—Lancaster Farming,' Saturday', April 19,1969
8
What Size Laying Flock?
By Kerinit Birth,
Penn State Marketing Specialist
How many layers will there
be in the nation’s laying flock
this fall and winter (1969-70) 9
What will be the supply of eggs
available to consumers then?
In the past six months num
ber of chicks hatched for lay
ing flock replacements had in
creased 15 4 percent above a
%ear earlier This represents
about 15 3 million more pullet
chicks On the first of March
this year there were 3 percent
fewer eggs in incubators than
a year earlier. Still, there will
be more laying pullets to house
this year than a year earlier
Some pullets will be needed to
replace the higher proportion
of hens now on farms In the
past ymir, reduced culling and
marketing of hens offset a ma
jor portion of the reduction
in pullets started for laying
flock replacements. One un
answered question is how many
hens will be kept in production
for longer intervals and will be
forced molted this fall and next
year. Has a tiend to more
second-year layers and forced
molting started?
Another consideration is the
proportion of egg production
this fall and winter that will be
available for civilian table egg
use Will there be a repeat of
the situation which occurred in
the fall and winter of 1966-67?
Prices the spring of 1966 were
too high to encourage the pro
duction of liquid and frozen
eggs. As a icsult, supplies of
these eggs the last quaiter of
1966 were inadequate to meet
immediate needs for frozen
eggs Thus, more eggs were di
\ erted from the table egg mar
ket to the breaker market This
m turn increased prices and
stimulated further expansion in
the numbers of pullet chicks
hatched for laying flock re
placements
Keep abreast of the quantity
of liquid and frozen eggs pro
duced this spring and early
summer If puces discourage
bieaker activity, delayed pur
chases of eggs for breaking
could strengthen fall and winter
puces Because fewer pounds
of fiozen and liquid eggs were
available in the fall and wmtei
of 1966 67, liquid and fiozen
egg production inci eased sharp
ly from September through
Mai ch strengthening the table
egg market Monthly increases
langed from 4 to 83 peicent
above the corresponding month
a year earlier Prices for large
ivhite eggs, as reported by Mar
\-et News Service, averaged
47 3, 43 4, and 35 4 cents for
March, April, and May 1966 res
pectively. Breaker activity will
depend on both current puces
•md anticipated fall and winter
onces Delays in bieakei activi
ty may slow the impact of larg
er flock size and subsequent in
ciease in production on table
egg prices This in turn might
encourage additional expansion
which could fui thei weaken
prices
Use of eggs ior purposes
other than table eggs help sta-
A
WO'
TROVE
IN
THE
WAN
bilize prices but should not be conditions influencing egg pri
confused with an increase in ces. Adjustments to these con
consumer demand for eggs. De- ditions must be based on a mim
mand of consumers for eggs is ber of factors. Not any one fac
not likely to change However, tor is all inclusive, but some are
there may be changes in de- more important than others,
mand for non-table eggs. Break- Certain factors will have a
er demand was discussed previ- greater impact on prices at vari
ously. Another factor is hatch- ous times of the year than at
mg egg demand. If expansion in other times
hatch of pullet chicks continues, i s the i eduction in the num
demand for hatching eggs will ber of eggs in incubators on
be stronger than a year earlier. March 1 (3%) an indication of
Hatchings for broiler chicks the tempering of adjustments to
may also be slightly higher add- high prices or does it reflect a
mg to the demand for hatching change in seasonality of flock
e SB s - "replacement programs?
Military purchases will pro- it is not easy to appraise ad
bably continue about the same justments made by the industry
as a year earlier. Storage stocks Numerous factors and condi
of shell eggs on February 1 tions must be considered. Re
were less than a year ago. member a small change in sup-
industry plans must consider ply brings about a much larger
changing relationships among change in price.
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