hatchery

American  

[hach-uh-ree] / ˈhætʃ ə ri /

noun

hatcheries plural

1. a place for hatching eggs of hens, fish, etc., especially a large, commercial or government site where the young are hatched, cared for, and sold or distributed.

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hatchery British  

/ ˈhætʃərɪ /

noun

1. a place where eggs are hatched under artificial conditions

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subhatchery
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• hatcheries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hatchery

First recorded in 1875–80; hatch ¹ + -ery

Explanation

A hatchery is a place where fish or bird eggs are hatched. Do you want to raise chickens so you can have fresh eggs every day? You'll probably buy your birds as babies from a hatchery. Small poultry hatcheries produce chicks that are usually sold to backyard farmers. Larger poultry hatcheries are more like factories, supplying chickens for meat or eggs to enormous corporations. Fish hatcheries are an important part of fish farming, providing a safe place for eggs to hatch and fish to grow large enough to be used for food.

Example Sentences

Hatchery operators say they've significantly reduced shrimp larvae production as a result.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025

The young fish were raised at the Fall Creek Fish Hatchery and included about 90,000 coho salmon, a threatened species, as well as more than 400,000 fall-run Chinook salmon.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2024

The $500,000 project should wrap up June 9, ahead of the anticipated release of juvenile Chinook salmon from the Marblemount Hatchery.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 2, 2023

The hatchery websites, such as Meyer Hatchery, have wonderful breed information to help you narrow down what kinds of chickens you might want to raise.

From Salon • May 7, 2023

When the Hatchery workers returned at the end of the second day, they were murmuring about it.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry