MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Wisconsin's egg-laying chickens were a little less productive last year than they were two years ago, but they're still above average in national rankings.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says Wisconsin's hens produced 1.3 billion eggs in the 12-month period ending Nov. 30. That was down 3 percent from the same period a year earlier.
That's partly because the number of egg layers dropped 2 percent over that span.
However, Wisconsin remains 18th in the nation in egg production. Iowa is by far the nation's leader, with 14.5 billion eggs produced last year. Minnesota is 11th, with 2.8 billion eggs.
Wisconsin chickens produced an average of 275 eggs last year. That's three eggs below the state's 2010 average, but four eggs better than the national average.
