hatchery

American  

[hach-uh-ree] / ˈhætʃ ə ri /

noun

plural

hatcheries

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

• subhatchery
  noun

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

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 young Chinook, also known as King, salmon were being taken from the Lookingglass Hatchery in the state's north, to the Imnaha River, where they are listed as threatened.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2024

Hatchery fish compete with wild fish for food and spawning area.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 2, 2024

On a given morning, tens of thousands of chicks hatch from their warm ivory shells under the glow of artificial incubators at Murray McMurray Hatchery in Webster City, Iowa.

From Salon • May 10, 2023

They were eating in the Hatchery cafeteria, six of them at the same table.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry