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1944

Poultry and egg prices at New OrleansJames M. Baker

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Recommended CitationBaker, James M., "Poultry and egg prices at New Orleans" (1944). LSU Agricultural Experiment Station Reports. 76.http://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agexp/76

Louisiana Bulletin No, 385 September, 1944

POULTRY AND EGG PRICES AT NEW ORLEANS

By

J. M. Baker

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION

W. G. Taggart, Director

CONTENTSPage

INTRODUCTION ^

PRICES OF CHICKENS - 3

Hens ^

Springs and Broilers ^

Roosters and Capons -^

PRICES OF TURKEYS ^

Turkey hens ^

Toms ^

PRICES OF GEESE AND DUCKS ^ ,12

Geese ^ 12

Ducks ^ -

PRICES OF EGGS 1^

SUMMARY .

POULTRY AND EGG PRICES AT NEW ORLEANS

By J. M. Baker

INTRODUCTION

New Orleans with its population of about one half million people

is naturally a large consumer of poultry products. Its location makesit an important market for farm products of Louisiana and adjacent

territory. No information is available to indicate the total annual

consumption of poultry and eggs in this city, but it is known that in

addition to the receipts from Louisiana large quantities of these products

are received from other states. In the large trade area of New Orleans

no doubt there are producers, dealers, agricultural workers and others

who would like to have any additional information that would assist

them in disposing of their products to the best advantage at this market.

This report on poultry and egg prices at New Orleans is designed

to render such a service.

The period covered by the material submitted is for the years 1931

to 1943. The objectives are: (1) to define the different kinds and classes

of products, (2) to present the monthly and yearly prices of poultry andeggs with their seasonal and year to year variations, and (3) to explain

the causes of seasonal changes in prices.

The data from which most of the prices were calculated were ob-

tained from daily quotations in the Times-Picayune, a daily newspaperpublished in New Orleans. The prices for the last half of 1943 wereprovided by the New Orleans Office of Price Administration. Themonthly prices were procured by averaging- the daily quotations.

PRICES OF CHICKENS

Chickens at the New Orleans wholesale markets are divided into

five different classes. In order of their importance in volume as regis-

tered at the Board of Health inspection station they are: hens, springs,

roosters, broilers and capons. The amount of these different classes of

poultry checked by the inspection station in 1940 is shown in Table I.

Although this table gives only a part of the total receipts of chickens

at New Orleans, it will serve to indicate the seasonal changes in receipts

of the different classes and help to explain some of the variations

in prices.

Acknowledgments are made to the wholesale produce dealers of NewOrleans, Dr. C. W. Upp of L. S. U. Agricultural Experiment Station, and Mr.Clyde Ingram, Poultry Specialist, Agricultural Extension Service, for co-operation in the interpretation of the price data.

Table l. Amount of Chickens Recorded at the Board of HealthInspection Station, New Orleans, by Classes and by

Quarters of the Year 1940

(]lass

FirstQuarter

SecondQuarter

ThirdQuarter

FourthQuarter Year

Pounds

Hens 934,450 1,125,454 1,009,325 1,045,088 4,114,325

Springs 498,747 645,387 859,359 554,011 2,557,504

Roosters 24,166 39,606 30,119 32,731 126,622

Broilers 1,275 0 1,645 6,000 8,920

Capons 978 u AU AU 978

\T 1 V" £k rl*

iviixeu 1 uo,o / o 1 27

Total 1,564,299 1,812,070 2,027,873

Per Cent

1,844,605 7,248,847

TTHens 22.7 24.5 2o.4 i AA A100.0

Springs 19.5 25.2 33.6 21.7 100.0

Roosters 19.1 31.3 23.8 25.8 100.0

Broilers 14.3 0.0 18.4 67.3 100.0

Capons 100.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 100.0

Mixed* 23.9 0.4 28.9 46.9 100.0

Per cent of Yr. 21.6 25.0 28.0 25.4 100.0

*No record of classes in mixed lots.

Hens \

All female chickens when one year old and over, or have begun

to lay, are classed as hens. This class of chickens in 1940, accordhig

to Table I, constituted 57 per cent of the total receipts of chickens

at New Orleans. The highest receipts of the year were in the second

quarter, April, May, and June, at an average of 27.4 per cent of the

total yearly receipts. The wholesale prices of hens at New Orleans,

as calculated from quotations in the Times-Picayune for the years

1931 to 1943 are shown in Table 2.

4

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The prices of hens reached the highest monthly average for the

13-year period in April at 18.1 cents a pound (Table 2). The lowest

monthly average price was in July at 15.9 cents a pound. The better

prices from January to May are due to producers holding back hens

during the main laying season. The low prices in the summer may

be attributed to: (1) increased supply of hens at the market: (2) high

percentage of poor quality hens, or culls; and (3) a good supply of

young chickens. The advance in price during September and October

is the result of light receipts. Laying hens and pullets are kept in the

flocks because of the increase in prices of eggs. In November and

December the prices of hens decline with the competition of large

supplies of turkeys, rabbits and game in season.

The breed of hens affects materially their market value. Leghorn

hens, for example, sell alive at one to three cents a pound below the

prices of the heavier breeds. This is merely a consumer preference

as little, if any, difference is noticed after the hens are dressed.

Springs and Broilers

Springs are termed "young chickens" in Table 3, and are described

as chickens about one year old, or under, weighing 2.5 to 4.0 pounds.

Broilers are young chickens weighing 2.5 pounds or less. Springs

accounted for about 35 per cent of the chickens received at NewOrleans in 1940. Broilers comprised about one per cent of the

receipts.

The price of springs averaged fox the 13-year period, 1931-1943,

about 3 cents a pound above the price of hens, and about 2 cents a

pound below the price of broilers. The steady increase in the average

price of springs from 18.6 cents a pound in January to 26.3 cents a

pound in April is attributed to scarcity in the supply at the market

of this class of chickens and a decline in the quantity of fall and winter

turkeys. The low summer prices may be charged to increase in supply.

The price increase in September, which is due to decrease in supply,

is checked in October, November, and December because of the usual

and seasonal quantity of turkeys and rabbits offered for sale.

Breeds affect the price of young chickens also. Leghorn broilers,

on the average, are quoted alive at one to three cents a pound below

the prices of the heavier breeds. Barred and White Plymouth Rocks

are the breeds of young chickens most in demand at the New Orleans

wholesale markets.

Roosters and Capons

Roosters average little less than two per cent of the chicken

receipts at New Orleans. The receipts of capons are negligible.

Though the quotations on roosters were too irregular to tabulate, the

price for the period appeared to be about 5 cents a pound below the

price of hens. The few quotations on the price of capons were 20

cents a pound, which was ridiculously low.

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PerCent

130

Index of Monthly Prices of Chickens at New Orleans

1931-1943

120

110

100

90

80

70 I

Young Chickens

Hens

Av . for i2 moa . s 100

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Figure 1

PerCent

130

120

110

100

Index of Yearly Prices of Chickens at New Orleans

1931-1943

70

80

90 . V

77

I:

\ /K «

Average 1931-1943 - (00

1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943

Figure 2

8

PRICES OF TURKEYS

Turkeys comprise about 10 per cent of the total poultry receiptsat New Orleans, according to the Board of Health records taken at

the inspection station in 1940. The seasonal receipts checked at thestation in that year are shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4. Amount of Turkeys Recorded at the Board of HealthInfection Station, New Orleans, by Classes and by

Seasons in 1940

ClassFirst

QuarterSecondQuarter

ThirdQuarter

FourthQuarter Year

Pounds

Hens 45,900 56,851 19,840 353,119 475,710

Toms , 16,727 18,387 4,150 317,225 356,939

Total 62,627 75,688 23,990

Per Cent

670,344 832,649

Hens 9.6 12.0 4.2 74.2 100.0

Toms 4.6 5.3 1.2 88.9 100.0

Percent of Yr. 7.5 9.1 2.9 80.5 100.0

Turkey Hens

The prices of turkey hens at New Orleans are higher in Decem-ber, January, February and March than during other months of theyear (Table 5). This is due to the retention of hens on the farmsduring the first quarter of the year for breeding purposes. The lowprice in summer is due chiefly to the supply of good chickens. Theprice increases from September through December are the result of a

good demand for turkeys. The demand is usually accompanied bya relatively heavy seasonal supply.

Toms

Seasonal variations in the prices of toms, or gobblers as they are

termed in the price quotations, are about the same as in the caseof turkey hens. One exception, however, is that the relatively highprice for toms in the spring is due to scarcity at the market. The youngmale birds are quoted, on the average, about one half cent a poundbelow the price of turkey hens, or about one and one half cents apound above the price of old toms. The monthly and yearly varia-tions in prices of turkey hens are shown graphically in Figures 3 and 4,

9

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Index of Monthly Prices of Turkey Hens at New Orleans

1931-1943

PerCent

130

120

110

100

70

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Figure 3

PerCent

130

120

110

100

90

80

70

Index of Yearly Prices of Turkey Hens at New Orleans

1931-1943

1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943

Figure 4

11

PRICES OF GEESE AND DUCKS

Geese and ducks together at the New Orleans markets probably

constitute less than one per cent of the total supply of poultry. They

are not divided into classes or grades. The seasonal receipts vary about

the same as the seasonal receipts of turkeys. The prices of geese and

ducks at New Orleans for the period, 1931-1943, are shown in Tables 6

and 7, respectively. The monthly and yearly variations in prices are

charted in Figures 5 and 6.

Geese

The average price of geese for the period 1931-1943 moved rather

steadily from a high point of 12.0 cents a pound in January to a low

average of 10.1 cents in August and September. The higher prices

in the winter months are due to good demand and good quality

of geese. Declining prices in the spring are the result of a supply of

good chickens. Low prices in the summer may be assigned chiefly

to small demand and off-season for geese.

Ducks

In quoting the prices of ducks at New Orleans little distinction,

if any, is made in breeds. The best stage at which to market ducklings

is when they are "finished", or full-fleshed, and before heavy pin feather

development starts. In Louisiana, pin feathers usually appear at the

Index of Monthly Prices of Geese and Ducks at New Orleans

1931-1943

PerCent

120

110

100

•

Ducks

Ge«9e

Averago for the 12 months » 100

I 1 L 1 1 » . _1 1 1

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Figure 5

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age of 12 to 16 weeks. The prices of ducks are determined mainly

by supply and quality. The seasonal changes in prices of ducks coin-

cide closely with the changes in the prices of geese. New Orleans

is reported as not being an especially good market for ducks.

Index of Yearly Prices of Geese and Ducks at New Orleans

1931-1943

PerCent

130

120

110

100

90

80

70

tl

•1

/ •

Ducks

//i ,—

• \ / * • • .

% / 4 ^ Geese% ^ / "

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1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943

Figure 6

PRICES OF EGGS

The only eggs for which price quotations were available for the

entire period involved in this report are the common run of Louisiana

eggs and quoted at the wholesale markets of New Orleans as "current

receipts." These lots of eggs are usually ungraded as to size, color, clean-

liness and oftentimes freshness. They are sometimes referred to as

"yard eggs," "country eggs" or "market run" eggs. The average monthly

and yearly prices of current receipt eggs, which are referred to below

as just "eggs," for the period, 1931-1943, are presented in Table 8.

The indexes of these prices are charted in Figures 7 and 8.

The highest average monthly prices of eggs at New Orleans during

the period were in December and the lowest monthly prices were

in June. This differs from Louisiana farm prices of this quality of

eggs which drop to the lowest price level in March. The low price

in June at New Orleans is due mainly to poor quality of eggs, and

the low farm price in March is due to heavy seasonal supply and con-

gestion in the rural areas. Part of the heavy March farm supply is

taken up by packers and others for storage which reduces the deliveries

14

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to New Orleans at that time. The steady movement upward to an

average for the 13-year period of 28.2 cents a dozen in December

may be attributed to a relatively short supply, increased demand and

better quality of eggs. But the price is checked by the competition

of storage eggs, many of them from Louisiana as well as from other

parts of the country. Because of low production in late fall and winter

in Louisiana and less competition from storage eggs, the price of eggs

in the rural areas in December may equal or even exceed T;he prices

at New Orleans.

With production at a peak in the spring and extremely low in the

fall and winter, producers realize lower yearly average prices for their

eggs than if production were more evenly distributed throughout the

year. It is obvious also that the extremely low farm prices in the spring

may be improved somewhat by better marketing facilities. More care-

ful grading and packing with larger volume shipments without doubt

would stimulate the market demand for Louisiana eggs and thereby

net producers more profit.

Much of the egg supply at New Orleans originates in Texas.

These eggs are of the "current receipt" type but appear to be better

assorted and more carefully candled than the eggs from Louisiana.

For this difference Texas eggs at New Orleans demand a premium

of one to two cents a dozen over Louisiana current receipt eggs.

Index of Monthly Prices of Louisiana Current Receipt Eggs

New Orleans, 1931-1943

PerCent

110

100

90

80

70

130

120

Average for the 12 aontha « JOO

J L

Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.

Figure 7

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Index of Yearly Prices of Louisiana Monthly Current Receipt Eggs i

New Orleans, 1931-1943 I

PerCent

130

120

110

100

90

80

70

Average 1931-1943 = 100

J I —i. JL I— L -! *«

1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943

Figure 8

Prices o£ eggs from other states, of course, are subject to variations in

quality and price also. Grade "A" eggs under ordinary conditions

are priced about three cents a dozen above "current receipt" eggs at

the New Orleans wholesale markets. Under O. P. A. regulations the

margin is about 7 cents a dozen.

SUMMARY

The heaviest receipts of chickens at New Orleans, according to a

partial report on total receipts by the Board of Health inspection station,

are during the third quarter of the year with an average of 28 per cent,

of the year's supply. The lowest receipts are in the first quarter. The

seasonal price of hens, which constitute about 27 per cent of the total

amount of poultry at this market, averaged highest in April at 18.1 cents

a pound and lowest in July at 15;9 cents a pound. In November and De-

cember the prices of hens as well as other classes of chickens are affected

by the competition of turkeys and rabbits. Springs and broilers com-

prised about 35 per cent of the chicken receipts at NeW Orleans m 194U.

The highest receipts of springs were in the third quarter of the year.

Springs averaged in price about 3 cents a pound and broilers about 5

cents a pound above the prices of hens.

Turkeys comprise about 10 per cent of the poultry receipts at

New Orleans with the largest volume in the last quarter of the year.

The best prices for turkeys are in December, January, February, and

March. Prices are lowest in June and July.

18

Indications are that New Orleans is not an especially good market

for geese and ducks. The best average price for geese for the 13-year

period was in January at 12 cents a pound. The average price in

summer was about 10 cents The price of ducks is 1.5 to 2 cents

a]^',-:md above that of geese.

The prices quoted for eggs were for regular, "current receipts."

The average price of these eggs for the period ranged from 28.2 cents

a dozen in December to 16.8 cents a dozen in June. For this quality

of receipts Texas eggs bring a premium of one to two cents a dozen

above the prices of the eggs from Louisiana. This appears to be due

chiefly to better candling and packing. Grade "A" eggs at the NewOrleans wholesale markets net about 3 cents a dozen over "current

receipts.**

19

Louisiana Bulletin No. 386 October, 1944

STORAGE OF IRISH POTATOES IN

THE LOWER SOUTH

By

W. D. KiMBROUGH

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITYAND

AGRICULTURAL AND MECHANICAL COLLEGE

AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATIONS

W. G. Taggart, Director