C3215 - Commercial hatcheries

Operational Details
Commercial hatcheries purchase fertile eggs from local breeders, other parts of Canada and the United States.

Once received, the eggs are incubated for a period of approximately 21 days. The eggs during this time sit in a controlled environment of 99 degrees Fahrenheit. 3 days prior to the due date of hatching, the eggs are transferred to a hatching machine where the eggs are automatically turned every hour. When hatched, the chicks are immunized and crated for delivery to customers.

Poultry processing operations may also be involved in broiler production. Poultry processors have separate divisions to hatch the chicks. Often local farmers take the chicks and raise them to maturity and sell them back to the processing plants.

Economics of the industry dictates the relationship between the poultry processors and those who raise the chicks for re-sale back to the processing plants. The health of the chicks is paramount and having them disbursed among many farmers is a control measure that forestalls disease wiping out a large segment of the necessary stock for processing.

SIC Codes
000000203 - Commercial hatcheries