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

"Interestingly, when we deploy them into containers in the sea, they often shift to a darker, more natural blue. But when they return to the hatchery, they become lighter again."

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2025

“It doesn’t matter how many fish you have, or if you’re growing them in a hatchery, or what you’re doing,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2025

That night, 271 Southern California steelhead trout were transported to a hatchery in Fillmore for safe keeping.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2025

Next, a coalition of those tribes, state agencies and nonprofits unleashed a limited supply of hatchery fish to boost runs in places like the Big Quilcene River.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 6, 2024

I said quietly, “Auntie, when is Uncle Katsuhisa going to quit his job at the hatchery and become a land surveyor?”

From "Kira-Kira" by Cynthia Kadohata