year. Before the bird flu outbreak, in the first few months of 2015, the average number of all layers on hand hovered around 60 million. During the outbreak the figure was under 35 million. Eggs per 100 layers for January were 2,486, down 1 percent from last month, but up 16 percent from last year, and the second highest rate of lay since records began in 1988.
Nationwide, United States egg production totaled 9.04 billion during January 2017, up 9 percent from last year. Production included 7.91 billion table eggs, and 1.12 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.04 billion were broiler-type and 87.7 million were egg-type. The total number of layers in the U.S. during January 2017 averaged 376 million, up 5 percent from last year. January egg production per 100 layers was 2,401 eggs, up 3 percent from January 2016.
All layers in the United States on February 1, 2017 totaled 376 million, up 5 percent from last year.
