Whether you like them boiled, scrambled or fried, one thing is for sure–there are plenty of eggs to go around.
U.S. egg production was up 10 percent year-to-year last month, according to Meatingplace, to 8.3 billion eggs.
Of those 8.3 billion, 7.21 billion table eggs and 1.09 billion hatching eggs were produced.
Of the 1.01 billion hatching eggs, 1.01 billion were broiler-type while 85.7 million were egg-type.
The number of layers in the U.S. also rose this year.
September numbers reveal 361 million layers. That’s up seven percent over last year.
Layers are also producing more this year.
Meatingplace reports September egg production rang in at 2,302 eggs. That’s up two percent over this time last year.
Of the 361 million layers, 304 million layers produced table eggs, also known as market-type eggs.
The rest of the layers were broiler-type hatching eggs at 53.5 million and egg-type hatching eggs, 3.48 million layers.
Hens laid about 76.8 eggs per layer. That’s up three percent from September 2015.
There are also more chicks in the United States this month.
About 771 million broiler-type chicks were hatched in September. That’s up one percent from this time last year.
Eggs in incubators were up three percent to 628 million.
The number of broiler-type pullet chicks placed for future domestic hatchery was down in September. Meatingplace reports only 7.04 million were placed by leading breeders. That’s down 18 percent from September 2015.
Egg prices reached 10-year lows this summer.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said the average price is down to $1.46 a dozen with some retailers offering discounts and other incentives that further lower the price.
Demand has been stifled, according to the Associated Press, because some bakeries and companies now use powdered eggs or found other ways to reduce egg usage.
AP reported in July that countries like Canada and Mexico that stopped accepting U.S. eggs last year have been slow to resume imports following the avian influenza crisis.